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WHO'S  WHO  IN 
SOUTH    DAKOTA 


(VOLUME  II) 

THIRTY-THREE  BIOGRAPHIES 

By 

O.  W.  COURSEY 

Author  of: 

"History  and  Geography  of  the  Philippine  Islands" 
"The  Woman  With  a  Stone  Heart" 

"The   Philippines   and   Filipinos" 
"Who's  Who  in  South  Dakota"   (Vol.  I) 

"Biography   of   General   Beadle" 

"Biography  of   Senator  Kittredge" 

"Literature  of   South  Dakota" 

"School    Law    Digest" 

The  above  books  are  all  published  and  for  sale  by  the 

EDUCATOR  SUPPLY  COMPANY, 

Mitchell,  South  Dakota 


Copyrighted 

1916 
By  0.  W.   Coursey 


INTRODUCTION 

Vol.  I,    Who's  Who  in  South  Dakota," 
<T  containing  the  first  fifty  of  these  articles, 

having  found  a  prompt  and  steady  sale,  the 
publishers  concluded  that  there  is  a  demand 
in  the  state  for  this  class  of  personal,  or 
conversational,  literature. 

True;  the  articles  are  loosely  drawn, 
because  they  were  written  merely  for 
temporary  newspaper  use,  and  they  contain 
an  element  of  mirth,  yet  there  is  so  much 
vital  state  history  woven  around  the  lives  of 
the  men  contained  in  them  that  there  has 
come  a  general  demand  for  their  preservation 
in  book  form. 

In  the  preface  to  Vol.  I,  the  author 
stated : 

It  is  greatly  regretted  that  many  other 
equally  deserving  South  Dakotans  could  not 
have  been  incorporated  in  this  work,  but  time 
and  space  forbade.  However,  another  volume 
will  appear  later,  in  which  only  new  names 
will  be  found. 

In  harmony  with  the  foregoing  senti- 
ments, this  volume  has  made  its  appearance. 
We  hope  it  will  be  as  well  received  as  was 
Volume  I. 

The  Publishers. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


Title    page    

Notice  of  copyright   4 

Introduction    5 

Table  of  Contents   7 

Frank  M.  Byrne 9 

R.  L.  Slagle   19 

W.  W.   Girton    27 

George  W.  Kingsbury 35 

H.   B.   Anderson    43 

Alexander  Strachan   49 

E.  H.  Willey   55 

Thomas    Sterling    63 

A.  E.  Hitchcock 75 

J.  W.  Heston   87 

C.  L.  Dotson    95 

C.  C.  Carpenter 103 

Harry  M.  Gage Ill 

J.   W.  Parmley    121 

Cleophas    C.    O'Harra    131 

C.  F.  Hackett 143 

Joy  M.  Hackler  . 159 

Rev.    Charles   Badger   Clark    169 

W.  A.  Morris   177 

T.  W.  Dwight    183 

W.   R.   Ronald  190 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS— Continued 

George  A.  Pettigrew   197 

Frank   Crane    209 

Emory   Hobson    215 

Frank  Anderson    225 

W.  G.  Seaman 231 

J.  B.  Gossage 239 

Charles    B.    Preacher 247 

Dr.  W.  H.  Thrall 263 

Rollin  J.  Wells    271 

J.   S.  Hoagland    279 

William  T.  Doolittle 289 

Frank  McNulty 299 


FRANK  M.  BYRNE 

OUR  TRUSTED  LEADER 

Nearly  forty  years  ago,  two  young 
farmer  boys,  who  lived  about  four  miles 
apart  in  Allamakee  county,  Iowa,  were  at 
school  together  in  a  little  old  building  about 
eleven  miles  southeast  of  Waukon,  amid  in- 
numerable tree-covered  hills,  skirted  with 
layers  of  stone,  not  far  back  from  the  huge 


10  WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

bluffs  of  the  Mississippi.  Although  they 
were  approximately  the  same  age,  yet  one 
was  teacher  and  the  other  pupil.  The  equal- 
ity in  their  years  caused  them  to  -become 
chums.  They  grew  fond  of  each  other.  Then 
they  separated.  Years  later,  they  came  to- 
gether in  Dakota;  and  the  teacher  is  today 
Senator  Coe  I.  Crawford,  while  his  indus- 
trious pupil  is  the  Honorable  Frank  M. 
Byrne,  governor  of  South  Dakota. 

Governor  Byrne  has  ''made  good"  in 
every  way.  A  large  per  cent  of  the  sanest 
legislation  on  the  statute  books  of  our  state, 
eminated  from  his  brain,  was  drafted  by  his 
pen  and  was  enacted  largely  through  his 
own  individual  exertion. 

He  was  presented  to  his  father  and 
mother  in  their  humble  farm  home  in  Alla- 
makee  county,  Iowa,  by  a  Good  Gypsy,  as  the 
tradition  goes,  away  back  in  1858 — two 
years  after  the  birth  of  the  republican  party, 
with  which  he  has  since  been  so  prominently 
identified.  Had  he  been  born  the  year  he 
was  inaugurated  governor  of  South  Dakota, 
instead  of  1858,  he  would  no  doubt  have  been 
delivered  by  parcel  post. 

His  boyhood  years  were  spent  on  the 
farm.  At  twenty  years  of  age  the  western 
fever  got  hold  of  him  and  he  struck  out,  land- 
ing in  Sioux  Falls  in  1879.  The  next  year 


FRANK  M.  BYRNE  11 

he  homesteaded  in  McCook  county.  He  and 
Lieut.  Governor  Abel  both  became  identified 
with  McCook  county.  He  broke  up  part  of 
his  own  farm  and  did  some  work  for  the 
Honorable  Rollin  J.  Wells,  now  of  Sioux 
Falls,  one  of  his  neighbors,  and  who  has 
since  earned  the  distinction  of  being  the 
state's  finest  dramatic  poet.  Wells  paid 
Byrne  the  first  dollar  he  ever  earned  in  South 
Dakota ;  and  today  there  isn't  a  man  in  the 
state  who  is  prouder  to  see  Frank  M.  Byrne 
governor,  than  is  Mr.  Wells  himself. 

But  Mr.  Byrne's  western  fever  proved 
"intermittent,"  as  the  doctor  would  say;  at 
least  he  suffered  a  relapse,  for,  after  proving 
up  in  1883,  he  again  pulled  west  and  settled 
in  Faulk  county.  At  that  time  the  little  in- 
land town  of  La  Foon  was  the  county  seat. 
Here  he  made  his  home  for  two  years.  Then 
he  struck  for  Fargo,  now  in  North  Dakota, 
but  at  that  time  a  prominent  village  of  Da- 
kota Territory.  For  the  next  three  years, 
he  roamed  between  Fargo  and  Sioux  Falls. 
However,  in  1888  he  came  back  to  Faulk 
county  and  settled  on  a  farm  where  he  re- 
mained till  1900  when  he  moved  into  the 
city  of  Faulkton,  where  he  has  since  made 
his  home. 

During  all  these  years,  he  prospered, 
so  that  today  he  owns  twelve  quarter  sec- 


12  WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

tions  of  land  in  Faulk  county,  and  a  nice 
home  in  the  city  of  Faulkton.  Seven  quarters 
of  the  land  lie  together  in  one  farm  near 
Miranda.  It  is  a  splendid  farm — one  that 
Governor  Byrne  may  well  feel  proud  of,  be- 
cause he  earned  it  instead  of  inheriting  it. 

IN  POLITICS 

Governor  Byrne  was  the  first  state 
senator  from  Faulk  county.  Later,  he 
served  four  years  (1899-1902)  as  treasurer 
of  that  county.  These  early  experiences 
gave  rise  to  his  growing  knowledge  of  our 
public  affairs.  He  then  retired  from  politics 
for  four  years.  But  again  in  1906  his  friends 
turned  out  and  sent  him  back  to  the  state 
senate.  He  was  making  good.  Faulk  county 
placed  confidence  in  his  ability,  his  integrity 
and  his  judgment.  It  was  during  his  second 
service  in  the  senate  that  the  eyes  of  the 
state  were  attracted  to  him.  He  had  some 
''insurgent"  or  "progressive"  or  "reforma- 
tory" (whichever  you  wish  to  call  it)  ideas— 
not  red-eyed,  fire-eating,  irrational,  radical, 
panaceas  for  all  of  our  political  evils,  both 
real  and  imaginary — but  some  genuine,  sane, 
manly  conceptions  of  rational  progress.  So 
he  introduced  into  the  state  senate,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  their  enactment,  the  following 
laws: 


FRANK  M.  BYRNE  13 

(1)  Anti-Pass   law — which   has   since 
proved  one  of  the  greatest  blessings  to  the 
state  of  any  law  which  we  have  ever  enacted. 

(2)  The    Two-Cent    Passenger    Fare 
Law — which  has  since  been  tied  up  in  the 
courts. 

(3)  The    Reciprocal    Demurrage   Law 
— which  requires  railroads  to  pay  damages 
for  delay  in  furnishing  cars  to  shippers. 

(4)  A  Law  Taxing  Railways'  Termi- 
nal Property. 

(5)  A  Law   Reducing  Express   Rates 
20  per  cent — and  authorizing  the  state  rail- 
road commission  to  reduce  these  rates  still 
further. 

(6)  A  Law  Requiring  Standard  Forms 
of  Life  Insurance  Policies. 

(7)  An  Insurance  Law — one  requiring 
the  insurance  commissioner  to  turn  over  all 
fees  to  the   state  treasurer,   and   providing 
that  they  could  be  paid  out  only  on  regular 
vouchers;  and 

-         (8)      The  Anti-Lobby  Law. 

His  legislative  record  made  him  an  easy 
winner  for  the  lieutenant-governorship  in 
1910.  Here  again,  in  the  organization  of  the 
state  senate,  he  showed  himself  to  be  a  man  of 
great  poise,  judgment,  tact  and  fairness  and 
withal  a  statesman.  As  presiding  officer  of 
the  state  senate,  he  won  the  friendship  and 


14          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

confidence  of  the  leaders  in  both  factions  of 
his  party.  So,  in  1912,  the  natural — the 
logical  thing — happened.  He  became  a  can- 
didate for  governor.  There  .  was  plenty  of 
opposition,  to  be  sure.  A  primary  is  a  bid 
for  multiplication  of  candidates.  But  when 
the  votes  were  counted,  Frank  M.  Byrne  had 
polled  a  plurality  of  approximately  10,000, 
over  his  nearest  competitor  and  a  majority 
of  6,000  over  all.  He  had  a  tough  fight  in 
November,  but  he  won. 

AS   GOVERNOR 

On  January  7,  1912,  amid  imposing  cere- 
monies, Frank  M.  Byrne  was  sworn  in  as 
governor  of  our  great  and  growing  state. 
His  inauguration  was  one  of  the  grandest  in 
the  history  of  the  commonwealth. 

From  the  standpoint  of  our  state's 
needs,  his  first  message  to  the  legislature  was 
a  masterpiece.  Again,  in  detail  recommenda- 
tions, it  showed  that  the  governor  is  not  only 
a  man  of  broad  comprehension  but  that  he 
possesses  an  exceedingly  analytical  mind.  In 
all,  he  made  recommendations  for  specific 
legislation  at  once  on  nineteen  different  sub- 
jects, chief  among  which  were  our  state  in- 
stitutions, freight  and  passenger  rates,  and 
public  printing. 

The  message,  in  printed  form,  consists 
of  fifty  pages — exactly  one  half  of  which  are 


FRANK  M.  BYRNE  15 

devoted  to  our  state  institutions.  His  most 
sweeping  recommendations  are  in  a  complete 
change  which  he  recommends  for  the  man- 
agement of  our  state  educational,  our  chari- 
table and  our  penal  institutions.  At  present 
the  five  regents  have  complete  control  of  the 
state  schools,  while  the  five  members  of  the 
board  of  charities  and  corrections  have  equal 
authority  over  the  charitable  and  penal  in- 
stitutions. Instead  of  dividing  the  work  per- 
pendicularly, so  to  speak,  as  it  now  is,  Gov- 
ernor Byrne  recommends  a  constitutional 
amendment  that  will  reduce  each  board  to 
three  members  and  authorize  the  legislature 
to  enact  a  law  dividing  the  boards'  responsi- 
bilities horizontally;  that  is,  a  board  of  ad- 
ministration to  employ  the  heads  of  all  of  the 
institutions,  and  other  members,  and  another 
board  to  look  after  the  strictly  business  af- 
fairs of  the  same.  His  reasoning  invites  ad- 
miration. A  class  of  men,  competent  by  edu- 
cation, training  and  experience,  to  select 
normal  school  presidents  and  faculties,  might 
not  be  equipped  to  handle  successfully  the 
technical  part  of  the  various  institutions' 
business  affairs,  while  a  board  of  three,  con- 
sisting of  an  experienced  contractor,  a  bank- 
er and  a  lawyer,  would  unquestionably  look 
closely  after  the  erection  of  buildings,  the 


16  WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

» 

insurance  of  the  same  and  various  kindred 
matters. 

