Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-21

beauty and ingenuity. And that bail,
lasting far into Christmas day, cioseo
our celebration
What sort OF costume did you wear
asked the curious man.
Il went as an Indian smiled Senator
Pittman, and l didn't need a mask
That is true This tall. 1.-the. dark
voting man who, at forty years of age,
took his seat as a senator of the United
States last January in face and form is
the native American. Not that he has
any aboriginal blood in his veins. Tor ne
has not. but in appearance ne seems 10
demonstrate the truth of the theory az
vanceI by certain biologists that III time
we will develop in this country true
American type that in many physical
respects will resemble the INDIAN y
descendant of Il long line Of native Ameri-
can stock. he seems the forerunner OF the
type.
His father. to demonstrate. was William
Buckner Pttman of Mississippi. de
scenaant OF the North Carolina Pitt
mans on his fathers side, and Of the
Buckners of kentucky on his mother :
side. Senator Pittmans mother. on her
fathers side, was a lineal descendant OF
Francis Scott Key, and on her mother :
side was descended from the Marshalis
of Virginia.
With this blood in his veins is it any
wonder that Key Pittman ever has been
of an adventurous disposition?
The Senate has made him chairman of
the committee on territories of that body.
1t is fitting choice. There is but one
American territory on this continent
Alaska-and Key Pittman knows it well.
The senator's father was an officer of
later successful Mississippi lawyer Not
long after Key Pittmans birth in 1872
the father died, but Key thought to fol
low in his ia: her s footsteps and was edu
ton from the Southwestern P esbyter an
University at Clarksvi'le. Tenn, in 1890,
Key Pittman heard the call of the west.
He wanted to go where new countries
were building. SO he opened law Office
in little town in the state of Washing
ton.
In 1897, impat'ent at the depressed
financial condition then existing in tina
region. and from an inherent love of
the strenuous life he abandoned his prac-
tice and journeyed in the mad rush t.
the newly discovered gold fields of tn,
klondike.
Law practice was Impossible to him
there. since the Klond'ke lies IN Canadian
territory: SO for two years he was a com
mon miner. Unused to physical labor be-
fore that. he adarted himself without ef
fort to the changed cond lions.
Like many another goldseeker. he fol-
lowed the rush to Nome and there. with
the swiftness characteristic of new coun-
tries. rose to prominence and wealth as a
lawyer His wealth he subsequently, lost
IN mining ventures. and, with the sub
sidence of the first boom. his practice fell
on In the general cessation of litieation.
Nevada doomed on the horizon as the new
country where there was gold for the
digging.
Twelve years ago. almost penniess. he
hung out his single in the new mining
camp of Tonopah. New. Those twelve
years have been busy and colorful ones
Tor him. His rise to prominence was
spectacular. General counsel, officer and
stockholder of the principal mining and
industrial companies in the state. closely
identified with the building up of the
state telephone company, and vice presl-
dent of national bank in Tonopah-ail
this he was before he was elected 10 the
Senate.
But It Ia on the earlier adventurous part