Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1940-09-19
ANOTHER LETTER FROM
MILES Il. DAWSON

Mr.. Editor:-Since I have been
reading the Morgan County Demo-
crat, for the last several weeks,
through the kindness of my dear
sister, Mrs. r. w. Barnes, of Mill
grove, in a retrospective way, I
have been getting glimpses of the
remote past of 40 years age; of lit
tie happenings, some of which
brought joy and some that brought
sorrow, l am now thinking of the
days just after l had finished my
college work and had been ordain-
ed by the church to preach the gos-
pei.
| came back to Morgan county IN
! 1901, and the only personal posses
sion that could count was wife
and two children, and If ever the
stern realities of life bore down on
anyone on this whole earth, l felt
| it's full pressure; knowing as | did
/ that my profession could not be
used to get money. l thanked the
Lord, as never before, that / pos
sessed good, strong body and
good will to work at just anything
that came along.
Fortunately for me Lee Devol
| came along and gave job bucking
tongs on a pipe line-was l happy?
And the next day was l sore? But
| stuck it out until the job was
finished at which time, when l re-
ceived my pay, l was given time
and a half for my services, so in my
prayers l often say Lord bless Lee
Devol."
But in ell of these struggles, that
lasted for little more than year,
there came a time that | was just
forced to raise a little money and
| did not have it and | must get
it-financially embarrassed as
was. | just simply did not know
what to do. | finally decided to ask
Will Rogers, who was in the Malta
bank, for loan, and l never can
forget just how that grand, good
man acted. BY my minds eye,
can see him yet, as he stood at that
bank window. Finally he said
money is very scarce and we are
not permitted to lend but very lit
tle"-and l can also remember just
how | felt when l heard these
words. Finally he spoke again
"How much do you need,' and
er shall | ever forget just how he
looked when he said, "Miley, | an
: going to let you have it, but you
take this note out with you and
get-and-to sign it, you see | car
not let money out without two en-
dorsees." So | took the note AND
went out, the next morning to one
of these men whom | had known al
my life, and asked him to endorse
the note and after twisting anC
squirming for a few minutes ne
took a fresh chew of -. r." and
told me that he could not do It
Mr.. Editor, never in this world did
anyone ever have a more de-
pressed spirit than this refusal gave
me. | had known him all my life
and | thought that he was my one
true friend Somehow, | finally got
home, but | never told the folks a
thing about it, but got myself to-
gether and went to the other neigh
Dor, that Will Rogers suggested
Fortunately l met him on the road
and | came right to the point, and
| said Il came to ask you to
endorse a note for me-" He asked
all about the note and l produced it,
and he began to ease away and
finally told me that he had agreed
with his wife never to sign note
for anybody, and you can believe 1t
or not / had to catch myself to
keep from falling off the horse that
/ was riding. l thought he was
my friend--we had been raised to-
gether, went to the same school
the same church, and were also
lodge members of the same order
At this point | almost collapsed
/ had been turned down by two men
whom | had implicit confidence in
and whom l had always held in the
very highest esteem. What to do
did not know. / must have the
money, and 1 must have it the first
of the next week, and this was Fri
day. All of the rest of that me-
morable Friday l simmered and
stewed and wondered just what
could do. That fateful night l slept
but little and in the night l thought
of person who had always been
friendly to me, yet we had never