His  foresight  in  asking  the  legislature 
to  begin  at  once  to  equip  the  state's  grounds, 
near  Watertown,  for  another  asylum,  so  as 
to  be  prepared  to  take  care  of  our  unfor- 
tunate citizens,  as  soon  as  the  Yankton  in- 
stitution has  reached  an  enrollment  of  1,200, 
is  an  act  of  statesmanship,  and  it  shows  that 
the  people  made  no  mistake  in  electing  Frank 
M.  Byrne  governor. 

PERSONAL 

As  a  public  speaker,  Governor  Byrne  is 
plain-spoken,  straightforward  and  convinc- 
ing. As  a  writer,  his  first  message  shows 
him  to  be  a  man  capable  of  expressing  him- 
self in  simple,  modest,  but  high  grade 
English.  His  message  is  that  of  a  thoroughly 
trained  business  mind. 

He  was  married  in  April,  1888,  to  Miss 
Emma  Beaver  of  Kenton,  Ohio.  Mrs.  Byrne 
possesses  a  modest,  kindly,  democratic  tem- 
perament, similar  to  that  of  her  distinguished 
husband.  As  the  "First  Lady"  of  our  state 
she  has  proven  companionable,  sympathetic 
and  hospitable. 

To  this  couple  who  have  now  become  so 
prominent  in  the  public  eye  of  our  state,  have 
been  born  five  sons,  Carrol  B.,  who  graduated 


FRANK  M.  BYRNE  17 

June,  1912,  from  the  naval  academy  at  Ana- 
polis;  Francis  J.,  Malcolm,  Joseph  and 
Emmons. 

Governor  Byrne,  as  has  been  shown, 
has  had  splendid  preparation  in  the  school 
of  experience  to  equip  him  to  make  South 
Dakota  a  great  executive.  He  is  a  sturdy 
Irishman — one  possessed  of  a  high  sense  of 
civic  duty,  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church,  and  a  Knight  of  Pythias,  a  Mason 
and  an  Elk.  Governor  Byrne  was  re-elected 
in  1914,  and  is  now  serving  his  second  term. 


R.  L.  SLAGLE 

PRESIDENT,  STATE  UNIVERSITY 

Hanover,  Pennsylvania,  is  a  small  vil- 
lage on  the  railroad  that  connects  the  historic 
town  of  Gettysburg  with  the  city  of  Balti- 
more. During  the  civil  war,  it  was  the 
nearest  decidedly  Union  town,  to  the  latter 
place.  Here,  in  the  spring  of  1865,  three 


20  WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

promising  baby  boys  were  born  within  a 
period  of  two  and  a  half  months.  Hanover 
is  only  a  few  miles  from  the  famous  Gettys- 
burg battlefield.  This  battlefield  had  been 
appropriately  dedicated  by  President  Lincoln 
in  his  immortal  speech.  The  civil  war  was 
nearing  its  close.  Abraham  Lincoln  had  be- 
come the  idol  of  the  North.  His  eldest  son's 
name  was  Robert.  So  what  more  natural 
thing  could  have  happened  than  that  these 
three  "Union"  babies  should  each  have  been 
named  "Robert  Lincoln?"  And  so  we  have 
Robert  Lincoln  Hamme,  today  a  post-office 
employee  at  Hanover;  Robert  Lincoln 
Young,  now  a  wholesale  fruit  dealer  in 
Omaha,  and  Robert  Lincoln  Slagle,  president 
of  our  state  university  at  Vermillion. 

His  ancestors  were  German.  The 
family  settled  at  Germantown,  Penn.,  a  few 
years  after  the  old  colony  was  founded. 

His  early  education  was  secured  in  the 
public  and  the  private  schools  of  Hanover. 
Then  he  matriculated  at  Lafayette  college  in 
1883 ;  received  his  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree 
four  years  later,  and  was  elected  to  the  "Phi 
Beta  Kappa." 

STRIKES  WEST 

In  September,  1887,  he  came  to  Dakota 
and  accepted  the  professorship  of  natural 
science  in  the  Collegiate  Institute  at  Groton. 


R.  L.  SLAGLE  21 

In  the  what?  In  the  Collegiate  Institute! 
Yes,  sir !  Gracious !  Never  heard  of  it.  No, 
well,  that's  not  strange.  What  was  the  year? 
1887.  The  school  closed  shortly  thereafter. 
What  if  it  did?  Who  was  to  blame?  The 
writer  has  a  most  distinct  recollection  of 
having  hauled  a  load  of  oats,  consisting  of 
108  bushels  to  market  on  a  beautiful  fall 
day,  that  same  year,  and  of  having  received 
for  the  entire  load  $12.70;  also  of  having 
marketed  a  load  of  forty-two  bushels  of 
wheat  the  same  fall,  for  which  he  received 
$13.44.  Not  many  youngsters  were  going  to 
be  permitted  to  attend  "collegiate  institutes" 
while  they  and  the  old  folks  were  receiving 
such  prices  as  these  for  their  products. 

RETURNS  EAST 

Professor  Slagle  left  the  state  in  1888  and 
went  to  Johns  Hopkins  university,  where  he 
took  up  graduate  work.  In  the  summer  of 
1891-92,  he  did  laboratory  work  at  Harvard 
and  in  the  Museum  of  Hygiene  of  the  U.  S. 
Navy  Department.  He  earned  and  was 
given  his  Doctor  of  Philosophy  degree  by 
Johns  Hopkins  in  1894.  The  same  year  he 
took  his  Master's  degree  at  Lafayette 
College. 

COMES  WEST  AGAIN 

After   completing  his   work    at    Johns 
Hopkins,     he    served    as     assistant    under 


22          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

Professor  Atwater,  at  Middleton,  Conn.,  and 
in  New  York  City. 

Still,  there  remained  in  his  memory 
visions  of  the  West,  of  Indian  summer  days, 
of  beautiful  mirages,  and  of  treeless  plains 
whose  horizons  were  bounded  only  by  the 
curves  of  the  earth.  He  longed  to  come  back 
to  a  country  that  had  outgrown  the  "dry 
time."  And  so  in  the  fall  of  1895  when  he 
was  elected  professor  of  chemistry  in  our 
state  college  at  Brookings,  his  ambition  was 
realized  and  again  he  came  West. 

Two  years  later,  he  was  transferred  to 
the  department  of  chemistry  in  the  State 
School  of  Mines  at  Rapid  City,  and  the  next 
year  he  was  made  president  of  the  institu- 
tion. Land  of  opportunity !  Blessed  are  the 
opportunists  who  keep  pace  with  their  op- 
portunities. Shakespeare  was  pretty  wise 
when  he  wrote : 

"There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men 

Which,  taken  at  its  flood,  leads  on  to  fortune." 

Dr.  Slagle  was  at  flood  tide.  He  made 
good  at  Rapid  City  for  eight  years;  and  on 
January  1,  1906,  the  regents  of  education 
called  him  back  to  Brookings  and  installed 
him  as  president  of  our  State  College  at  that 
place,  in  which  he  had  formerly  been  a 
humble  professor. 

ANOTHER    PROMOTION 

He  remained  at  the  head  of  the  State 


R.  L.  SLAGLE  23 

College  for  eight  years.  During  the  summer 
of  1913,  Dr.  Gault  resigned  the  presidency 
of  the  State  University  at  Vermillion.  At 

that  time,  Dr.  Slagle  had  been  for  eighteen 
successive  and  successful  years  under  the 
regents  of  education  in  this  state — professor 
of  chemistry  in  two  of  our  institutions  of 
higher  education,  and  subsequently  president 
of  them  both.  There  wasn't  a  flaw  in  his 
record.  He  was  recognized  by  the  brainy 
men  of  the  East  as  one  of  the  most  exact 
scholars  in  the  State.  So,  on  December  5, 
1913,  the  regents  of  education  met  at  Ver- 
million, and  without  any  application  from 
Dr.  Slagle  or  any  endorsements  of  him  from 
anybody,  they  elected  him  president  of  our 
State  University. 

He  promptly  resigned  at  Brookings  and 
went  to  Vermillion  where  he  assumed  charge 
of  the  school  February  2,  1914.  The  faculty 
and  students  gave  him  a  most  cordial  wel- 
come; the  city  of  Vermillion  received  him 
with  open  arms.  Confidence  in  the  institu- 
tion was  promptly  restored  throughout  the 
State.  President  Gault  had  been  gone  for 
seven  months  and  the  institution  was  run- 
ning without  a  regular  presidential  head — 
the  deans  of  the  various  colleges  alternating 
in  charge  of  affairs.  In  a  year  the  regular 
college  enrollment  had  increased  31  per  cent. 


24          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

This,    without    counting    any    of    the    170 
summer  school  students. 

HIS  RECORD  AND  PERSONALITY 

Here  is  a  great  record — the  record  of- 
a  great  man.  Dr.  Slagle  is  a  powerful 
thinker.  Said  the  mighty  Emerson,  "I 
count  him  a  great  man  who  inhabits  a  higher 
sphere  of  thought  into  which  other  men  may 
rise  with  labor  and  difficulty."  This  is  the 
sphere  of  thought  inhabited  by  Dr.  Slagle. 
One  can  only  rise  to  the  same  level  with  him 
through  years  of  patient  toil  and  research. 
This  is  the  way  he  got  it ;  others  must  achieve 
it  likewise. 

And  yet,  withal,  Dr.  Slagle  is  one  of  the 
most  simple,  most  democratic  and  most  com- 
panionable men  in  our  state.  He  is  as  chum- 
my with  the  boys  of  our  state  university  as 
though  they  were  actually  his  room  mates. 
On  the  other  hand  he  maintains — even  while 
mingling  so  freely  with  them — that  beautiful 
manly  dignity  that  commands  respect  and 
invites  admiration.  Only  the  born  teacher 
and  disciplinarian  can  do  this.  In  his 
natural  manners  Dr.  Slagle  reminds  one  of 
Shakespeare's  couplet  : 

"I  dare  do  all  that  may  become  a  man: 
Who  dares  do  more  is  none." 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  God  gives 
to  every  man  special  talents  to  do  certain 


R.  L.  SLAGLE  25 

things:  this  becomes  their  natural  field  of 
work.  To  succeed  they  must  find  it.  Dr. 
Slagle  found  his — the  school  room.  Carlyle 
immortalized  this  thought  in  his  literary 
gem: 

"Blessed  is  he  who  has  found  his  work; 
Let  him  ask  no  other  blessedness." 

Thus  is  Dr.  Slagle  blessed — thrice 
blessed.  And  through  this  blessing,  coupled 
with  his  pure  manhood,  he  is  blessing  others ; 
for,  in  the  language  of  Browning: 

"The  world  wants  men — pure  men, 
Who  can  not  be  bought  or  sold; 

Men  \vho  wrould  scoff  to  violate  trust; 
Genuine   gold. 

The  world  wants  men — pure  men, 

Free  from  the  taint  of  sin, 
Men  whose  lives  are  clean  without 

And  pure  within." 


"Conquer  thyself!"  wrote  Burton,  'Till 
thou  hast  done  that  thou  art  a  slave."  Ro- 
bert L.  Slagle,  the  moral  man,  makes  Robert 
L.  Slagle,  the  physical  man,  and  Robert  L. 
Slagle,  the  mental  man,  both  his  slaves.  His 
great  heart  rules;  and  out  of  it  springs  a 
manhood  that  makes  others  more  manly  who 
have  heard  or  felt  its  throbs. 

Again  he  is  a  sympathetic  man — one 
thoroughly  enthused  with  his  work.  For 
some  time  three  eastern  schools  have  been 
struggling  to  get  him  away  from  South  Da- 


26          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

kota.  Two  of  them  have  offered  him  salaries 
far  in  excess  of  what  he  is  receiving,  but  he 
has  steadfastly  refused,  and  to  each  offer  has 
said :  "No,  I  like  my  boys  and  I  have  a  mis- 
sion here  to  perform."  Perhaps,  after  all, 
his  soul  has  been  lighted  up  with  a  spark 
from  Cotton's  pen : 

"If  solid  happiness  we  prize, 
Within  our  breast  this  jewel  lies, 
And  they  are  fools  who  roam." 

DOMESTIC  AFFAIRS 

At  Rapid  City,  Dr.  Slagle  was  a  member 
of  the  Black  Hills  Mining  association.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  American  Chemical 
society,  of  the  Free  Masons,  the  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution,  and  of  the  Episcopal 
church. 

However,  any  mention  that  might  be 
made  of  him,  without  including  Mrs.  Slagle, 
would  be  incomplete.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Gertrude  A.  Riemann,  and  her  home  was  in 
Philadelphia.  She  and  Dr.  Slagle  were 
united  in  holy  matrimony  at  St.  Paul  in  1896. 

Mrs.  Slagle  was  quite  as  democratic  in 
her  manners  as  is  her  distinguished  husband. 
She  was  a  lady  of  strong  literary  tastes, 
always  congenial  and  refreshing,  and  was  for 
several  years  instructor  in  English  at  the 
State  School  of  Mines.  Mrs.  Slagle,  after  a 
painful  illness,  passed  away  December  3, 
1915. 


