The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-03
|ALEDO HONORED
BY FOUNDER OF
GREAT RAILWAY
Especial to The Argus

l. Aledo, Dec. 3.-Never before in
the annals of the history of Aledo
has such a great man IS David
william Leoditus Cantonwine Wis
tied our little city.
Yesterday afternoon the great
man. none other than Mr.. Canton
wire, who built up Davenport. Mus
catine, Clinton and dozens of 9TH
eT cities, the man VINO built the
Santa Fe railroad from Galesburg
to Kansas City, who is a plasterer
by trade, who has lectured in al
the great colleges in the United
States on the Origin of Man.
came into our little city, honoring
it by his great presence.
His visit to the city was unher-
aided, he came yesterday afternoon
and left this morning and except
for a select few no n has been
the wiser. When interviewed last
night he gave out information hat
everyone in Mercer county will be
, glad to know and everyone will be
sad at heart to know that he
left without their seeing him in
person. He was the man who
started the Armour Packing con-
Germ of Chicago, the man WHO
founded Sears, Roebuck & Co,
3 Montgomery Ward & Co. and Othar
great industries in the United
States. He stated that ne was 4
philaGthropist and that when once
the oncer was founded and put
on a paying basis that his work
81 rndal md a D-,a h. ~1lr-oT -, ,,
larger conQuests in nswer fields.
He gave his age as So and stated
J tnat he served three years in the
Civil war. Not only that, but he
was also the right hand man Of
General L. s. Grant. No move
mont of the army was ever made
by General Grant until he consult
ed Lis orderly, Cantonwine. He
stated that when Theodore Roosc-
Welt was in his greatest hour Of
triumph he accredited his success
to Mr. Cantonwine, who had pull
ed blm out of the rough places.
: He went on and told that his
greatest work had been in the vast
: sections of the unpopulated north.
Yes, it was true that Detroit had
TO give him credit for establishing
its great aCtomotive industries. He
was the man who had built the first
home in that city and seeing the
great natural resources of the
country had developed them TO
their fullest extent and then had
~beqUeathed the greatest industry
of the north, the Ford Motor com
J pany. TO its present owners.
Yes. all the great medicinal
Z springs had been discovered by
him. In each instance he had dis
covered the spring and saw what
2 great benefit he could do the hu-
man a c by developing them. He
tirsc built three elaborate design
ed hotels at each location and then
Notified the country of his great
find. When multitudes were flock
ing to the Institutions, Mr.. Can
tOnwlne would bequeath his hold
ings, saving only enough money
for a few meals and then on to
greater achievements.
Deputy Sheriff John Sievers was
called TO Shale City yesterday aiG-
rnoon and it was there Mr.. Can
tonwine vas taken into custody
and brought TO Aledo, his mind be-
ing as that OF a dreamer.
Just before Mr.. Cantonwine was
taken TO the Jail from the shei-
if's office his eyes CHANGED tc
alight on a group of small school
children. who with great shouts
Of glee and peals of laughter were
on their way home. 1t was then
his air castles fell asunder.
His face paled a tribe and his
voice fell from the air of bragga-
docio to. a low truthful q~uavering
tone and a far different story was
tcld. He was the father Of two
children, a boy and a girl. and his
eyes grew moist as his mind right
Ell itself for a few minutes. HIS
wife had died while his children
were infants and he had cared for
them and gave them the best edu-
cation his sCanty means could al
ford. They e grown now and
married and had left him, their
father. to care for himself the best
he could. The choice of his words
bespoke of education and his
enarled and calloused hands show
ed that his life had been spent in
toll and not as a begging tramp.
He was treated with kindness BY
the authorities here.
z