La Junta tribune., 1912-09-07

tntb kiue OF the dawn OF one
century and TO live to observe the
dawn OF another Ninety.four years,
ID indeed, Heightened span. but It
10 the gift OF destiny to Mr.. Grit.
fifth Wheldon. father OF Mrs. b. r.
Haskins. who last week celebrated
his ninety-fourth birth anniversary.
and who evinces strength sufficient
10 carry him beyond the hundredth
milestone.
Mr.. Wheldon was born In 1878,
just three years after the battle OF
Waterloo. While that event, 10 mo-
mentous in it's bearings upon the
still fresh in the attention OF the
world. and while the American Rev
olution was yet less than half a
century to the past, he opened his
infant eyes upon the scenes OF earth.
and entered upon q life partly cons
temporary with those of many OF the
greatest inventions Of the nineteenth
century.
Mr.. Wheldon was deputy postmas.
ter under Andrew jackson. James X.
Polk. Zachary Taylor and Millard FL
more and was postmaster under Lin
coin lone month"; and under Grant
two terms He was \ whiK for sew
eral years. 1. e. during the exist
ence Of that party. and cast his
first presidential vote for Harrison
In the famous campaign OF "Ttppi-
canoe and Tyler too" Mr.. Wheldon
voted at presidential elections eigh.
teen times. and has won his candi-
date thirteen times. He was list
ed for draft in the Civil war. but was
for,y.five years old upon the day
OF drafting. August %. 1863. and
hence was exempt
OK carts were stylish conveyances
In Mr.. Wheldon's boyhood. and the
oxen were valued as beasts OF bur
den, Now the old gentleman reminds
one, those that cannot walk 90 IN
au,os. and before long they may
float through the air and ahght.
like up-to-date from a flying
machine
Mr.. Wheldon does no, believe
greatly In airshipS He thinks. TO
say the least. that they are far from
perfection. or even from the stage
Of construction that will make them
Of real service to men. In his judg-
ment the dream Of making them use
full as iookouts In time OF war E
vain.
II Ia entrancing to 20 back with
this dear old man TO the days when
his friend. John Butterfield. estab-
llshed the first express route In the
United States. short line manipu'
lated by stage from Utica To Al
bany. New York. and which later
having changed hands grew into III.
Wells Fargo Express Company. II
il interesting to look with him up
on a letter that had To display TWEEN
ty.fiye cents In postage II II WAS 10
20 three hundred miles.
"Oh. time and change with hair as
As Was my sire's that winter day.
Wonderful. mcst wonderful is tn.
diff.renc. between the now and then,
n veritabie transition and wonderful
must be the panorama that the years
spread before the minds eyes OF one
who can see from the dawning 10 III"
wanting OF the glowing nineteenth
century.
Although Mr.. wheldon's earliest
and most interesting memories carry
him and us back east. he speaks
cntcrtainingly OF early days In Col
orsdo, especially In La junta. He
reached Pueblo the first time In thu
last week OF 1851. remained there on
week and went to AlAmosa wh~r'
h. stayed four and one-hsi' years
There were no towns except 'ardef
City and Dodge City in western Kan
sas and Pueblo in eastern Colorado
aud there were no irriga'ing di'eh"'
anywhere.
His nrrt appearance In La I"n''
fell upon the ias, night Of 1887. II
the spring II 1859 he put out VIII
his own hands forty oo'ton~o"
trees. the greater number Of th"~'
being planted about the spot tina
WAS 10 become his daughters home
n. remembers the planting of th'
big .lms around r. r woodruff
hom. on Ration ayenn". recalls VII
interest the days when Mf krkpa'
rick operated = livery stable tina
stood where the First National BAN
stands now. and laughs about IN
siwu that appeared even IN thoS