Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1910-04-22

NV NV VINO could octrun any of his companions
men ne was SIX years old the village of Walthal
was established in the woods nearby and tbe
core family went there to live Yonne Ter, a.
'ended small school set among the trees out
side of the village
Al the age OF eight years the boys left eve
was ptpded by an accidental blow from a stick
"iee years later he was employed as page in
the Mississippi senate and boarded at the house
q senator ) q George in Jackson One day
WINE playing with crossbow an arrow entered
MS right eye and destroyed his sight
IN spite OF his affection young Gore managed
70 stand at the head of his class in school and at
the age OF II years entered a normal school
which was opened Here he gradually became
loeaiy bhnd yet he mastered the high school
course
Nhile Gore was attending the high school his
cioses' companion was a classmate Charles
rlttman This youth used to read to him. One
gay they found an old volume of the Congress
sonal Record. Going out to the stable the blind
student would stand for hours while Pittman read
to him the speeches of the lawmakers AT Wash
ington
During that winter Gore and his sister taught
school for few months. All the while his moth
er, a bedridden invalid read to him history. biog
raphy and other subjects connected WITH his DO
litcal plans, and he would sit by the bed
strange smile on his blind countenance dreaming
and brooding and waiting for the day when he
might take part in the great battle of politics like
other men.
His great chance came in the spring Of 1891
The Popriist movement was spreading rapidly
and he Joined it, In the state campaign for
legislature to elect United States senator he
took up the cause of Barksdale against George
although as boy he had lived in Georges house
The blind orator shrank from no conflict He
even debated with Senator Money whose tongue
all Mississippi dreaded and who smiled males
ucaly when told that his opponent "a poor.
blind schoolboy" Senator Money declared that
hui OF tic
him personally responsible for his words-a
deadly thing to say in Mississippi. Gore prompt.
ly replied. Let him then blindfold himself and |
will meet him"
In September of that year he went to the law
school at Cumberland university Tennessee and
studied law for ten months He was one of the
leading six students in class of 20 This expe.
r1ence cost him 1891 and he returned to his Mis-
sissipp village with only % cents in his pocket
IN suit OF clothes he had worn for ID months
He had almost been compelled to leave the law
school months before for the lack of suitable
clothing
Yet his unquenchab1e ambition to reach the
United States senate grew more intense as the
difficulties of his situation increased
Cores father had taken up the practice of
law in Walthail and, returning from the law
school in 1892 the youth was welcomed as an
assistant in the office. That year too he was
presidential elector the Pupulist ticket, at.
tackled Grover Cleveland the stump and carried
his county.
The practice of law was not an inspiring oecu
patton in Walthall. There were actually As law.
yers in that small, poor village The blind adyo-
cate tried few cases
After two years effort to earn living as
a lawyer in the place of his birth Gore decided
to go TO Texas.
Having saved $40. he started in April 1894
for Texarkana, arriving there an absolute stran-
ger with only $21 in his pocket He secured a
boarding house and promptly offered himself to
the Popust leaders for service in the approach.
Ing state and county elections. His political
speeches brought IN money enough to paw his ex.
penses. but he found no chance to practice law
In the winter he went back to WalthaI and for a
year made another desperate effort to win success
as a lawyer He nominated for congress NV
the Popnlists, but was defeated. Yet his speeches
in the campaign attracted much attention.
On the last day of the year 1895 the sigbtloss
and unsuccessful lawyer decided to abandon the