W.  W.  GIRTON 

HIS   STEPS   POINT   RIGHT 

"I  have  never  met  you  before,  professor, 
but  I  have  crossed  and  recrossed  your  trail  a 
hundred  times,  and  I  have  always  found  that 
your  steps  pointed  in  the  right  direction," 
said  Father  Haire,  a  member  of  the  regents 
of  education  during  Governor  Mellette's 


28          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

days,  to  Prof.  W.  W.  Girton,  of  the  Madison 
State  Normal,  the  first  time  they  met. 

What  the  good  old  father  discovered, 
every  other  man  who  has  ever  crossed  Pro- 
fessor Girton's  trail,  has  also  discovered. 
Here  is  a  man  of  whom  it  may  truthfully  be 
said,  "His  life  is  an  open  book."  With  him, 
deceit  is  contrary  to  his  nature.  He  has 
practiced  the  rules  of  civic  virtue  and  private 
honesty  for  so  many  years  that  he  could  not 
betray  his  fellow  man  if  he  tried — but  he  will 
never  try.  A  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  he 
has  inculcated  from  that  grand  fraternity, 
the  noble  principles  which  have  moulded  him 
into  a  righteous  man. 

His  soul  is  embossed  in  beauty.  From 
it  emanates  rays  of  powerful  and  magnetic 
friendship  that  draw  his  associates  to  him  by 
legions.  His  inward  nature  exhales  a  soul- 
sweetness  that  causes  his  companions  to 
speak  with  pride  when  they  say,  "He  is  my 
friend."  Calm,  judicious,  even  tempered, 
and  one  who  practices  daily  those  great  civic 
virtues — silence  and  circumspection — his  is 
the  life  ideal;  his,  the  companionship  to  be 
sought ;  his,  the  example  to  follow.  If  every 
man's  steps  pointed  in  the  direction  of  Pro- 
fessor Girton's,  we  would  have  no  jails,  no 
penitentiaries,  and  the  millennial  dawn 
which  is  to  usher  in  the  angelic  day  would 
be  staring  us  squarely  in  the  face. 


W.  W.  GIRTON  29 

ADOWN  THE  YEARS 

It  will  surprise  many  of  Professor  Gir- 
ton's  friends  to  learn  that  his  birthplace  was 
Lincolnshire,  England,  April  10,  1850;  that 
his  parents  were  both  British  born  and 
reared;  and  that  later  on,  W.  W.  Girton 
married  a  girl  (Frances  Richmond),  who 
was  born  at  Belturbet,  Ireland,  May  10, 
1852.  This  leaves  but  one  year  and  eleven 
months  between  their  ages.  Whether  Mrs. 
Girton  has  ever  demanded  "home  rule"  for 
Ireland  we  do  not  know ;  but  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  Great  Brit  (her  devoted  husband) 
never  denied  to  her  a  common  sense  request. 

The  same  year  that  W.  W.  was  born, 
his  parents  removed  with  him  to  America 
and  settled  at  Florence,  Mich.  The  next 
year  his  father  died,  and  our  baby  immi- 
grant, his  good  mother  and  one  brother,  were 
left  in  a  foreign  land  to  hustle  for  them- 
selves. The  mother  took  her  little  brood  and 
wended  her  way  to  Sauk  county,  Wisconsin. 
Here  William  got  his  early  education  in  a 
district  school.  Later  he  attended  the  public 
schools,  and  then  he  became  a  student  for 
two  years  in  the  academy  at  Spring  Green, 
going  from  there  to  the  academy  at  Sexton- 
ville.  Out  of  this  trend  of  events,  he  had 
prepared  himself  for  a  teacher,  and  in  1870, 
at  the  age  of  twenty,  he  took  up  work  as 
such  in  a  district  school  near  Reedsburg. 


30          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

The  financial  struggles  of  childhood  had 
taught  our  young  teacher  the  art  of  saving. 
He  guarded  well  his  earnings  and  expendi- 
tures during  the  year,  and  then  in  April, 
1871,  he  entered  the  state  normal  at  Plattes- 
ville,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1874. 

During  the  winter  of  1875-76  Professor 
Girton  was  principal  of  schools  at  Muscoda, 
Wis.  Then  he  drifted  over  to  Cinton,  la., 
and  was  appointed  assistant  superintendent 
of  the  school  for  the  blind;  but  at  the  end 
of  the  first  year  he  resigned  to  accept  the 
principalship  of  the  public  schools  at  Har- 
lan,  la.  In  1880,  he  was  elected  superintend- 
ent of  schools  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  of 
which  Harlan  is  the  county  seat. 

In  this  position,  he  served  four  years; 
then  he  established  the  "Shelby  County  Re- 
publican" at  Harlan,  which  he  edited  and 
published  for  three  years.  However,  in 
1886,  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Vilas,  S.  D., 
at  which  place  he  organized  the  Vilas  Bank- 
ing Co.,  serving  as  president  of  the  same  for 
three  years.  During  this  same  period  he 
established  and  published  the  "Miner  County 
Farmer." 

He  sold  out  in  1889  and  was  immediately 
thereafter  made  chief  engrossing  clerk  of 
the  last  territorial  legislature,  which  at  that 
time  was  in  session  at  Bismarck.  When  the 


W.  W.  GIRTON  31 

legislature  adjourned  he  was  made  deputy 
territorial  auditor,  and  as  such  he  had  charge 
of  the  tremendous  task  which  we  "Latter 
Day  Saints"  will  never  know  anything  about, 
of  making  a  complete  transcript  of  the  ter- 
ritorial records  to  be  filed  in  the  capitol  of 
our  own  state  which  had  just  been  or- 
ganized; and  of  moving  to  Pierre,  systema- 
tizing and  filing  away,  over  sixty  tons  of 
literature. 

But  Girton  had  gotten  the  teaching 
germ  so  instilled  into  his  blood  that  he  could 
not  quit.  So  he  went  back  to  Miner  county ; 
was  elected  superintendent  of  schools  in 
1892 ;  served  out  his  constitutional  limit — 
two  terms — and  in  1896  was  elected  to  the 
chair  of  civics  in  our  state  normal  school  at 
Madison. 

This  latter  position  he  held  until  Jan- 
uary 1st,  1914,  when  he  resigned,  on  ac- 
count of  enfeebled  eyesight.  He  was  also 
made  official  secretary  for  the  school,  which 
position  he  held  for  many  years.  In  addition 
to  his  regular  work,  he  also  served  in  1901-02 
as  acting  president  of  the  normal. 

Professor  Girton  served  in  1905  as 
president  of  the  Eastern  South  Dakota  Edu- 
cational Association.  His  "president's  ad- 
dress" was  a  masterful  piece  of  sarcastic 
statesmanship.  We  regret  that  we  can  not 


32  WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

reproduce  it  again  in  full,  (The  Argus- 
Leader  published  it  nearly  in  full  at  the  time 
it  was  delivered).  One  paragraph  must 
suffice : 

"The  rural  school  house  may  properly 
be  described  as  a  rectangular  box  built  with 
no  regard  for  proper  heating,  lighting  and 
ventilation ;  planned  and  constructed  with  no 
other  thought  than  that  of  economy.  In 
most  cases  it  stands  alone  on  the  bleak  prairie 
without  a  tree  or  shrub  to  protect  it  from 
the  wintry  blast  or  to  offer  a  little  grateful 
shade  from  the  summer  sun.  Two  or  three 
windows  on  the  side  furnish  the  light.  A 
stove  in  the  center  scorches  the  urchin  near- 
est to  it  while  the  one  in  the  corner  is  freez- 
ing. There  is  seldom  any  attempt  at  orna- 
mentation of  any  kind,  and  the  restless,  vig- 
orous boy,  in  protest  against  his  unwilling 
captivity,  shirks  his  lessons,  cuts  his  initials 
on  his  desk,  and  at  the  slightest  provocation 
adds  truancy  to  his  other  sins." 

In  politics,  Professor  Girton  has  ever 
been  a  staunch  and  consistent  republican. 
Since  1878,  he  has  also  been  a  devout  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  church.  He  is  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Scottish-rite  Mason,  and*  a 
Royal  Arch  degree  York-rite  Mason;  also  a 
member  of  the  I.  0.  O.  F.  and  of  the  A.  O. 
U.  W. 


W.  W.  GIRTON  33 

At  Madison  he  was  always  spoken  of  as 
"the  students'  friend."  Hereafter  he  will  de- 
vote himself  to  real  estate  matters.  Profes- 
sor Girton  has  put  his  business  instinct  into 
his  education  and  education  into  his  busi- 
ness, so  that  today  he  is  comfortably  fixed. 
He  owns  a  nice  home  fronting  on  the  nor- 
mal campus  at  Madison,  and  three  splendid 
farms  in  Lake  county.  He  and  Mrs.  Girton 
are  the  parents  of  six  children- -none  of 
whom  are  now  at  home.  They  are  each  one 
thoroughly  educated,  and  each  is  now  occu- 
pying a  station  of  trust  and  honor  at  various 
places  throughout  the  world. 

This  grand  good  couple  have  thus  lived 
intelligently,  and  they  are  now  prepared  to 
spend  their  declining  years  in  solid  comfort, 
enduring  peace  and  happy  recollections. 
Yes;  his  "steps  point  right"  and  so  do  hers. 
Let  us  all  endeavor  to  "point"  ours  in  the 
same  direction! 


GEORGE  W.  KINGSBURY 

DADDY  OF  THEM  ALL 

Those  early  newspaper  pioneers  who 
had  so  much  to  do  with  the  development  of 
our  state  are  rapidly  passing  off  the  stage  of 
action.  Two  of  them,  now  above  the  seventy 
line,  still  remain  at  their  posts  of  duty- 
Gossage,  editor  and  publisher  since  away 


36          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

back  in  the  seventies  of  the  "Rapid  City 
Journal,"  and  W.  S.  Bowen,  editor  of  the 
"Daily  Huronite."  Nash  and  Linn,  both  of 
Canton,  have  laid  aside  their  editorial  pens 
forever,  and  are  today  rehearsing  reminis- 
cences beyond  the  Veil  of  Time.  However, 
the  "daddy"  of  them  all,  George  Washington 
Kingsbury,  of  Yankton,  although  not  now 
at  the  helm  of  a  paper,  is  with  us  still. 

The  first  newspaper  plant  in  the  state 
was  the  "Dakota  Democrat,"  later  known  as 
the  "Western  Independent,"  established  at 
Sioux  Falls  for  purely  political  purposes,  in 
1859.  At  the  Little  Crow  Indian  outbreak, 
it  was  abandoned.  The  second  paper — the 
one  which  ultimately  became  the  first  per- 
manent paper  in  the  state — was  the  "Week- 
ly Dakotaian"  established  at  Yankton  in 
June,  1861,  by  Hon.  Frank  M.  Ziebach.  He 
brought  the  outfit  up  by  team  from  Sioux 
City.  The  old  building  in  which  it  was  first 
published,  is  still  standing  in  the  city  of 
Yankton. 

The  object  of  the  establishment  at 
Yankton  of  the  "Weekly  Dakotaian"  was 
political  rather  than  financial.  Its  primary 
purpose  was  accomplished  in  the  election  of 
General  Todd  as  our  first  territorial  dele- 
gate in  congress.  However,  in  September, 
1861,  three  months  after  its  birth,  it  sus- 
pended publication  temporarily. 


GEORGE  W.  KINGSBURY  37 

The  first  territorial  legislature  for  Da- 
kota convened  at  Yankton,  March  17,  1862. 
On  that  very  day  there  arrived  at  Yankton 
a  young  man  but  twenty-five  years  of  age 
(George  W.  Kingsbury,  the  theme  of  this 

M 

article),  who  was  destined  to  guide  the 
affairs  of  the  burg,  and  with  him  came  the 
Hon.  Josiah  Trask  who  was  later  killed  in 
the  Quantrelle  massacre  in  1864.  They  at 
once  bought  the  "Weekly  Dakotaian,"  con- 
verted it  into  the  "Daily  Dakotaian,"  and 
published  it  for  sixty  days — during  the  legis- 
lative session.  Then,  Ziebach  bought  Trask's 
interest  in  the  plant  and  he  and  Kingsbury, 
in  May,  1862,  took  up  in  earnest  the  publi- 
cation of  the  paper. 

Yankton  was  the  territorial  capital  of 
the  entire  region  of  Dakota.  It  grew  rapid- 
ly, so  that  by  1872,  it  was  practically  as  large 
as  it  is  today.  In  1870,  another  newspaper, 
the  "Weekly  Press,"  was  opened  at  that 
place.  It  was  continued  for  three  years. 
However,  in  1873,  it  was  consolidated  with 
the  Dakotaian. 

Just  at  that  time  Yankton  was  under- 
going a  boom.  Gold  had  been  discovered  in 
the  Black  Hills.  Migration  was  heavy  in 
that  direction.  Yankton  was  the  western 
outlet.  Between  50  and  75  steamboats  were 
making  regular  trips  up  the  Missouri  from 


38          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

Sioux  City  and  docking  at  Yankton.  One 
of  these  boats  did  a  yearly  business  of 
$1,000,000.  Twenty  of  them  established 
trade  along  the  upper  Missouri  as  far  north 
as  Ft.  Pierre. 

