Evening star., 1919-09-21


most at the head Of his class. young
DR.. Ball returned to his fathers
; farm. near Marshallton. and six miles
from Wilmington. An old doctor in
the neighborhood. gradually retiring
from active practice. took him into
mis- once as an assistant. Soon there
after the old physician died ana DR..
Bali bought his house and began
ministering to his patients. q
For thirty-four years DR.. Ball was
an active member Of his rofession-
a servant Of the public" as he ex-
planned to the interviewer. There was
no hospital during the early days in
wilmington. and DR.. Ball had to be
Doth a physician and a surgeon. "Nor
was there always an opportunity"
ne said. ITO have consultation with
other physicians. One had to depend
entirely on ones self" There are
three counties in Delaware-New
Castle, Kent and Sussex. The state,
the smallest in the Union. except one.
is ntnety-six miles long and thirty five
miles wide at its broadest point. Sus-
sex county. in the south, IL sandy;
Kent. in the middle Of the state. is
nat and fertile. and New Castle. to
the north. is hilly. Il: ..s t-e. t..t
= In course, Of time. as physician and
politician, Dr, Ball made the ac-.
quaintance, Of almost every man in
Delaware. He drove the hills OF New
Castle every day and almost every
night. Children knew him as far as
they could see him and one Of his
teams OF horses became locally cele-
brated.
Jerry was the leading member of
this and had been bred on the farm of
John Ball. The senator smiles when
he talks of Jerry. II drove him for
twenty years." he said. "and then re-
tired him from active service and put
him on night duty. He was a smart
horse and could almost unhitch him.
self. but he was inclined at times to
be a little tricky"
TN what direction?"'
It'll give you an instance. but don't
you dare to publish It," the senator
publish 1t. because the story is alto
gether harmless and nothing is in 1t
about Addicks.
while was young man and new
in my practice" the senator said. II
called on q young lady. riding Jerry
to her house. left Jerry hitched to
post. but when ! started to leave
found no sign of. him. He had slip
ped out Of the bride and gone home.
az ,Issupposed. lH
$50 / walked. But Jerry was not at
the barn when got there. thought
her was loafing on the road. getting
mouthful Of dry grass. here and
there. for it. was winter. and would
return during the night. But he was
not visible the next morning.
Il found him at the post IN front Of
the young ladys house. He had
worked of his bride. Investigated
such matters as interested him in the
neighborhood and gone back to his
station. where he had stood waiting
for me and where persons travelling
the road had seen him at I am. and
at s. 8. Z and 8. was young ana the
story spread abroad. much to my
embarrassment: but was moro sor-
ry for the young lady than was for
myself. All in all. Jerry was an ex-
cellent horse and in intelligence was
on a par with some men,"
After practicing nine years Or. Bali
was induced to take the chairman
ship of the New Castle county repub-
lican committee. He was shrewd,
kindly and indefatigable and had doc
tored almost every one in the COM
munity. This Office he held for many
years.
Then, at a critical moment in re-
publican affairs. he was asked to be
chairman Of the state committee. In
the meantime he and Jerry were
travelling the roads of Delaware
as hard as ever. Neither did DR.. Ball
drop the daily work of his profession
when he was elected. in 1898, state
treasurer. At his election he polled
every republican vote in his own pre-
cinct, all of the $50 democratic votes
but sixteen and three of the twenty
votes cast By the prohibitionists.
In 1901 he was elected to Congress-