The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-08-21

Coniston was small village upon a
shelf on mountain side, commanding
one OF the gorgeous views character.
isttc of little Commonwealth which
has many larger sister state, but
none worthier. The politics of the
place was under the control of the
Church party, which something more
than three-Quarters of a century ago
held sway over many of the towns OF
New England. But the career of "Old
| Hickory" was giving a new impulse to
democracy and portended little good
! to any ruling class, whatever it's vir.
tues. All that was needed was a lead
er, and one was found in young man
named Jethro Bass, who was the son
! of wellto-do tanner. Jethro inherit
| ed from his father a snug little for
tune, but his education had been al
most wholly neglected. He skillfully
made use of the rising discomfort by
appeals to ambition and personal in
tereSt. 1t became clear that the rul-
ing party was to be challenged at the
coming town meeting, and so presump-
tuous a thing stirred society to its
depths.
The spiritual leader of the Church
party was the clergyman. His lovely
daughter, Cynthia, filled large place
in the eyes of Jethro, and she was
drawn to him by the unmistakable
signs Of power apparent under his
awkward exterior. They used some
time to meet by chance, and unlike as
they were in point of cultivation, they
were really very much in love with
| each other, a circumstance that had
rather to be inferred, because Jethro
was little likely to exercise the mi
tiative and say any thing about 1t.
Once when in Boston he bought a
| beautiful locket and had engraved
upon it "Cynthy from Jethro," but he
| never mustered up the courage to pre-
sent it. When the political tempest
was rising, Cynthia, who sympathized
| strongly with her fathers party, de-
! cided to go to Jethro and plead with
him to stop the fight. Before he knew
her purpose, he broke his silence and
declared his love. Perhaps if he had
been given a chance for reflection and
had not been so upset by his own con-
fession, he would have granted her
request, but that did not seem possible
at the moment. Cynthia took his re-
| fusal as a decree of separation; and
| she left him never to see him again,
| and he set out upon the career which
ended in his becoming the uncrowned
| king of his state.
The town meeting fight went on
and Jethro was chosen first selectman,
| the only office he ever held, and in
! which he continued for SO years.
| Cynthia went to Boston, where she
became teacher in a high school, and
in the course Of time married William
Wetherill, the clerk who had sold
| Jethro the locket. She first learned
about the locket from her husband
and confessed to him her love for
Jethro. After a few years she died,
| leaving a little girl who bore her
name. Wetherill moved to Coniston,
| taking young Cynthia with him, and
| went to keeping the village store.
In the years that had gone by Jethro
| had found Coniston too small and was
engaged in carrying on the govern
ment of the state. He had his lieu
tenants in every county and possessed
such an organization that he was able
to select most of the men who held
| the important Offices and to control
their actions afterward. In brief, he
| became the Boss" of the state and
| peODlG WHO OSSllSu lSSlSldIlOu VI VI
| fees found it necessary to visit him.
Avarice did not seem to be the mo-
tive which controlled him. Railroads
were being built, manufacturing de-
veloped, and he took pride in making
himself indispensable in what was
going on. When little Cynthia appear
ed at Coniston he at once loved her
as he would have loved his own daugh-
| ter. Her father was unable to meet
his obligations at the bank. Jethro
! quietly bought the mortgage and had
! it assigned to himself. Cynthia used
to call him Uncle Jethro and loved
him as she did her father
After a time the railroad corpora
tons decided to consolidate Jethro,
whether he feared they would become
too large for the state or not, did not
approve of consolidation. Thereupon
| they decided to overthrow him. The
fight began over his home postoffice
He was known to favor an old soldier
named Eph Prescott who had been
badly wounded in the Wilderness, and
whom he had helped in his uphill
fight, as he had helped many another
person. The railroad party decided
to defeat Jethro's candidate in order
to weaken his prestige in the state
it had the support of many men who
had formerly did his bidding and OF
the congressman from the district
the usual autocrat in the distribution
Of offices Of that class.
| Jethro went to Washington and con.
Nrived to have an appointment be.
tween President Grant and Eph. Grant
was attracted by Eph's simplicity
They talked over the battles they had
fought together with a modesty which
furnished another instance that the
noisiest patriots are not always the
greatest. Grant appointed Eph. When
the news of the victory reached home
Jethro's prestige was much increased
He placed Cynthia in a finishing
school in Boston. Being young wo