The  same  year,  1873,  the  Milwaukee 
railroad  was  extended  as  far  west  as  Yank- 
ton.  The  next  year,  1874,  W.  S.  Bowen,  now 
of  the  Huronite,  came  to  Yankton  from  Wis- 
consin. He  bought  an  interest  in  the  Da- 
kotaian,  with  Kingsbury,  and  in  April,  1875, 
they  got  out  the  first  issue  of  the  "Daily 
Press  and  Dakotaian"  which  has  been  con- 
tinued to  this  day;  was,  and  still  is,  one  of 
the  most  influential  daily  newspapers  in  the 
state. 

It  was  always  active  in  politics.  Presi- 
dent Arthur,  in  1883,  made  Bowen  post- 
master at  Yankton  as  a  reward  for  political 
service  previously  rendered  to  his  lamented 
predecessor,  James  A.  Garfield.  Cleveland 
"fixed"  him  as  soon  as  he  took  the  throne. 
When  Harrison  came  in,  he  returned  Bowen 
to  the  postmastership  for  four  years.  Then 
the  Daily  Press  and  Dakotaian  got  behind 
Richard  Franklin  Pettigrew  and  put  him  in 
the  United  States  senate.  Pettigrew  called 
Bowen  to  his  private  secretaryship,  and 
Kingsbury  continued  the  publication  of  the 
paper  until  1902,  when,  owing  to  advanced 


GEORGE  W.  KINGSBURY  39 

years,  he  sold  out  to  David  Lloyd,  who,  at 
present,  is  deputy  treasurer  of  Yankton 
county. 

OUR  "DADDY"  HIMSELF 

It  has  been  necessary  to  review  these 
historical  events  that  came  up  in  the  life  of 
"Daddy"  Kingsbury,  in  order  to  understand 
the  old  gentleman  himself. 

^e  was  born  at  Lee,  Oneida  county,  New 
York,  December  16,  1837.  At  the  age  of 
four  his  parents  removed  with  him  to  Utica, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  got  a  scanty  education,  and 
fitted  himself  for  -a  civil  engineer.  George 
Washington  did  this,  you  know;  so  George 
Washington  Kingsbury  "followed  suit." 
Many  a  boy  has  been  made  into  a  man  by 
naming  him  right.  The  implied  suggestion 
resulting  to  him  from  the  utterance  of  his 
name,  stimulates  him. 

He  assisted  in  the  survey  of  the  Black 
River  and  Utica  railroad;  then  he  went  to 
Wisconsin,  in  1856,  and  helped  to  survey 
the  Watertown,  Madison  and  Prairie  du 
Chien  railroad.  When  this  work  had  been 
completed  he  went  to  St.  Louis  and  took  up 
the  printers'  trade  which  he  had  learned 
while  a  boy.  From  there  he  went  to  Leaven- 
worth,  Kansas,  in  1858,  where  he  worked  in 
a  job  printing  office  for  a  few  months  and 
then  accepted  a  job  as  editor  of  a  paper  at 


40  WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

Junction  City,  which  he  ran  for  three  years. 

During  this  period  he  formed  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Mr.  Trask  with  whom  he  came 
to  Dakota  Territory  in  1862.  In  1863,  he  was 
elected  to  the  territorial  legislature  from 
Yankton,  and  served  four  years.  He  was 
appointed  collector  of  internal  revenue  in 
1890 ;  was  elected  to  the  state  senate  in  1894, 
cmd  in  1898  Governor  Lee  appointed  him  a 
member  of  the  state  board  of  charities  and 
corrections. 

A  western  sketch,  devoid  of  an  act  by 
Cupid,  could  at  best  be  but  stale  reading.  In 
s  11  human  undertakings,  from  the  sinful 
tragedy  in  the  Garden  of  Eden,  down  through 
the  ages,  to  Mary  kneeling  at  the  feet  of  her 
bleeding  Lord  on  Calvary,  there  has  invar- 
iably been  a  woman  to  play  her  part — to 
complete  the  act,  make  it  fascinating,  genu- 
ine, real.  The  thing  bothering  man  now  is 
whether  the  female  is  not  going  to  play  more 
than  her  part.  Well,  just  so  in  the  life  of 
our  pioneer,  George  W.  Kingsbury.  That 
printer's  experience  in  Kansas  had  brought 
a  southern  belle — Miss  Lydia  M.  Stone — into 
the  pathway  of  his  life.  Cupid  got  busy,  and 
on  September  20,  1864,  they  became  husband 
and  wife.  To  their  union  have  been  born 
and  reared  three  sons — George,  Theodore 
and  Charles. 


GEORGE  W.  KINGSBURY  41 

All  are  gone.  Today  the  old  gentleman 
sits  in  the  silent  home  at  Yankton,  to  which 
he  brought  his  bride  fifty-two  years  ago,  all 
alone,  writing  what  will  undoubtedly  prove 
to  be  the  best  history  of  South  Dakota  ever 
written.  He  has  been  working  on  it  for 
ten  years ;  that  is,  steadily ;  while  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  he  began  it  fifty  years  ago. 

First,  he  thought  to  make  it  a  history 
of  Yankton,  but  when  the  Yankton  semi- 
centennial jubilee  was  held  a  few  years  since, 
his  friends  who  gathered  there  urged  him  to 
make  it  a  history  of  Dakota.  Again,  with 
Yankton  as  the  old  territorial  capital  for 
over  twenty  years,  its  history  would,  of 
necessity,  be  largely  the  history  of  our  state 
for  that  period.  Only  a  few  men  are  left 
who  are  capable  of  writing  its  history  large- 
ly from  memory.  One  of  these  pioneers  is 
General  W.  H.  H.  Beadle.  Recently  he  made 
a  trip  to  Yankton  to  examine  Mr.  Kings- 
bury's  manuscript  which  is  now  nearing 
completion,  and  after  carefully  reviewing  it, 
he  pronounced  it  the  best  history- -par  ex- 
cellence— of  the  state  in  existence.  The  pub- 
lication of  it  will  be  arranged  for  somehow 
during  the  next  year  or  so;  and  its  sale 
among  our  people  should  bring  the  old 
gentleman  suitable  recompense  for  his  long 
patient  years  of  toil.  As  a  trained  editorial 


42  WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

writer  he  has  acquired  a  style  of  written  ex- 
pression that  is  fascinating  and  clear.  His 
diction  is  most  admirable;  and  even  in 
sketching  history  wherein  the  literary  con- 
fines are  much  more  rigid  than  in  newspaper 
work,  his  language  is  lucid  and  picturesque. 
But  a  few  years  more  will  have  elapsed 
until  the  last  one  of  the  Dakota  plainsmen 
will  have  passed  from  the  theatre  of  opera- 
tions forever,  leaving  behind  him  as  a  lasting 
heritage  for  the  future  the  part  he  took  as 
an  empire  builder  of  the  west.  The  part 
taken  by  George  W.  Kingsbury  will  make  a 
brilliant  chapter  in  the  history  of  the  state, 
and  he  will  leave  behind  him, 

"Foot-prints    on    the    sands    of    time." 
"Foot-prints,  that  perhaps  another 

Sailing  o'er  life's   solemn  main, 
A  forlorn  and  ship-wrecked  brother 

Seeing,  may  take  heart  again." 

At  the  date  of  the  publication  of  this 
book,  Mr.  Kingsbury's  history  has  been 
completed.  Prof.  G.  M.  Smith,  of  our  state 
university,  has  re-edited  it.  The  S.  J.  Clarke 
Publishing  Co.,  of  Chicago,  have  published 
it,  and  it  is  now  for  sale  at  $25.00. 


H.  B.  ANDERSON 

AN  HONEST  SERVANT 
Eleven  years  a  county  official,  four 
years  a  deputy  county  officer,  and  four  years 
a  state  official ;  total,  nineteen  years  of  public 
service — sixteen  years  of  which  were  con- 
tinuous, although  the  offices  he  held,  save 
that  of  three  years  as  a  county  commissioner, 
were  those  limited  by  the  state  constitution 
to  two  terms  of  two  years  each.  Can  any 
other  man  in  the  state  duplicate  it? 


44          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

Who's  record  is  it?  The  Honorable  H. 
B.  Anderson's,  our  former  state  auditor. 
"How  did  he  do  it?"  you  ask.  Easily  enough; 
when  he  was  first  elected  to  office,  he  proved 
to  the  public  that  he  was  obliging,  conscien- 
tious and  honest.  They  were  looking  for 
such  a  servant,  and  they  by  their  franchise, 
kept  him  in  office. 

His  entire  life  reveals  a  character,  a 
trustworthiness  and  a  manhood  far  above 
the  average.  He  is  a  poor  man;  otherwise, 
some  might  suspect  that  money  had  kept  him 
in  office.  Not  so!  Honesty  and  efficient 
service  did  it. 

Anderson  is  a  Scandinavian  by  birth 
and  an  American  by  adoption.  There  is  no 
better  class  of  citizens  in  America  than  the 
sturdy  Swede  and  the  valiant  Norsk.  His 
boyhood  was  spent  in  southern  Sweden  where 
he  came  into  being,  September  15,  1859.  His 
parents  were  pious,  conscientious  farmers, 
greatly  respected  in  that  section  of  his 
fatherland.  In  his  early  boyhood  they  incul- 
cated in  him  lessons  of  piety,  reverence,  fru- 
gality and  devotion.  These  early  fireside 
lessons  gave  rise  to  stable  manhood.  The 
earliest  impressions  make  the  most  inefface- 
able records."  It's  true  in  all  walks  of  life. 

At  the  tender  age  of  six  years,  he  lost 
his  devout  mother,  yet  the  impress  of  her 


H.  B.  ANDERSON  45 

personality  and  teachings  lingers  with  him 
yet.  Three  years  later  his  father  remarried, 
and  two  years  afterward  the  family  mi- 
grated to  America  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Jefferson  county,  Nebraska. 

The  next  year,  when  young  Anderson 
was  yet  under  twelve  years  of  age,  he  was 
thrust  upon  his  own  resources.  He  began 
to  work  on  a  farm  at  $7  per  month.  During 
the  winter  season,  he  worked  for  his  board 
and  attended  an  old-fashioned  country 
school — one  built  of  logs,  where  the  benches 
were  around  the  outer  edge  of  the  room,  and 
where  the  old  pedagog  was  severe  and  the 
entire  curriculum  consisted  of  the  "Three 
R's."  Here  the  lad  got  his  scanty  scholastic 
preparation  for  life. 

Boyhood  gave  way  to  manhood,  and  on 
November  12,  1882,  there  took  place  in  the 
little  neighborhood  a  Scandinavian  marriage, 
the  contracting  parties  to  which  were  Henry 
B.  Anderson  and  Miss  Ida  C.  Lindahl.  She 
proved  a  splendid,  God-fearing,  hard-work- 
ing helpmate  for  the  young  Swede;  and  as 
the  years  passed  by  she  became  the  proud 
mother  of  eight  children,  three  of  whom  are 
still  living.  Mrs.  Anderson  died  October  19, 
1915. 

The  early  pioneers — Norwegian  and 
otherwise — who  had  settled  in  southern 


46  WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

Nebraska,  had  accumulated  all  of  the  vacant 
government  land  in  that  vicinity,  so  that  our 
young  couple,  in  order  to  have  at  least  an 
equal  chance  in  life,  found  it  necessary  to 
push  on  into  the  great  northwest.  They 
made  their  way  overland  and  settled  on  a 
homestead  in  Davison  county,  South  Dakota , 
in  the  spring  of  1883.  This  farm  he  still 
owns.  It  is  today  worth  $85  per  acre.  Like 
other  Dakota  pioneers,  they  underwent  many 
bitter  hardships,  but  they  stuck  to  it. 

IN  POLITICS 

In  1888,  Mr.  Anderson  was  elected  com- 
missioner in  Davison  county.  The  next  year 
the  state  constitution  was  adopted.  Ander- 
son, by  the  change  was  given  three  years  in 
the  office.  After  that  he  kept  out  of  office 
for  awhile — but  in  1898  he  was  forced 
against  his  will  to  become  a  candidate  for 
auditor  of  Davison  county.  He  won,  and 
was  re-elected  in  1900.  Then  he  was  re- 
tained four  years  as  deputy  county  auditor, 
and  then  again  he  was  called  to  the  county 
auditorship  and  was  re-elected  as  before — 
thus  giving  him  twelve  years  of  continuous 
service  in  the  one  office.  The  public  liked 
him.  They  trusted  him.  When  the  cam- 
paign of  1910  opened  up,  some  one  suggested 
H.  B.  Anderson  as  a  candidate  for  state 
auditor.  The  suggestion  spread  rapidly  over 


H.  B.  ANDERSON  47 

the  state.  Newspapers  and  politicians  fell  in- 
to line  and  he  was  an  easy  winner  in  the  June 
primaries  of  that  year.  He  was  elected  in 
the  fall;  made  a  matchless  record  as  state 
auditor;  was  re-nominated  without  opposi- 
tion in  1912,  and  re-elected  in  the  fall  by  the 
largest  plurality  of  any  candidate  on  the  re- 
publican ticket.  This  gives  to  him  sixteen 
years  of  continuous  service  as  county  audi- 
tor, deputy  county  auditor,  and  state  auditor ; 
and  the  end  is  not  yet! 


