The sun., 1919-03-16
ALL ABOUT PENNINGTON.
The Missouri Town Where the League
Covenant Was Understood.

~ Tine EDITOR lie SUN--p'' -
THE SuN week ago Stuyvesant Fish
asks lot of questions about Farming
ton, Mo, and the people therein, and
particularly about W. d. Rarlden and
the others whose names appear at the
signatory end of telegram to Presi-
dent Wilson approving the League of
Nations.
Well, know all about Pennington.
was born in Pennington and lived
there nearly twenty years. I know all
about Pennington customs, methods OF
observing the Sabbath; all about Mr..
Rsriden and Mr.. Tensley and every
thing
Mr.. Rariden is not the Mayor OF Farm
ington. E. ]. Mckinney is Mayor OF
Farmngton--at least he was few
years ago, although I understand now
that there is talk of electlng Barney
Petty. who runs book store and who
used TO pitch baseball for the st. Louis
| Browns. Mr.. Mckinney runs n con-
| fectionery store. In the Realty building,
| next door to the post Office, and George
| Hough works for him. Lob De Grant
| used to work for him, but Lob got the
wanderlust and went to st. Louis
! Mr.. Rariden Is not the political boss,
either-anyway, not all by himself. And
he isn't collector OF internal revenue ; nor
| is he a what not.
| Mr.. Rariden is a dealer in mules,
horses and politics and has a son named
| Linn. Inns father used TO be Sheriff
| for a long time. and I used to go 10
school with Linn After school we used
| TO go down to the Jail and look at the
prisoners. Then the county went Re
publican through the introduction of
some newfangled adding machines or
, sc netting. and Linn and I didn't get a
look at the prisoners through the bars
any more. Linn finally outgrew the
town and went to East st. Louis, where
he got a Job in the stock yards. The last
| 1 heard of him he had been invited to
attend the war, but hadn't made up his
mind about It.
So far as I can remember Mr.. Rariden
never held any political office except
that Of Sheriff, but you can bet he al
ways knew pretty we'll who was going
to hold them. Linn used to give me
all the inside dope about what was go
ing to happen, and I knew more about
who was going to be elected than any
other boy in town. So you can see that
the President knew what he was doing
when he picked out Mr.. Rariden to send
a telegram to.
| When Mr.. Fish said that Walter Lewis
Hensley was elected to the Sixty second
and the three succeeding Congresses he
said about everything, except that Mr..
Hensley used to be prosecuting attorney
! He ha brother pau1eI Cir1aar
I'm sorry I can't give Mr.. Fish much
information about the churches and their
congregations. I was reared a Methodist
but in my early youth I learned what
the inside OF bottle looks like, and
then I went TO the war and learned to
play stud poker, so guess I'm in a
pretty bad way religiously But Mr.. Fish
should not be surprised to learn that
the III individuals and three congrega-
tions read and understood the League
of Nations covenant in one Sabbath
! They had plenty OF time to do t.
Nothing is open in Pennington or
Sundays but McKinney's store and Pei
| tvs book store. and Pclty's closes vi
as soon as everybody has got his Sun
day paper. and it is n dry town ant
people have got TO do something. BY /.
o'clock everybody has got his paper ant
drunk six or eight sodas at Mckinney =
and mas chewed the rag in front OF thu
post Office and gone TO church Tha
leaves all afternoon to devote to tn
League of Nations, assisted by the pa
tors whose names appear In the Telegram
10 the President.
W. NJ Harlan and VI. p. Cayce an,
the bank at Pennington are all right
Mr.. Fish. The bank held n mort ga q
or our house at one time Now II ha
the house. FORMER FARMINGToNIAS.
NEW YORK, March Is.