The Washington herald., 1911-01-05


the ante-rebellion days. and Westport
was full of border ruff1ans.
After a training in the public schools
of Westport, Young Elkins entered the
University of Missouri, where he studied
law. This was in 1850 and when Elkins
had been out of college only "a few
months the civil war broke out.
Stayed Home to Help Mother.
At the outbreak in. 1861 his father drop
ped everything and went into Prices
army. and Stephens brother. John. boy
of sixteen, who was to have entered col
Iege that year. followed his father. 81
met him on the prairie when the frs,
horns of war blew. said the Senator
speaking of his brother. He was carry
ing a gun on his saddle string, and he
said he was going to kill the Yankees y
Stephen tried to dissuade his brother, tell.
ing him that there was no excuse for
going to war against the government, bu,
the younger boy stuck to his desire to kill
Yankees. and went through the war on
the rebel side.
Stephen Elkins stayed at home to look
after his mother. One day as he was
walking along a road not far from his
home he came upon three men in the
Union uniform playing cards by the road
side. Them boots is too good for him. u
said one Of the players, and another add
ed I'm going to have his jacket.
Elkins recognized the men as members
of Quantrelrs band. and expected to be
shot without further ceremony. He
plucked up courage enough to demand to
be taken to their leader, and was marched
into camp. There he met Col. Younger.
nh Lott IN a long
term for murder and bank robbery; Dick
Wager. and finally Quantrell himself.
Many of the worst Of the guerrilla
chiefs band were the sons of farmers in
Elkins' neighborhood. and they were will
ing to speak a good word for an inof-
fensive neighbor. Quantrell was told
that Elkins' father and brother were in
the army. and that he would probably
join later. Elkins explained that there
would be no one to support his mother
if he were killed. and the bandits let him
so. Later he did enter the army, but it
was on the Union side. and Quantrell
sent him word that he would be shot on
sight.
Saw Service I'm Civil War.
Enlisting in a Kansas regiment. Elkins
was made captain of a militia company
underSSen. Tom Ewing, and saw much
active service. The fighting around Kan
sas was just as severe. the Senator said
in his later days, as in the East.
THE soldiers of the North and South
ravaged the country he said once in an
interview. land buShwhackers got in
their work between whiles. Families
were divided. My father and mother
sympathized with the South. and my
father and some of my brothers were in
the Southern army. I don't know why
1 went with the North. but / had an
intuition that the Union ought not to be
destroyed, and though the pressure of
my family was all for the South. could
not help it,
Senator Elkins left the army about
eight months before the war closed. He
could not get to the front with Grant o5
Sherman, as he desired. and did not
want to fight against his friends and
relatives at home. Accordingly. he asked
permission to resign, which was granted.
After leaving the army, Elkins started
West with a party of friends, intending
to settle in California. When they reach :
ed Arizona he was persuaded to give up
the expedition and go to Messilla, near
FL Paso, to take Ip the practice of law.
All the courts were conducted in Span
ish, and it was with some pride tLat Sem
atOr Elkins used to relate the story of
his first case. It was argued by him in
broken Spanish, and he won 1t, receiving
a fee of So
Thereafter the young barrister got
plenty to do. His Spanish improved, and
he was sent to the Territorial legislature
of New Mexico where all the proceed
ings were conducted in Spanish.
Rose in Prominence.
At the conclusion of the legislative ses-
sion, Elkins made a circuit of the courts.
as was the custom, and found his prac-
tice growing by leaps and bounds. He
had decided togo to St. Louis. but when
his practice increased steadily and he
had accumulated q small fortune, he made
up his mind to stay in the West for a
time at least. investing his money in pay
ing securities. He rose in prominence at
pointed district attorney. attorney gen.
eral, and later United States district at
torney for New Mexico.
He was elected to the Forty-third Con-
gress in. 1873, as a Territorial Delegate,
and while abroad was renominated and
reelected to the following Congress- 1t
was in these two terms that Senator FL
kins made his real entrance to politics,
becoming a figure of national
He was made a member of
the Republican National Committee, serv-
ing in that capacity for three Presi-
lential campaigns.
After the expiration of his second term,
Mr. Elkins decided to remain il Wasn-
ngton and continue his law. practice. He
had large clientele in the West, and
said himself that he made $1,000 in his
first year here. His second year was
equally as profitable, but the work was
not altogether pleasing 10 Mr. Elkics,
and he decided to go to New York City.
In New York, Mr.. Elkins foAnd another
profitable field. He got into railroads and
)ther properties, and remained there un-
I'll appointed Secretary of War. in 1891.
He served in that capacity for three
years. At the close of his term, he took
up his residence in Elkins, w. Va, where
lie had invested a considerable part of his
fortune, and had erected 'Halliehurst,"
! beautiful home.
Mr.. Elkins' first wife died in Santa Fe,
eaving two children, and while he was
n Congress Mr.. Elkins married the oldest
laughter of Senator Henry Gassaway
Davis, of West Virginia 1t is an odd
coincidence that while Senator Davis was
he first man to wrest a United States
from the Republicans Of West
7irginia, It was his son-in-law who
wenty four years later wrested q Sena-
orship from the Democrats from the
ame State.
Leader In West Virginia.
In the Presidential campaign of 1882.
dr. Ellxins, who was closely associated