Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-01-05

showed his individuality by breaking
away from his family and all his ON
ties to enlist in the Union army.
Before the war was over Mr.. Elkins
left the army and in 1864 struck across
the plains to New Mexico. then a
border territory, of which two-thirds
of the population were Spanish. He
acquired that language in the course of
a year and soon acquired a large law
practise. He was elected to the Legis-
lature and also served as territorial
Encouragement. President johnson
made him territorial United States dis
trict attorney. and he was one Of the
few New Mexico officials whom General
Grant did not dismiss.
Mr.. Elkins first appeared in Wash
ington as the delegate to Congress from
the territory of New Mexico in 1873.
His popularity among the Spanish Sc
eured him the handsome majority OF
1900 and he was reelected for a second
term while he was on a our in Europe
in the face of his own positive refusal
of the nomination. He felt that he
could not decline such an honor and
he acquired in his second term a ma
tional reputation by g speech in which
ii0 PlCdoGQ lOl liG d0lliSotOA VI liz
territory to Statehood.
WEEDS Ex-senator Dnyis's Daughter.
While in Congress Mr.. Elkins mar
ried q daughter of ex-senator Harry q.
Davis, of West Virginia. This alliance
made him acquainted with great un-
developed resources Of that mountain
Gus State, and it decided him to throw
in his lot with 1t.
After the expiration of his second
congressional term, although he was
always recognized as one of the leaders
of the Republicans and was a member
of the national committee, he severed
his connection with New Mexico and
lived for two years in Washington. lie
found that as a Westerner of national
repute he could make money by looking
after the legal business of the great
interests which were growing up III
the newly-developed States.
He declared years afterward that ne
was making $50, 900 a year by his prac-
tise before the Supreme Court n IN
Congress, and his knowledge of mining
law and the difficult problems ~onnect
ed with the titles ensured him perma-
nent success, but he feared to degen-
crate INTO a lobbyist and he decided to
move to New York and try his fortune
there. He became interested in rail-
roads and turned his attention more
and more to the development of his
wife's state in cooperation with her
father.
Together they conceived the West
Virginia Central, which winds i'll and
out of the Allegheny mountains.
On 1t stands the town of Elkins, w
Va, which is named and was created
by the senator. He picked out the site
for it's rugged beauty as he was trav-
cling through the Tygart river valley
before the railroad was built, with his
wife and his father. and OF the side
of the mountain he built himself a
home, Hallihurst, famous for its pic
turesque environment.
King of West Virginia.
Owning as he did in West Virginia
hundreds of thousands of acres of tim
Der land and thousands of acres OF
mines, Mr.. Elkins became the un-
crowned king of the State. He divided
his power with his fa~ther-in-law. but
in all their interests they were united
He came back into politics again with
the nomination of James G. Blaine a.
Chicago in 1884.
He is then credited with having had
! much to. do with the nomination Of