Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1910-05-13
Personal "REMINISCENCES
OF SENATOR ". {. BORAH
Son Of a Farmer Becomes Lawyer, Then
United States Senator


one of the prosecutors Of William d.
Haywood, charged with completely IN
the murder OF Frank steunenberg. a
former governor OF Idaho, who was
horribly killed with dynamite at the
gate leading into his own garden
Borah's argument closing the case
occupied two days ana would have
filled 40 columns OF newspaper.
Don't Care to Talk About Them.
Manifestly. he would be incom-
plete we're the striking and dramatic
events Of his life omitted from his
record But he talked about them
with repugnance. siurring them over,
begging indulgence. and courteously
protesting. Physically. he Is not a
large man, but he Is 1.-THE and
muscular. His head is broad, his
face Is wide, and his eyes are as blue
as Holland teacup and saucer. While
his voice In low and his manner most
agreeable. II Is plainly to be seen
that he Is a determined and intrepid
were never taken seriously, but !
dare say he was ready. Idaho, how
ever. had passed through its cycle Of
gun fighters, or CHASTITY sheep herd
ers, dead In the tall grass Of lonely
valleys. and OF vengeful miners hunt
ing for their enemies with bombs.
rifles and daggers, Borah, therefore,
coming into the tranquil present and
looking toward serenity. II not cul-
ture. minimizes the past, with us
terrors and tragedies,
In a word, necessary TO a coherent
comprehension Of his story. Borah
worked on HIS fathers farm until he
was 16 years old, when, being rest
less and wanting an education and
to be a lawyer, he went to his sis
ter's home at Lyons, IN Kansas. II
didn't know how was to get an cd
ucation. nor had.I any definite plans,
but / thought fate In some manner
would take care OF my case. My
father had previously signed notes
for another man and lost consld-
cradle part Of his property"
You completed you'd education,
l said. FAT the Kansas State Univer-
sityY'
Yes; my sister and my father
helping me with money. But /
taught school Whenever could dur
ing my course at college. After be-
Ing graduated studied law at Lyons
BY the time / was ready for the bar
Populism was working a queer trans
formation IN Kansas. Jerry Simpson
OF Medicine Lodge was the candidate
OF that party in my district for CON
gress. Farm products we're selling.
for almost nothing. Lyons was a
small place, ! determined, accord
ingly. to begin practice somewhere
ON the Pacific coast
"a friend advised me to stop at
Boise the territorial capital OF Ida
no. might have gone on to San
Francisco. but when l arrived In
Boise had only $1b left for my
travels. / drummed the law Offices
for work. but was unsuccessful. II
didn't take long for me to see that
either had to get into another kind
Of business or begin practIeing my
self. and without partner ] bought
some cheap furniture and announced
that another lawyer had settled In
Boise. The announcement created no
excitement.
His First Case in idaho.
"Your iirst case in Idaho said,
'.had to do with a gambler"
"only indirectly. had met a
gambler on the train that carried me
into Idaho, lie lived at Nampa, 90
miles from Boise. one morning he
telephoned for me. saying that a
man whom he knew was In trouble,
/ found on reaching Nampa, that a
telegraph operator had killed a
chinaman. The operator had cult
work late al night and gone into the
kitchen OF the hotel where ne board
ed TO get a luncheon. There was a
dispute with the Chinese cook, who
took up a knife and chased the tele-
graph operator into the dining room.
After the cook had turned to walk
to the kitchen. the operator shot him
In the beck, killing him almost In
stantly. The preliminary examine
ton was before an old justice Of the
peace named Lang. In his intorma-
tion Hayes, the prosecutor, charged
the telegraph operator with murder,
"s1t 10 not murder, Lang said pref
ty vigorously, 10 kin a Chinaman,'
"'In view OF the known Aets.
Hayes replied. 4 am compelled Ia