The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1920-03-26
-nolLREDr FER SrwBRRRy.

Detroit Free Press Bec1uss he and
Governor Albert e. Sleeper grew up
| together near Lexington, Mich, Wick
O'Connell "hollered his head off for
Sleeper and Newberry" at the last
election, according to bis grand jury
Testimony as related by Dale H.. Sou
ter in the Newberry trial.
And the name Of Sleeper comes
frequently to Wick's lips as he loun-
ges in the hall during a good share
Of the proceedings. Wick, himself,
Is not good lounger. He Is man
Of action and sitting still for hours.
at atime in crowded court rooms, irks
him considerably. He is already re-
nowned as being one of the best story
tellers' among the respondents and
out Of the trial he has evolved some
quaint bits Of philosophy which, he
says, will stand him in good stead for
ever afterwards.
"You know it's costing me a lot of
money to be away from my business
at this time Of year. / had four lum-
Der camps running full blast near
L'Anse and had to shut down all but
one when ! came away. At that, /
don't know but what it's worth it, Just
to get slant at therest of these fell
lows and size 'em up. Some of US
I've made up my mind, are just weak
in the head and strong in the hand.
We've worked ourselves to death for
the men we liked, and the other fell
lows, these professional politicians,
have cleaned up all the money.
"Now Sleeper and grew up to-
gether and I'm just naturally strong
e. L 4 -
work for Newberry and Paul King al
lowed I'd get the expenses paid, !
just said to him: Don't rub grease
on fat pigs tail. Give your money
to the other fellows. I'm gong to
work anyway And while was put
ting over lumber deal that cost me
around $4,000, ! just hollered my head
off for Sleeper and Newberry. And
I'm down here and for the life of me
don't just figure why I'm here.
But, as / said minute ago, guess
I'll steer clear of some of the fellows
who have been cleaning up on the
rest CT US, all right, all right. In
way this is the best thing that
could of happened to me-"
Wick's history reads like chapter
in one of our best little thrillers. He
was born in Sanilac county, but ran
away at the age Of Ia and made his
way to Texas. In 1887 he drove a
bunch of cattleacross the Lone Star
state and mo Mans Land" to Dodge
City, Kans.. making the trip in nine
weeks. He went into Indian territory
during the Indian troubles and spent
two seasons ranching.
! Then the wanderlust brought him
north. He Jared into the Georgian
bay region in the eeary nineties, and
spent thirteen months in the wilder
ness with one companion, never shaw
ing nor washing his because of the
flies and mosquitoes.
Alpena and the operations of the
Sawyer Lumber company came next,
then Baraga county in the upper PEN
insula He helped build the Victorian
canal in Ontanogan county, the Ke-
weencw Central railrocd, paved the
streetcof Houghton, helped pave those
of Calumet, built the first street car
line between Houghton, Calumet and
Lake Linden, and put in 1900 square
miles of water mains in Calumet, be-
side logging every winter. He built
the tunnel of the Canadian northwest
in Duluth, the only tunnel in the
world, he says, that was ever driven
by electricity, and cut 100000 feet
of timber in Duluth.
Wick is an idealist, as well as a
man of action. He has eight brothers
scattered from one end Of the country
to the other and all told they sent IL
boys to fight in the great war.
any neighbors all did the same
thing" Wick said. And the more l
thought about the way Henry Ford's
son stayed at home. the madden used
to get, and the harder ! used to work
to defeat him for the United States
senate. And I'm glad I did it."