ALEXANDER  STRACHAN 

* 

HE'S  A  STAYER 

Major  Bollard,  whom  we  all  loved  and 
now  mourn,  and  Prof.  Alexander  Strachan, 
were  sitting  on  the  porch  steps  of  T.  O. 
Bogert's  beautiful  home  in  Scotland,  S.  D., 
one  pleasant  summer's  eve,  in  1890,  engulfed 
in  a  pleasant  conversation,  when  Major  Dol- 


WHO'S  WHO  IX  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

lard  finally  said.  "I  hear  you  are  going  to 
Dea«rv  j  this  fall  to  take  up  school  work 
there." 

"I  am."  responded  Professor  Strachan 
after  ?.  moment's  silence. 

"Tell,  sir."  said  Dollard.  "I  know  those 
piople  at  Deadwood  very  well.      They  are 
th  r     dily  united.     Ii  you  go  there  and  do 
ii    lut  -.  you  can  stay  forever!" 

I7-;  i  Id  the  truth.     Strachan  went.     He 
.       inty.     He  staid.     Twenty-four  times 

V  I 

in  succession  the  hands  on  the  clock  have 
•  r.ted  off  an  old  year  and  ushered  in  a  new 

!  .  •  ith  Pr  fess  r  Alexander  Strachan  still 
[n  the  chair  as  city  superintendent  at  Dead- 

••  od.  No  r  man  in  public  school  work 
in  th.  :ate  has  ever  approached  his  record 
for  c  ntinu  as  service. 

Fr  soi  Strach  .  ;  — -.-  — -s  three  fun- 
:al  requisites  :'or  a  successful  school 
mar.:  intelligent  modesty,  profound  sincer- 
ity, and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  his  pro- 
fessi  :>n.  These  things  have,  of  course,  helped 
to  keep  him  at  Deadwood  all  these  years. 
But  there  is  another  vital  element  that  has 
played  its  par: — his  board  has  at  all  times 
been  united.  Xo  political  or  religious  ques- 
tions have  ever  been  mentioned  by  them  at 
a  board  meeting.  Just  one  thing — one  only 
— has  ever  been  discussed — the  welfare  of 


ALEXANDER  STRACHAX  51 

the  Deadwood  schools.  Strachan  doesn't 
know  the  politics  of  a  single  member  of  his 
board,  and  it  is  perhaps  equally  certain  that 
not  a  single  member  of  them  knows  how  he 
votes.  The  thing  which  has  played  more 
havoc  with  the  public  schools  of  this  state 
than  all  other  forces  combined,  has  been  the 
injection  into  them  of  so  much  politics. 
True ;  conditions  are  rapidly  improving.  Let 
us  all  hope  for  better  days. 

Several  years  ago.  a  party  in  Deadwood 
who  was  in  a  position  to  know,  told  us  when 
Strachan  made  application  for  the  position 
at  Deadwood.  that  all  he  said  in  his  letter 
was  this : 

"I  hereby  make  application  for  the 
position  of  superintendent  of  your  city 
schools."  .  "Alexander  Strachan." 

Those  thirteen  (lucky)  words  did  the 
trick.  There  were  twenty  others.  Strachan's 
application  was  less  than  one-twentieth  as 
long  as  any  of  the  rest.  The  board  liked  his 
brevity — his  modesty,  if  you  please  ;  he  won ! 

HIS  CAREER 

We  shall  all  be  delighted  to  learn  where 
he  came  from.  (We  are  not  troubling  about 
where  he  will  go  to.  His  noble,  manly  life 
has  been  too  simple  and  pure  to  admit  of 
doubt).  Well,  his  birth  occurred  in  Aber- 
deenshire,  Scotland,  over  fifty  years  ago.  It 


52  WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

was  there  he  got  his  early  education.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  years,  he  was  so  far  ad- 
vanced that  he  was  made  a  pupil  teacher 
under  the  school  system  of  Scotland.  During 
this  work  he  prepared  himself  for  the  Uni- 
versity of  Aberdeen,  from  which  institution 
he  later  graduated. 

In  1873,  he  came  to  America  and  com- 
pleted his  college  education  at  the  University 
of  Rochester,  taking  his  Master  of  Arts  de- 
gres  in  1880.  Upon  his  graduation  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa. 

Professor  Strachan  came  west  the  year 
of  his  graduation  and  did  public  and  private 
school  work  near  Chicago  for  the  next  six 
years.  However,  in  1886,  he  again  moved 
westward,  settled  at  Scotland,  this  state,  and 
organized  Scotland  Academy,  holding  the  po- 
sition of  principal  for  two  years.  Then  he 
went  to  Mandan,  North  Dakota,  and  served 
for  two  years  as  city  superintendent  there. 

This  takes  him  up  to  the  year  1890, 
when  he  returned  to  Scotland,  S.  D.,  married 
Miss  Mary  T.  Torrey  of  that  place  and  then 
went  direct  to  Deadwood.  At  first  he  acted 
as  professor  of  mathematics,  at  Deadwood,  in 
addition  to  his  supervisory  duties.  Then  he 
dropped  this  line,  all  but  trigonometry,  and 
took  up  in  its  place  the  French  and  German. 
He  speaks  and  writes  both  of  these  foreign 


ALEXANDER  STRACHAN  53 

tongues  as  readily  as  English,  and  it  is  a  fair 
guess  that  he  is  the  only  man  in  the  state 
who  can. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Latin  and  Greek 
committee  of  the  North  Central  association 
of  colleges  and  secondary  schools.  Professor 
Strachan  was  also  honored  with  the  presi- 
dency of  the  State  Educational  association 
in  1903. 

Mrs.  Strachan  was  born  in  Maine ;  spent 
her  girlhood  in  Wisconsin  and  her  young 
womanhood  in  South  Dakota,  at  Scotland. 
She  and  the  professor  are  the  parents  of 
three  childern.  One  died  in  its  infancy;  one 
is  now  a  sophomore  in  the  University  of 
Chicago  and  the  other  is  attending  the  public 
schools  in  Deadwood. 

We  can  not,  with  justice  to  all  con- 
cerned, conclude  this  article,  without  stop- 
ping to  congratulate  the  board  of  education 
at  Deadwood  for  having  selected  a  man  of 
Strachan's  temperament  and  scholastic  prep- 
aration, and  then  for  having  the  good  judg- 
ment to  retain  him.  Deadwood  has,  in  this 
all-important  matter,  set  an  example  in 
school  work  worthy  of  emulation  by  the 
whole  state.  And  while  we  are  congratulat- 
ing Deadwood,  we  would  also  congratulate 
Professor  Strachan  for  having  cast  anchor 
in  a  town  and  county  where  the  people  are 


54  WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

so  much  of  one  mind ;  a  community  that  has, 
with  the  help  of  the  state,  kept  Eben  W. 
Martin  in  congress  for  eight  terms,  a  com- 
munity that  has  been  largely  responsible  for 
keeping  Fayette  L.  Cook  president  of  the 
Spearfish  normal  for  twenty-seven  years,  a 
county  that  has  four  times  made  Miss 
Florence  Glenn  county  superintendent  of 
schools  and  one  that  if  the  constitutional 
limitation  is  removed  will  delight  to  keep  her 
at  the  head  of  its  school  work  as  long^as  she 
may  care  to  serve;  yes,  a  community  that 
has  in  various  ways  set  many  things  to  mov- 
ing up  the  pathway  of  a  better  civilization. 
(Later.-  -This  article  was  first  published 
in  1913.  In  1915,  Prof.  Strachan  resigned 
his  position  at  Deadwood,  to  move  to  the 
coast.) 


E.  H.  WILLEY 
A    PROFESSIONAL   NEWSPAPER    MAN 

"Woodman,  spare  that  tree! 
Touch  not  a  single  bough! 
In  youth  it  sheltered  me, 
And  I'll  protect  it  now!" 

The  tree  we  have  in  mind  is  not  the  one 
that  Morris  referred  to  so  feelingly  in  his 
poetical  defiance  to  the  woodman,  but  a  large 


56          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

maple  standing  directly  south  of  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  old  court  yard  in  the  city 
of  Vermillion.  It  stands  in  the  center  of 
where  the  sidewalk  should  run,  and  it  has 
"sheltered"  so  many  youths  that  the  city  of 
Vermillion  permitted  the  owner  of  the  prop- 
perty  to  have  the  sidewalk  built  around  it. 
This  tree  is  one  of  the  ornaments  to  the 
splendid  premises  and  beautiful  home  of  E. 
H.  Willey,  former  editor  of  "The  Dakota  Re- 
publican," but  more  commonly  spoken  of  as 
"The  Vermillion  Republican."  Within  the 
circumference  of  its  "grateful  shade"  is  his 
elegant  modern  home  paid  for  out  of  a  prin- 
ter's profit.  In  addition  to  his  home,  editor 
Willey  also  built  and  paid  for  a  substantial 
business  .establishment  at  Vermillion  in 
which  to  house  his  plant. 

Mr.  Willey  succeeded  in  the  printer's 
profession  (he  objects  to  calling  it  a  trade, 
for  with  him  it  always  was  a  profession), 
because  he  loved  his  work.  This  world  is 
big  enough  and  there  are  enough  things  in 
it  to  do,  so  that  no  man  ought  to  work  at 
something  he  doesn't  like.  With  editor 
Willey,  his  work  was  always  a  "labor  of 
love."  He  reveled  in  it.  With  him  there  was 
no  higher  profession.  His  outranked  all 
others.  He  saw  the  opportunity  to  mould 
public  opinion  rather  than  merely  to  reflect 


E.  H.  WILLEY  57 

it.  His  pencil  was  made  of  caustic,  yet  he 
always  wrote  with  deliberation.  If  some 
fellow  got  "burnt,"  it  was  because  he  had 
meddled  a  little  too  much  somewhere.  Again, 
his  editorials  were  always  scholarly;  and  it 
is  due  him  to  say  that  "The  Dakota  Republi- 
can" has  been  quoted  as  much  if  not  more  by 
the  leading  dailies  of  the  state,  than  any 
other  weekly  in  South  Dakota. 

EDUCATED  OUTSIDE  OF  SCHOOL 

If  there  was  ever  a  man  lived  of  whom 
it  can  truthfully  be  said  that  he  was  educated 
in  the  universe  instead  of  a  university,  that 
man  is  E.  H.  Willey.  He  was  born  May  30, 
1846,  near  Waterville,  Vermont;  spent  his 
boyhood  on  the  farm ;  contracted  inflamma- 
tory rheumatism  at  the  age  of  nine,  which 
left  him  a  deformed  cripple  for  life;  never 
saw  inside  of  a  schoolroom,  and  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  printer  to 
learn  the  newspaper  trade.  (It  remained 
for  himself  to  make  it  a  profession.) 

His  parents  and  friends  looked  around 
for  some  suitable  job  for  him.  Some  of 
them  argued  that  in  his  crippled  condition 
it  would  be  best  to  apprentice  him,  as  was 
done  with  General  Conklin,  of  Clark,  to  a 
shoemaker,  and  make  a  cobbler  of  him.  E. 
H.  himself  was  afraid  this  might  be  done. 
Personally,  he  wanted  to  become  a  printer; 


58          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

so  he  watched  the  newspapers  for  two  years, 
looking  for  some  one  to  advertise  for  an  ap- 
prenticed "devil."  One  day  the  ad.  appeared, 
and  young  Willey  was  soon  on  his  way  to 
Hyde  Park,  Vermont,  where  he  was  ap- 
prenticed, February  9,  1863,  for  three  years 
on  the  "La  Moille  Newsdealer." 

One  shudders  when  he  learns  that  the 
boy's  salary  was  his  board  and  $2.50  a 
month  for  the  first  year,  with  an  increase  of 
$15  per  year  for  each  of  the  next  two  years. 
But  he  stuck  to  it  and  applied  himself  well. 
Before  the  end  of  his  apprenticeship,  he  was 
made  foreman  of  the  shop.  He  remained  in 
this  position,  all  told,  for  eight  years. 

Then  he  went  to  Randolph,  Vermont, 
and  during  1871-73,  he  published  at  that 
place  the  "Orange  County  Eagle."  But  the 
western  fever  got  hold  of  him,  so  he  went 
to  Burlington,  Kansas;  worked  for  one  year 
on  the  "Burlington  Patriot,"  and  then  went 
north  to  Iowa,  in  which  state  he  served  for 
seven  years  on  different  papers.  However, 
in  1881,  he  went  to  Maine  and  for  six  years 
he  was  employed  in  the  office  of  the  "Oxford 
Democrat"  at  Paris,  in  that  state. 

But  the  east  did  not  suit  him.  He 
longed  to  go  west  again.  So  in  1887  he  came 
to  South  Dakota,  settled  at  Vermillion  and 
went  to  work  on  the  "Dakota  Republican." 


