The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-03-20
He Put Us
On The Map,'
Say Kansans
BY ROY J. GIBBONS
NEA Service Writer

Independence, kas., March 20
Back here in his old home town, the
'l-knewhim-when" gang remembers
Harry Sinclair only as. fine scout"
From Mayor !. G. Fowler on down
to less conspicuous companions of
poker playing nights, the Teapot
Dome plunger is spoken of as good
old Harry. ...-..z S-y..S
Sinclair moved to independence
when he was six years old, from
Wheeling. w. Va.
The elder Sinclair, now dead was
druggist.
Harry Studied pharmacy, too, at
the state university. His license still
hangs on the walls of Bert Stevens
drugstore on Myrtle street here.
Stevens is proud to point out the
aged paper to visitors. There is a
ring of exaltaton in his voice as he
says: "That's Harry's old license.
We're keeping it here for him SO he
can come back home and practice in
case he goes broke down in Wall
Street"
olHCIuiI IHOSt
friend in Independence is Ernest
Sewell, president of the Citizens First
National Bank.
"Good Boy" Says Teacher
Sewell went to school with Harry
when the two We're boys. They were
in the same room together over at
the old Fourth Ward.
Reminiscing, Sewell says: Gwen
as boy, Harry was born leader.
He led the bunch in school. And he
could fight like the. devil when ne
was minded to-
Another person who particularly
remembers Sinclair is his old teach
er, Miss Matte BloXom.
Harry and his brother, Earl,
were good boys" Miss Bloxom re-
fleets. when they were in my room
they came to school in little blue
suits with stiff white collars.
Harry was good at spelling. l
taught him the word oil along with
cat, dog and man.
"The last time l saw Harry was
seven years ago. That was in Kun
sas City where he left some friends
% help carry my suitcase. I'm glad
les getting along"
Poker Shark at is
The town band, in which Sinclair
,nce played the cornet, is loud In it's
praise of Independence favorite son.
Whenever Sinclair comes to lrde-
oendence the band gets out the new
informs Harry bought it and scre-
,ades him at the depot.
Such occasions usually bring a
hover of gold pieces from Sinclair.
Says George Mccullough, another
f Sinclair's boyhood chums: Harry
vas the best poker player in these
'arts. At 16 I've seen him sit in
With lot Of grown men and take
hem for cleaning.
n anything.
Never Forgot Friends
81 go down to chum around with
i'm in New York. And boy, we do
ave some slick poker parties down
here" II
The little house where Sinclair {
pent most Of his early life still y
tands at Magnolia and Sixth streets. ;
Right back of it is the grand man.
ion Sinclair built for $5O,OO0 some 5
years ago. He sold it for much +
'ss when he got mad at 1lfdepen- {
ence and left the town in huff. /
The thing that provoked his anger c
as the towns refusal to elect his !
ID friend, A. c. Stitch, mayor. r
But, despite all that can be said
, the contrary, Sinclair is one of 6
lis towns first real prophets.
And Independence sticks to him.
"None of us ever will go back on
M" Mccullough says. "Well nev-
forget the kid that put Independ-
ice on the map. We'll never forget
e kid who used to play hockey with t,
CONTINUED on page 81 o