South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-03-22
Close to Famous
Folk
By Fred G. Kelly.
By Fred G. Kelly

WASHINGTON. March % - The
long arm of coincidence plays many
a funny little prank. on more than
one occasion it has mixed into the odd
career of Edward J. King, who has
been elected to the next congress
from Galesburg. ILL.,
In his early boyhood King was sub
iected TO an itnerant mode of life be-
cause his father was continually fall
ing into hard luck and obliged TO try
first one town and then another.
Kings father was a carpenter. one
day the father was awarded the con-
tract for building the Second Baptist
church in Springfield. Mass He built
il all right, but in the building of il
the contractor went broke, for he was
not good at figures and his estimate
Of the cost had been too low. From
then on the father was never out of
hard luck.
And today Congressman King is
not any better at figures than his
father was. He was obliged TO do so
much moving about from place to
place that his schooling was seriously
interrupted right at the important
period of his life when he was trying
TO conquer the multiplication table.
The result was that he never did get
beyond the mines. He knows all the
eight-tums we'll enOugh-eight-tum
eight are siXty-four and all that-but
when he gets into the mines he has TO
stop and figure. Later on he succeed
ed in getting a degree from Knox col
lege. but he did SO without any defin-
tie knowledge of that part of the
multiplication table lying beyond the
mines Always he has faced that
handicap. Ask King right now how
many are nine tums nine and he
would he not little perplexed.
We started TO speak, however. of
condolences. A great many years
ago young King worked as a waiter
for caterer in Galesburg. He help
ed TO serve a dinner one night in the
finest home in Galesburg-th show
place of the town. 1t was the costli-
est house he had ever glimpsed from
the inside and made a deep impress
sion on him.
Time went on and once more King
was called TO that same fine home.
and 10 perform services But on the
second occasion he went there TO
draw up the viii OF the woman who
owned the home.
When he was about eight years old.
King went with his father 10 Galva'
Ill. which is also in the district he
is now TO represent in congress. His
father was selling washing machines
about the country. They lived at 4
little hotel in Galva. on this hotel
was a cupola where the King boy and
another boy used to play. 1t was a
rather dangerous climb, but the two
would go there. view the surrounding
landscape. and talk of the things they
would do when they grew up.
Then King moved with his father
TO other parts and forgot all about
the little chap who had played with
him in the cupOla- He even forge'
the boys name; all he remembered
was that he usually wore blue sailor
suit.
Forty years elapsed and King was
running for congress. one afternoon
he was holding a conference with
Frank kranz, editor OF a paper n
Oneida, H.. and chairman of the
Knox county republican central com
mittee. which was handling Kings
campaign in that county. King spoke
OF having once lived at Galva an
mentioned that he used 10 play in tn,
hotel cupOla with a little boy in g
blue sailor suit.
KranZ grew interested AID asked
I for more particulars
IL came out that he was the little
| boy in the blue sailor suit