The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1914-10-02
REPORT OF COMMITTEE
ON OLD LANDMA S
Ladies' and Gentlemen:
The Committee on Old Landmarks of
the County begs leave to report as
follows:
Clardy, Martin and Linn

NidlNaf bdi iiH anu isiii
The death of Hon. Martin l.. Clardy
this summer, reminds US of some i'm
portant historical facts not generally
known. His name was Martin Linn
Clardy and he was named for Colonel
Falkland H. Martin of jefferson coun-
ty and Dr.. Lewis +. Linn of Ste. Cen
evieve. At the time Mr.. Clardy was
born, 1874, Colonel Martin was a
prominent and iuiluention politician Of
the state, having been a member of
the General Assembly from 1928 to
1882. and he had taken an active part
in all public questions. He married u
daughter of Governor Daniel Dunklin,
who owned what is now the Parsons
farm at Riverside.
In 1SiS, Mr. Martin was elected
Secretary Of State and served four
years. He died in 1856 ut the age Of
81 years. The writer never saw this
gentleman but once and that was at
mass meeting Of Anti-Bcnton Dem
ocrats in the court house at Hillsb0ro
in May, 1854, when he (the wr'ter)
was in his 2lst year Of age. Elisha
Gorten, a Benton Democratic candi-
date for the Legislature, had issued
a printed circular in which he CRITICS.
ed rather severely Mr.. Martins polit-
ical course. At the mass meeting the
latter, radical Anti-Benton Demo
crat, made speech and called two
or three witnesses who stated public
| ly that Gorten, not long before, had
chopped down tree and that he
walked up the leaning tree which
lodged on the limb of another tree
and cut the limb Off between the tree
on which he stood and the standing
tree, which precipitated him TO the
/ ground, injuring him severely. This
settled Mr.. Gorten's chances Of cleo
ton, If he ever had any. But the
! fact was when Gorten reached the
limb he placed the AK on it between
/ him and the standing tree to balance
/ himself to cut the limb off on the op.
posite side of the standing tree, sc
he could pry the fallen tree off anC
the ax, which-happencd 70 rest on th'
limb with the edge downward, made
a slight incision in it, which causec
the limb to give way under the strain
At least, this was Gorten's explana'
tion afterwards.
Mr.. Martin lived and died at Cliff
ton, his home, now called Jerseydale
a mile or two west of Pevely. Cliff
ton was a postoilice for many years
having been established about 1893.
Lewis +. Linn was a doctor in Ste
Genevicve and was elected Senator
from Missouri in 1882, to succeed
David Barten. Barten and Bentor
were elected the first Senators Of
the state, Barten without opposition
and Benton gaining the place by one
vote after prolonged and bltteI
fight. Bartcn was reelected in 1896
but he and Benton parting company OF
the politics of the state, the latter
influence defeated him in 1S43, Mr.
Clardys father, Johnson B. Clardy
farmer of st. Francois county, wa
a radical Democrat and he named hi
son in 1874 after the two distinguish
ed men named above, Martin an,
Linn, whom he greatly admired. /
has often been asked, whats in
2" but it may truthfully be sal
there is much significance in MI
Clardy's given names, Martin an
; Linn. 1t may be added that the nam
sake became more illustrious tina
either one of those for whom he wa
named and exercised more inhuenc
in Missouri, during his life, than bot
of those combined.