E.  H.  WILLEY  59 

At  the  end  of  six  months  he  bought  the  plant 
and  became  editor  and  publisher  of  the  paper. 
During  1890-92,  he  had  the  Hon.  Carl 
Gunderson  for  a  partner.  When  Gunderson 
got  into  politics,  he  sold  his  interest  back 
to  Willey.  The  work  was  too  heavy  for  one 
man,  so  in  1895  Mr.  Willey  took  Mr.  Dan- 
forth  in  as  a  permanent  partner.  The 
splendid  work  of  these  two  partners  on  the 
Republican  for  the  next  fifteen  years  is  so 
well  known  throughout  the  realm  of  news- 
paperdom  that  it  needs  no  review  here.  The 
editorial  page  of  the  paper  fairly  glistened 
with  sparks  of  life  direct  from  the  anvil  of 
human  thought. 

RETIRES 

After  fifty  years  of  such  strenuous  life 
(and  newspaper  work  certainly  is  one  of  the 
most  strenuous  lives  on  earth)  it  is  but 
natural  that  at  the  age  of  sixty-four,  he 
should  wish  to  retire,  so  he  sold  his  interest 
in  the  plant,  on  October  1,  1910,  to  Mr.  Mark 
E.  Sloan. 

When  he  retired,  the  newspaper  frater- 
nity— the  pencil  pushers — of  the  state 
showered  upon  him  great  wreaths  of  editor- 
ial bouquets  that  would  almost  have 
smothered  the  average  individual.  His 
successors  collected  these  and  published  them 
in  a  twenty-four  page  souvenir  pamphlet, 


60          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

beautifully  illustrated  and  elegantly  bound. 
It  contains  editorial  utterances  from  fifty- 
two  papers.  They  are  all  so  brotherly,  so 
encouraging  and  so  charmingly  written  that 
we  regret  our  lack  of  space  to  reproduce 
them.  They  reflect  as  much  credit  upon  the 
editors  themselves  as  upon  Mr.  Willey. 

The  new  firm  left  his  old  type  case  at 
which  he  worked  for  twenty-five  years,  sit- 
ting near  the  window,  and  each  day  he  still 
goes  there  and  sets  a  few  sticks  of  type — just 
to  "keep  his  hand  in."  A  man's  heart  never 
gets  weaned  away  from  a  great  life  work. 
"A  printer  once,  a  printer  always."  Editor 
Willey  is  no  exception.  Occasionally  some 
keen-eyed  reader  still  thinks  he  can  detect 
on  the  editorial  page  of  the  Republican  a  few 
"sparks"  from  the  old  pen  that  illumined  it 
for  so  long.  The  new  management  is  keep- 
ing the  paper  up  to  its  former  high  standard, 
and  it  continues  to  be  a  power — not  only  lo- 
cally but  throughout  the  state. 

PERSONAL 

Mr.  Willey  was  united  in  marriage, 
May  29,  1887,  at  Meemee,  Wisconsin,  to  Miss 
Sue  L.  Danforth.  She  died  in  August,  1898. 
On  September  5,  1899,  he  married  Miss  Susie 
A.  Chaff ee,  of  Waterville,  Vermont.  As  was 
said  of  George  Washington :  "Providence 
rendered  him  childless." 


E.  H.  WILLEY  61 

Our  distinguished  friend  is  a  K.  P.,  and 
for  ten  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
local  Baptist  church  at  Vermillion.  Editor 
Willey  has  always  been  square  in  his  deal- 
ings; is  highly  respected  not  only  at  Ver- 
million, but  throughout  the  state ;  has  always 
boosted  for  his  home  city;  has  invariably 
refused  political  preferment  for  himself  but 
has  given  staunch  support  to  the  other  fel- 
low; and  as  he  approaches  the  sunset  of  life 
nothing  more  appropriate  could  be  said  of 
him  than  Longfellow's  tribute  to  "The  Vil- 
lage Smithy," 

"Something   attempted,   something   done; 
Has  earned  a  night's  repose." 


be 


THOMAS  STERLING 
A  CONTINUOUS  PERFORMANCE 
"Politics  in  this  country  has  gotten  to 
one     continuous      performance,"      said 


64          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

A.  F.  Allen,  managing  editor  of  the  Sioux 
City  Journal,  to  the  writer,  not  long  since. 
Yes,  the  ''performance"  is  continuous,  be- 
cause the  performers  are  so  numerous  and 
the  occasions  are  so  continuous. 

One  of  the  strong  men  of  the  state  who 
got  caught  in  the  whirlpool  of  politics  in  his 
younger  days,  and  kept  on  "playing  the 
game"  until  he  landed  in  the  United  States 
senate,  is  Dean  Thomas  Sterling  of  Redfield, 
now  of  Vermillion. 

THE  GAME  OF  LIFE 

Ohio,  in  addition  to  being  the  "mother 
of  presidents,"  is  also  the  mother  of  many 
other  prominent  men.  That  state  gave  birth 
to  Senator  Sterling,  February  21,  1851.  He 
was,  therefore,  a  lad  of  14  when  Lincoln's 
tragic  death  occurred.  His  father  was 
Scotch-Irish,  his  mother  German.  It  is  from 
this  mixture  of  bloods  that  many  of  our  best 
citizens  have  been  developed. 

When  "Tom"  was  four  years  of  age,  his 
parents  removed  with  him  to  McLean  county, 
Illinois,  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  LeRoy. 
Here  the  boy  grew  to  manhood,  doing  the 
heaviest  kind  of  labor.  His  parents  were 
poor  and  he  received  very  little  early  school- 
ing. Finally  his  latter  teens  were  upon  him. 
He  yearned  for  an  education.  An  old  friend 
of  the  family  told  us  recently  that  when  he 


THOMAS  STERLING  65 

started  off  to  school  at  Illinois  Wesleyan,  his 
father  took  him  to  town  on  a  load  of  brooms 
which  they  had  made  from  broom  corn  raised 
on  their  own  farm;  sold  it,  spent  the  money 
for  some  books  for  the  lad  and  gave  him  the 
balance  of  the  cash — a  little  over  a  dollar.  It 
was  therefore  up  to  him  to-  make  his  own 
way  through  school.  The  room  he  secured 
did  not  have  in  it  a  single  piece  of  furniture. 
It's  only  equipment  was  a  small  woodstove. 
He  did  his  own  cooking,  sat  on  a  box,  used 
a  box  for  a  table  and  the  floor  for  a  bed.  Out 
of  these  surroundings,  seasoned  with  a  stur- 
dy determination,  came  forth  the  man  who 
was  afterwards  to  be  a  United  States  sena- 
tor ;  and  up  from  the  same  conditions,  slight- 
ly improved,  rose  his  distinguished  brother, 
John  A.,  who  is  today  a  member  of  congress 
from  Illinois.  It  is  not  only  a  strange,  but 
a  commendable  incident,  that  two  brothers 
should  be  members  at  the  same  time  of  the 
two  branches  of  the  greatest  legislative  body 
on  earth. 

HIS  LEGAL  EXPERIENCES 

Senator  Sterling  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Springfield,  111.,  in  1878.  During  the 
years  of  1880-81,  he  served  as  city  attorney 
at  Springfield.  But  in  1882,  he  came  west 
and  settled  at  Northville,  Spink  county,  this 
state,  where  he  took  up  the  practice  of  his 


66          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

profession.  After  a  couple  of  years  he  moved 
to  Redfield.  He  served  as  state's  attorney 
for  Spink  county  in  1886-87 ;  was  a  member 
of  the  constitutional  conventions  of  1883  and 
1889,  and  was  the  first  state  senator  from 
Spink  county.  He  was  made  chairman  of 
the  judiciary  committee,  and  as  such  he 
rendered  invaluable  service  to  our  young 
state  which  had  just  been  admitted  to  the 
union. 

STERLING  IN  ACTION 

Senator  Sterling  was  recognized  as  one 
of  the  leading  members  of  the  bar  of  the 
State  long  before  he  went  to  Vermillion  to 
take  charge  of  the  law  department  there. 
Whenever  an  important  case  was  on  for  trial 
in  his  county  (Spink)  he  was  usually  found 
in  the  case  on  one  side  or  the  other. 

One  of  the  most  important  civil  cases 
ever  tried  in  Spink  county  was  the  case  of 
Bopp  vs.  C.  &  N.  W.  Ry.  Co.  In  this  case 
Agnes  Bopp  brought  suit  for  damages 
against  the  Railway  Company  for  the  death 
of  her  husband  in  an  accident  that  occurred 
in  a  wreck  between  Aberdeen  and  Redfield. 
The  deceased  was  a  young  man  of  rare  at- 
tainments and  drawing  a  good  salary  from 
the  Gary  Safe  Co.  At  that  time  the  amount 
of  recovery  for  death  by  wrongful  act  was 
not  limited  by  statute,  and  suit  was  brought 


THOMAS  STERLING  67 

for  $75,000  damages.  The  case  was  fiercely 
contested.  Senator  Sterling  conducted  the 
prosecution,  but  the  defendant  was  ably 
represented  by  Senator  Coe  I.  Crawford  and 
A.  W.  Burtt  of  Huron  with  local  attorneys 
at  Redfield.  The  case  occupied  eight  days 
in  trial.  In  closing  the  case  Senator  Sterling 
made  one  of  the  most  effective  pleas  ever 
heard  in  the  Court  room.  The  room  was 
packed,  and  as  Senator  Sterling  proceeded  in 
his  masterly  argument  the  silence  of  the 
audience  was  impressive.  At  the  conclusion 
of  his  argument  an  attorney  from  Wisconsin 
who  was  present  in  the  Court  room  came 
forward  and  said  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  "Mr. 
Sterling,  I  have  heard  Spooner  and  I  have 
heard  Vilas,  and  I  have  heard  some  of  the 
best  arguments  ever  heard  in  the  Courts  of 
my  State,  but  I  have  never  heard  a  more 
effective  plea  than  the  one  you  have  just  de- 
livered." The  jury  was  out  but  a  short  time 
and  returned  a  verdict  of  $30,000  in  favor 
of  the  plaintiff.  This  was  probably  the 
largest  verdict  that  was  ever  returned  as 
damages  for  death  by  wrongful  act  in  the 
State  up  to  that  time. 

When  Senator  Sterling  went  to  Vermil- 
lion  his  ability  as  a  trial  lawyer  had  pre- 
ceded him  and  his  assistance  was  eagerly 
sought  in  the  more  important  cases  that  were 


68          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

tried  in  Clay  county.  He  assisted  in  the 
Clark  murder  case,  and  the  Edmunds  murder 
case  and  in  other  important  litigation. 

HIS  CHARACTER 

During  those  early  days  in  Spink 
county,  Mr.  Sterling  practiced  law,  handled 
real  estate  and  loaned  money  for  eastern 
parties.  The  hard  times  came  on.  Many  of 
the  loans  made  by  him  became  valueless. 
Rather  than  see  any  of  his  clients  suffer, 
Tom  Sterling  assumed  responsibility  for 
every  poor  loan  and  paid  off  every  dollar  of 
these  obligations.  It  was  the  response  of 
conscience  and  "sterling"  manhood  to  a 
moral  obligation — he  was  not  obligated  in 
the  least  under  the  law.  These  old  loans  kept 
his  "nose  on  the  grindstone"  for  years;  but 
he  paid  them  off  and  preserved  his  manhood. 
Nothing  more  concerning  the  character  of 
Tom  Sterling  need  be  written. 

SPINK  COUNTY'S  TOM  TOM'S 
In  those  eventful  pioneer  days  in  Spink 
county,  there  were  two  young  lawyers,  each 
named  Tom,  who  were  the  direct  anthitheses 
of  each  other — Tom  Walsh  and  Tom  Ster- 
ling. Walsh  was  a  democrat;  Sterling  a 
republican.  Each  was  a  good  lawyer,  a  good 
speaker  and  a  good  fellow.  They  had  the 
opposing  sides  on  practically  every  big  law 
suit  in  Spink  county.  Despite  their  political 


THOMAS  STERLING  69 

and  professional  rivalry,  they  always  re- 
mained firm  friends.  Long  years  ago,  Tom 
Walsh  went  to  Montana.  On  March  4,  1913, 
they  met  each  other  at  Washington,  D.  C. — 
Walsh  as  junior  United  States  senator 
from  the  great  state  of  Montana,  and 
Sterling  as  junior  senator  from  our  own 
progressive  young  commonwealth.  Again, 
after  many  years  of  separation,  they 
meet  on  common  ground,,  and  vie  with  each 
other  for  supremacy. 

