The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1912-12-05

..What did you read In the Globef'
"The vanity of men. I read, Mr..
Dunmeade will undoubtedly make
strong candidate The entire county
wants him. 1t will have him. 1t reads
like a patent medicine advertisement
doesn't it? How does 1t feel to be
wanted by an entire county. Mr.. Dun
| meadeT'
1T is," be confessed. rather pleas
ant-if true. Who are your"
And suddenly, with laugh. she was
gone, amid clatter of hoofs.
Alone be addressed the morning.
"She said am strong. wonder, am
strong strong enoughT" And. search
ing his soul for the answer. he heard
no negative.
This chronicle. we neglected to state.
tegins at the beginning of the end of
On epoch The epoch has been vari-
pusly styled a golden age. a period of
prosperity. an era of expansion. 1t was
all of that--to a few For others.
though they did not see 1t. 1t was
recession. truce In the struggle, old
as life itself between the many and
the strong
William Murchell was distinguish
ed member of class whose climbing
proclivities are not subdued by the in
cident Of lowly start. He was born
in the obscure hill town Of New Chel
sea soon after Andrew Jackson aud
his contemporaries promulgated and IL
Illustrated the immortal doctrine, ITO
the victor belong the spoils" In the
fashion made popular by Abraham Lin
coin and other great men he secured
an education and on the day he attain.
ed his majority was admitted to the
practice Of law in Benton county.
About the same time he entered the
; broader profession of politics. being
then ukewarm Whig.
His military services are perhaps
best dismissed with the mention of a
certain gold medal struck In his honor,
by special act of congress, for gallant
conduct on the field of battle. The in
! vidious have made much Of this deco
: ration. However. It probably required
finer courage to resign from the colo
nelcy Of his home guard regiment on
? the eve of Gettysburg--this indeed was
= the fact-to accept the less exposed Of
] fee of aid to the governor at the CAPT
tai than to face the hail Of rebel bull
, lets. There are many ways OF express
] ing ones patriotism. Later he served
a his country as prothonotary for Benton
r county. Afterward he passed through
3 many gradations Of political prefer
8 ment as representative In the genera
| - tx de-. knf0 ntnf
0 tor. as state treasurer and finally az
United States senator. which exalted
' office he held until-but we anticipate
2 our history. He became In addition
e leader of his party organization. al
0 euphemism employed by those who OBJ
jected to the term boss"
3 William Murchell's creed was tha
r of respectable but practical man
I He was a teetotaler and a Presbyte
l. rian elder and believed In the doc
trine of foreordination and In litera
= scriptural hell for those not numbered
= among the elect He believed devout
ly in the avowed and tacit principles
n of his party. although he was not big
f oted and would on occasion take Sc
e cret hand in the affairs of the opposi
n ton. He had more than once reat
8 out of the party foolhardy young mel
n who ventured to oppose his leadership
II He lived during at least two month";
k of every year in the town of his birth
y either in the square, white franz
e, house on Maple street or at the farm
e three miles west, which he let "ol
lcIa ha1d a
g old fashioned town lying at the hea'
II of the Weehannock valley. quite con
tent with its population Of 5000 AM
q with the honor of being the count,
y seat, which Murchell's influence ha
le prevented from being moved to Plum
Vile, that thriving little factory cit
ie fifteen miles away.
" Down Main street one fine June aft
ernoon he was walking with that al
of abstraction which sits so we'll o.
the great
HE has big possibilities Uncor
sciously the senator spoke aloud.
His companion seemed to undel
stand the reference "He's all right,
he answered. State Senator Jill
Sheehan was a big. fat gentleman wit
furtive. twinkling eyes, modicum
coarse good looks and rolling. coo
sure gait bred of no misfortune. q
was a son of power. Fifteen years b.
fore he had gone to Plumville to wor
In the mills. an uncouth, unlettere
Irishman. who could tell good stor
hold unlimited quantities of liquor an
was not unwilling to work when moi
D ey could not be had otherwise.
But not long for him had been IL
CRIME and roar and muscle racking I
the mills. Money could be had MOI
easily. Plumville was booming. The
were streets to be graded and pave
public buildings to be constructed. il
went into politics and because he WI
good vote getter" and had ce
tain rough talent for the game acqui
ed power, he opened saloon and a
quired more power. he became co
tractor and secured many contract