BECOMES  A  TEACHER 

A  college  of  law  was  established  at  our 
state  university  in  Vermillion  in  1901.  The 
regents  of  education  looked  around  faith- 
fully for  a  man  of  ripe  scholarship,  broad 
experience  and  exemplary  manhood,  to  as- 
sume the  deanship  of  this  new  law  school. 
One  man  in  the  state  seemed  pre-eminently 
fitted  for  the  task.  That  man  was  the  sage 
of  Redfield,  Hon.  Thomas  Sterling.  The  po- 
sition was  tendered  to  him;  he  accepted  it, 
and  it  is  needless  to  say  that  he  made  good 
and  surpassed  the  expectations  of  his  most 
admiring  friends.  Sterling  is  one  of  those 
few  lawyers  in  the  state  who  take  time  to 
read  the  Bible  and  to  keep  up  on  the  classics. 
He  can  quote  more  Shakespeare,  offhand, 
than  any  other  lawyer  or  politician  in  the 
state.  His  Sunday  addresses  to  young  men 


70  WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

reveal  his  own  unimpeachable  character,  and 
they  show  the  scope  of  his  study  and  the 
trend  of  his  intellect. 

He  remained  at  the  head  of  the  law 
school  from  October,  1901,  till  June,  1911, 
when  he  resigned  to  "play  the  game,"  on  a 
large  scale.  During  his  deanship,  a  large 
number  of  capable  and  brainy  young  fellows 
had  graduated  under  his  instruction.  Many 
of  these  are  now  practicing  law  throughout 
the  state;  some  are  state's  attorneys,  and 
a  few  are  county  judges.  One  of  them,  Royal 
C.  Johnson,  is  at  present  attorney  general 
of  our  state.  (He  has  since  been  elected  to 
congress).  When  their  old  professor  plunged 
into  politics  for  the  United  States  senator- 
ship,  he  had  this  array  of  alumni  from  his 
law  school,  as  a  natural  organization 
throughout  the  state,  on  whom  he  could  rely. 
They  "put  him  over." 

This  was  not  the  first  time  that  he  was 
a  candidate  for  the  United  States  senate.  In 
1901,  when  Kyle  was  elected,  Sterling  was 
also  a  candidate,  and  on  one  ballot,  he  lacked 
but  five  votes  of  winning.  After  his  defeat, 
one  of  his  friends  who  was  a  member  of  the 
"Kyle"  legislature,  stepped  up  to  him  and 
said,  "Tom,  I  hope  to  have  the  privilege  of 
voting  for  you  for  United  States  senator 
again  some  day  when  my  vote  will  count." 


THOMAS  STERLING  71 

Thut  friend  is  a  member  today  of  our  pres- 
ent legislature,  from  another  county,  and 
ho  voted  for  Tom  Sterling  for  United  States 
senator  and  his  vote  did  count !  This  article 
will  scarcely  issue  from  press  until  he  will 
have  been  sworn  in  as  United  States  senator, 
and  the  ambition  of  a  life  time  will  have 
been  realized.  It  pays  to  "play  the  game" 
good  and  hard,  even  if  it  does  require  a  "con- 
tinuous performance." 

LATER — STERLING  IN  THE   SENATE 

At  Fairbanks,  Alaska,  on  July  4,  1915, 
in  an  address  delivered  by  the  Hon.  James 
Wickersham,  delegate  to  congress  from 
Alaska,  at  the  laying  of  the  cornerstone  of 
the  Alaska  Agricultural  College  and  School 
of  Mines,  the  speaker,  in  relating  the  serious 
and  devious  ways  that  a  bill  establishing  this 
school  had  in  its  course  through  congress 
to  a  final  and  successful  end,  paid  the  follow- 
ing compliment  to  United  States  Senator 
Thomas  Sterling,  of  our  own  state : 

"As  a  boy  in  1877  I  entered  an  office  in 
Springfield,  Illinois,  and  took  up  the  study  of 
law.  In  an  office  nearby  another  young  fel- 
low, named  Tom  Sterling,  was  similarly  en- 
gaged. We  studied  together  and  passed 
through  the  same  general  course  which  led 
to  admission  to  the  bar  upon  a  successful  ex- 
amination before  the  supreme  court  of  the 


72  WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

state.  After  admission  we  went  west  to 
grow  up  with  the  country,  and  it  thus  hap- 
pened that  when  the  opposition  to  my  school 

bill  seemed  to  doom  it  to  defeat  I  turned  to 
Hon.  Thomas  Sterling,  U.  S.  Senator  from 
South  Dakota,  for  help.  He  was  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  senate  committee  on  pub- 
lic lands,  and  at  my  request  he  introduced 
the  bill  in  the  senate  in  the  same  form  that 
it  was  recommended  for  passage  in  the 
house.  When  the  senate  committee  met  to 
consider  the  bill  I  was  present  to  explain  its 
provisions  and  to  urge  its  favorable  report. 
Senator  Smoot  of  Utah,  a  member  of  the 
committee,  criticized  me  for  taking  up  the 
time  of  the  committee,  when,  as  he  declared, 
every  one  knew  there  was  no  possible  chance 
to  get  the  bill  passed  by  the  senate,  even  if  it 
were  favorably  reported,  before  the  63rd 
congress  must  adjourn  on  the  4th  day  of 
March.  I  pleaded  with  him  and  the  members 
of  the  committee  to  report  it  favorably  any- 
way, since  a  favorable  report  would  be  of 
great  assistance  before  the  next  session, 
even  if  we  failed  to  pass  it  in  this.  Senator 
Smoot  finally  withdrew  his  objection  and  at 
12  o'clock,  noon,  just  as  the  senate  was  con- 
vening in  regular  session  the  committee 
voted  to  report  it  favorably  and  instructed 
Senator  Sterling  to  make  the  report  and  take 


THOMAS  STERLING  73 

charge  of  the  bill.  Five  minutes  later  Sen- 
ator Sterling  stood  on  the  floor  of  the  senate 
with  the  very  short  but  favorable  report  in 
his  hand.  It  often  happens  that  the  machin- 
ery of  legislation  does  not  move  promptly  on 
the  opening  of  the  morning  hour,  and  it  so 
happened  now.  Instantly  Senator  Sterling 
asked  leave  to  report  the  bill  and  thereupon 
moved  that  the  rules  be  suspended  and  the 
bill  passed,  and  when  Senator  Smoot  came 
in  a  moment  later  he  was  surprised  to  find 
what  he  had  declared  to  be  impossible  in 
that  congress,  was  done — our  bill  had  passed 
the  senate  and  was  on  its  way  to  the  house 
for  passage.  But  for  the  happy  accident, 
and  Senator  Sterling's  square  chin,  the  bill 
might  not  have  passed  before  another  con- 
gress." 


A.  E.  HITCHCOCK 

A  DEMOCRAT  IN  ACTION 

The  human  intellect  turns  instinctively 
toward  things  in  action.  Age  does  not  alter 
the  principle.  A  child  will  throw  aside  a 
valuable  plaything  that  is  motionless  and 
cling  intuitively  to  a  cheap  toy  that  is  filled 
with  action,  while  an  old  man  will  enthuse 


76          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

far  more  over  a  horse  race  than  he  will  over 
a  fine  painting  of  a  horse,  done  by  a  high 
grade  artist. 

The  same  principle  governs  literature. 
The  writers  that  are  read  most  nowadays 
are  those,  who,  at  the  very  outset,  plunge 
their  leading  characters  into  rapid,  vital,  ir- 
resistable  action.  The  earliest  writer  of  any 
note  in  history- -Moses — did  the  same  thing; 
for,  in  the  Pentateuch,  he  plunged  his  divine 
character,  God,  into  immediate,  vital  action. 
His  opening  sentence  reads,  "In  the  begin- 
ning God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth." 

The  early  writers  of  the  nineteenth 
century  forsook  this  principle,  and  today 
they  are  little  read.  Scott,  in  "Ivanhoe," 
starts  out  with  an  elaborate  introduction  as 
to  time  and  place.  Cooper,  in  all  five  of  his 
"Leather  Stocking  Tales,"  does  likewise.  So 
also  with  Hawthorne.  In  his  "House  of 
Seven  Gables,"  as  well  as  in  all  of  his  other 
standard  novels,  he  indulges  himself  in  long, 
verbose,  labored  introductions.  One  soon 
tires  of  them. 

Note  the  change  during  the  past  ten  or 
twenty  years;  novels  are  no  longer  written 
to  stimulate  human  curiosity  but  to  gratify 
it.  Modern  writers,  like  good  old  Moses, 
place  their  leading  characters  on  the  lit- 
erary stage  at  the  very  outset  and  cause  them 


A.  E.  HITCHCOCK  77 

to  start  some  tragic  action.  Churchill,  in 
"The  Crisis,"  puts  Eliphalet  Hooper  on  the 
stage  of  action  in  the  opening  sentence. 
Partridge  in  "Passers  By"'  brings  forward 
the  acting  parties  (Christine  and  Ambrose- 
although  not  by  name)  in  the  second  sen- 
tence. While  Jacques  Futrelle,  the  eminent 
young  French  novelist  who  met  tragic  death 
on  the  ill-fated  Titanic,  in  his  last  novel,  en- 
titled "My  Lady's  Garter,"  published  since 
his  death  at  the  instigation  of  his  mournful 
wife,  starts  the  dance,  permits  the  Countess 
of  Salisbury's  garter  to  come  loose  and  fall 
to  the  floor,  causes  her  partner,  King  Ed- 
ward III,  to  pick  it  up,  and  thus  starts  off  in 
dead  earnest  his  great  social  drama — all  in 
the  first  paragraph. 

In  our  long  series  of  "Who's  Who"  ar- 
ticles, we  have  purposely  indulged  ourselves 
in  both  forms  of  introduction,  so  as  to  avoid 
monotony. 

CREPT   THROUGH   A   SEWER   MAIN 

Now,  here  we  have  a  democrat  to  get 
into  action.  (A  very  easy  thing  to  do  since 
March  4,  1913.)  Not  an  imaginary  demo- 
crat that  is  presumed  to  have  lived  before 
the  days  of  the  mighty  Grover,  but  a  real  live 
one — in  fact  the  only  democratic  office 
holder,  until  a  few  days  since,  for  many  years 
in  South  Dakota — not  fiction,  but  fact.  And 


78          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

the  action?  Why!  it  was  premediated, 
painstaking  and  vital,  with  an  end  in  view. 
So  here  he  goes !  Crawling  on  his  hands  and 
knees  through  a  storm  sewer,  from  one  catch 
basin  to  another — a  distance  of  375  feet. 

"A  fugitive  from  justice!"  you  exclaim, 
with  gasping  breath,  without  waiting  for 
the  particulars,  "or  else  an  escaping  convict" 
(and  a  democrat  at  that). 

Never  mind;  he's  neither  one.  It  was 
merely  the  Honorable  Abner  E.  Hitchcock, 
mayor  of  the  city  of  Mitchell,  making  as  the 
soldier  would  say,  "a  tour  of  inspection." 

"This  is  getting  him  into  suspicious 
action,  and  mighty  suddenly  at  that!"  sug- 
gests the  literary  critic.  That's  right  in  a 
measure,  for  Mayor  Hitchcock  is  decidedly  a 
man  of  action — one  that  does  things  while 
other  people  sleep.  Here  is  the  explanation : 
The  city  of  Mitchell  had  voted  $50,000  in 
bonds  for  the  construction  of  a  storm  sewer. 
Hitchcock  was  mayor.  It  was  his  business  to 
see  to  it  that  the  city  did  not  get  the  worst 
of  the  deal.  The  sewer  was  finished  and  the 
contractors  awaited  its  acceptance  by  the  city 
authorities.  Mayor  Hitchcock,  therefore, 
entered  a  catch  basin  at  a  street  corner,  crept 
through  the  sewer  main  to  the  next  catch 
basin,  a  block  away,  came  up — with  a  stiff 
neck  and  aching  shoulders  that  laid  him  up 


A.  E.  HITCHCOCK  79 

for  a  few  days ;  but  he  had  discovered  a  flaw 
in  the  sewer — one  that  had  it  not  been  fixed 
before  the  sewer  was  used  would  have  caused 
much  annoyance  and  the  possible  taking  up 
of  the  entire  mains  in  that  block.  It  was 
immediately  remedied  by  the  contractor  who 
was  entirely  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  the  de- 
fect existed,  and  the  city  promptly  accepted 
the  job. 

We  have  mentioned  this  incident  for  but 
one  single  purpose — to  show  the  painstaking 
character  of  Abner  E.  Hitchcock,  the  thor- 
oughness of  the  man  and  the  careful  manner 
in  which  he  discharges  his  public  duty,  re- 
gardless of  the  consequences  to  himself. 

Almost  his  first  act  as  mayor  of  Mitch- 
ell, after  he  was  elected  in  1908  was  to  list 
ire  and  publish  in  the  "Mitchell  Daily  Re- 
publican," for  the  benefit  and  information  of 
the  people  of  the  city,  an  itemized  list  of  all 
the  city's  resources,  including  cash  on  hand, 
waterworks,  buildings,  lots,  parks,  etc.,  and 
a  corresponding  list  of  the  city's  liabilities, 
including  open  debts,  outstanding  warrants, 
unmatured  bonds,  etc.  It  was  an  eye-opener 
to  the  citizens,  as  well  as  to  the  mayor,  and 
it  showed  all  concerned  just  where  they  were 
at. 

He  was  elected  mayor  of  Mitchell  by  the 
largest  majority  of  any  man  who  has  ever 


80  WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

held  the  office.  In  1910  he  was  re-elected 
without  opposition;  and  in  1912,  he  refused 
to  become  a  candidate  to  succeed  himself. 
But  the  good  people  of  Mitchell  absolutely 
refused  to  accept  his  declination.  They 
nominated  him  by  petition  against  his  own 
will  and  unanimously  re-elected  him  again 
for  two  years  longer.  He  was  re-elected 
again  in  1914.  The  public  likes  a  fellow  who 
will  not  neglect  their  interests  when  he  has 
been  entrusted  with  power — one  who  will  get 
down  onto  a  level  with  them,  and  who  will, 
if  necessary,  go  underground  (into  a  sewer) 
to  see  that  they  get  a  square  deal. 

UP'S  AND  DOWN'S  OF  LIFE 

Mayor  Hitchcock  was  born  at  North 
Bergen,  Geneseo  county,  New  York,  October 
29,  1853.  He  is  therefore,  as  the  broguish 
easterner  would  say,  a  "New  Yowkah"  by 
birth  and  a  South  Dakotan  through  migra- 
tion. 

He  remained  on  the  farm  with  his 
parents  and  attended  rural  school  during  the 
winter  months  until  he  was  ten  years  of  age. 
However,  about  the  time  that  Abe  Lincoln 
issued  the  Emancipation  Proclamation,  Mr. 
Hitchcock's  parents  moved  west  and  settled 
at  Maquoketa,  in  Jackson  county,  Iowa. 
Here  he  had  for  boyhood  playmates  such 
lads  as  Congressman  Eben  W.  Martin  of  our 


A.  E.  HITCHCOCK  81 

own  state  and  Professor  H.  E.  French  of 
Elk  Point. 

After  five  years  at  Maquoketa,  the 
family,  in  1868,  moved  to  Jones  county, 
Iowa,  and  settled  at  Anamosa,  a  picturesque 
little  city  snuggled  silently  away  between 
the  rugged  hills  that  skirt  the  Wapsifinigan 
river  valley.  Here  the  boy  attended  public 
school,  and  for  three  years  conducted  a  bake- 
shop.  He  had  learned  the  bakery  business 
\vhile  at  Maquoketa. 

At  nineteen  years  of  age  he  began 
teaching.  His  first  school  was  in  a  rural  dis- 
trict two  miles  out  of  Anamosa.  He  walked 
to  and  from  school  and  worked  in  a  bakery 
at  night.  Out  of  this  combined  toil  he 
managed  to  save  $90  during  the  year. 

It  was  now  1873 ;  he  was  twenty  years 
of  age.  After  buying  himself  a  new  suit  and 
some  minor  necessities,  he  had  $55  left. 
With  this  he  struck  out  for  the  Iowa  State 
Agricultural  college  at  Ames,  to  secure  a  col- 
lege education.  He  worked  his  way  through 
by  teaching  and  by  doing  manual  labor,  and 
he  graduated  with  honor  as  an  A.  B.  with 
the  class  of  1876.  During  the  years  of  1877- 
1879,  he  was  principal  of  graded  schools  in 
an  Iowa  village,  and  he  instructed  in  teach- 
ers' institutes  during  the  summer  months. 
In  the  summer  of  1879,  Mr.  Hitchcock  and 


82  WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

another  professional  teacher  were  opposing 
applicants  for  superintendent  of  the  Mason 
City  schools — the  best  school  position  in 
northern  Iowa.  For  two  months  the  board 
of  education  met  repeatedly  and  balloted  for 
a  superintendent.  Each  time  the  vote  stood 
a  tie.  However,  one  member  of  the  board 
was  a  relative  of  Mr.  Hitchcock's  opponent. 
This  member  finally,  through  some  secret 
maneuvering,  got  one  of  Hitchcock's  sup- 
porters to  change  his  vote. 

Hitchcock  lost;  but  it  was  the  making 
of  him.  From  early  boyhood  he  had  enter- 
tained ambitions  to  become  a  lawyer.  Had 
he  gained  the  superintendency  at  Mason 
City,  and  have  realized  his  immediate  earn- 
ing power  in  school  work,  he  would,  in  ill 
probability,  have  gotten  side-tracked  from 
his  original  intention  and  have  followed  an 
educational  career.  So,  after  his  defeat,  he 
promptly  enrolled  in  the  law  department  of 
the  state  university  at  Iowa  City  and  took 
his  law  course.  At  that  time  it  consisted  of 
but  one  year  above  the  regular  college  course. 
He  graduated  the  next  summer  (1880),  tak- 
ing his  LL.  B.  degree. 

Immediately  after  the  completion  of  his 
law  course,  he  started  west  to  look  for  a  lo- 
cation in  which  to  practice  law.  His  first 
stop  was  at  Sioux  City.  From  there  he  came 


A.  E.  HITCHCOCK  83 

on  to  Mitchell,  South  Dakota,  arriving  on 
September  29,  1880.  This  latter  field  seemed 
ripe  with  opportunities,  so  he  settled  at 
Mitchell,  stuck  out  his  shingle,  entered  upon 
a  new  profession,  succeeded  in  his  under- 
takings; and  today  he  is  well-to-do  and  has 
developed  into  one  of  the  ablest  constitution- 
al lawyers  in  the  state.  He  has  a  high 
grade  of  cases;  and  since  statehood  the 
supreme  court  records  show  that  he  has  had 
his  share  of  cases  every  term,  before  that 
honorable  body. 

MARRIAGE 

After  practicing  law  for  two  years  at 
Mitchell,  he  had  prospered  so  well  that  he 
slipped  back  down  to  Iowa  and  was  married 
on  June  20,  1882,  to  an  Iowa  schoolma-am. 
Mrs.  Hitchcock  is  a  talented,  refined,  digni- 
fied lady.  She  enters  freely  into  the  literary 
culture  of  her  home  city,  and  she  adds  digni- 
ty and  power  to  several  of  Mitchell's  wo- 
men's clubs.  During  their  long  years  of 
happy  wedded  life,  only  one  tiny  babe  has 
come  over  their  threshold,  and  it  crept  out 
again  as  silently  as  it  had  entered,  leaving 
naught  but  vacant  halls,  saddened  hearts  and 
sacred  memories. 

Only  a   baby's   grave, 

Sodded  and  bowered  and  cold. 

Yet  down  in  its  depths — its  silent  depths, 

Lies   a  treasure  in   its   mould. 


84          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

IN  POLITICS 

"Some  men  are  born  (leaders),  some 
achieve  (leadership),  others  have  (leader- 
ship) thrust  upon  them."  Mayor  Hitchcock 
represents  all  three  classes.  In  1890  he  was 
elected  state's  attorney  for  Davison  county. 
He  only  served  one  term.  The  reason  for  it 
was  he  made  it  so  hot  as  a  public  prosecutor 
for  the  early-day  saloon-keepers  of  Mitchell 
who  were  openly,  wilfully  and  constantly 
violating  the  law,  that  they  simply  went 
after  him  hard  at  the  end  of  his  first  term, 
and  as  is  expressed  in  modern  political  slang, 
"Got  his  goat."  He  was  also  city  attorney 
for  Mitchell,  1886-1892. 

In  national  politics,  Mr.  Hitchcock  was 
a  staunch  republican  until  1896.  During  the 
free-silver  campaign  of  that  year  he  went 
over  voluntarily  to  the  democrats,  and  he 
has  ever  since  remained  a  consistent  and 
leading  member  of  that  organization.  In 
fact,  until  the  Honorable  James  Coffey  was 
appointed  internal  revenue  collector  for  the 
two  Dakotas,  a  few  days  since,  to  succeed 
the  Honorable  Willis  C.  Cook  (republican), 
Mr.  Hitchcock  was  the  only  democratic  office 
holder  in  South  Dakota;  and  he  would  not 
have  had  an  office  if  it  had  not  been  for  two 
things:  first  the  state  law  specifically  pro- 
vides that  the  governor,  in  selecting  the  five 


A.  E.  HITCHCOCK  85 

regents  of  education  must  appoint  one  from 
the  minority  party;  second,  Mitchell  acci- 
dentally developed  two  republican  candidates 
in  1909  for  an  appointment  at  the  hands  of 
the  Vessey  administration,  to  a  position  on 
the  board  of  regents.  Governor  Vessey 
solved  the  problem  by  rejecting  both  appli- 
cants and  giving  his  minority  party  appoint- 
ment to  Mr.  Hitchcock  of  the  same  city.  This 
gave  him  an  office  by  appointment;  other- 
wise, there  would  not  have  been  a  single 
state  position  in  South  Dakota  held  by  a 
democrat.  And  Governor  Vessey  selected 
wisely,  too.  If  he  had  raked  the  state  with  a 
fine-toothed  comb  he  could  not  have  found  a 
better  man  for  the  position.  From  1891  to 
1893,  Mr.  Hitchcock  had  served -as  a  trustee 
of  Brookings  college,  under  the  old  system 
when  each  school  had  its  own  separate 
board,  and  he  thoroughly  understood  the 
needs  of  our  state  schools.  Also  from  1905 
to  1909  he  was  a  trustee  of  Dakota  Wesleyan 
university.  After  becoming  a  regent  of 
education  he  resigned  this  latter  position. 
In  addition  he  was  a  member  of  the  Mitchell 
board  of  education,  1894-96. 

In  1900  Mr.  Hitchcock  was  the  nominee 
of  his  party  for  attorney  general  of  the 
state,  but  during  the  general  republican  vic- 
tory of  that  year  he  lost.  Again  in  1912, 


86          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

he  was  urgently  requested  by  the  leading 
members  of  his  party  to  become  a  candidate 
for  governor,  for  United  States  senator  and 
for  the  supreme  court.  He  declined  all  three. 

OTHER  RELATIONSHIPS 

Mayor  Hitchcock  is  a  thirty-third  degree 
Mason.  In  his  younger  days  he  was  very 
active  in  Masonic  circles,  having  held  the 
principal  offices  in  the  Master  Mason's  lodge, 
the  Commandery  and  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the 
state.  His  church  affiliation  is  with  the 
Congregationalists. 

Since  1896,  the  tenor  of  his  whole  career 
has  been  based  upon  the  principle  of  duty 
to  perform  some  valuable  service  to  the 
community  in  which  he  has  lived,  so  that 
when  he  departs  therefrom  his  surviving  ac- 
quaintances might  be  made  at  least  a  trifle 
better  because  of  his  life  of  service. 

Mayor  Hitchcock  is  a  man  of  fixed  con- 
science and  deep  convictions — one  who  has 
controlled  his  circumstances  instead  of  yield- 
ing to  them.  He  never  liked  criminal  law 
practice;  consequently  he  shunned  it  and 
confined  himself  to  civil  cases.  He  is  straight- 
forward in  his  dealings,  and  although  he 
sometimes  firmly  opposes  the  undertakings 
of  other  men,  yet  none  who  know  him  ever 
doubt  the  sincerity  of  his  purpose. 


J.  W.  HESTON 

A  PRACTICAL  EDUCATOR 

In  1897  the  State  Educational  associa- 
tion was  held  at  Redfield.  The  committee 
on  program  had  arranged  for  a  sort  of  edu- 
cational debate,  without  having  notified  the 
debaters.  This  oversight  was  accidental,  but 
it  developed  an  embarrassing  situation. 

Dr.  John  W.  Heston,  at  that  time  presi- 


88          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

dent  of  our  state  college  at  Brookings,  had 
come  to  the  state  the  year  previous.  He  was 
given  a  place  on  the  program  at  Redfield  and 
assigned  this  subject,  "The  Bread  and  Butter 
Theory  of  Education."  Pitted  against  him — 
unknowingly  to  both  parties — was  the 
lamented  Dean  C.  M.  Young,  of  our  state 
university  at  Vermillion.  Young  was  given 
this  subject,  "The  Psychology  of  Education." 

.Here  were  two  mental  giants  in  the 
educational  thought  of  the  state,  matched 
against  each  other  on  two  sides  of  the  same 
subject,  to  appear  on  the  same  platform  on 
the  same  evening.  Each  one  had  prepared 
his  address  without  any  knowledge  of  the 
situation  under  which  it  was  to  be  delivered. 

Young  had  the  theoretical  or  scholastic 
side  of  the  argument — one  that  called  upon 
him  to  analyze  the  human  mind,  show  its 
processes  in  the  development  of  thought,  the 
part  education  plays  in  that  development  and 
the  necessity  for  such  an  education.  Heston 
had  the  "dinner  pail"  or  popular  side  of  it — 
the  development  of  the  hand  as  well  as  the 
head  through  vocational  training. 

Dean  Young  opened  the  discussion.  He 
delivered  one  of  his  characteristic  scholarly 
addresses.  It  was  superbly  grand;  but  he 
was  at  a  disadvantage,  because  he  had  the 
unpopular  side  of  the  question.  Dr.  Heston 


J.  W.  HESTON  89 

followed.  He  sounded  the  keynote  to  the 
new  order  of  things  in  the  educational  world 
— industrial  training,  scientific  agriculture, 
etc.  Of  course  he  had  a  big  advantage  be- 
cause he  had  the  popular  side  of  the  dis- 
cussion. 

Upon  opening  his  address,  Dr.  Heston 
called  the  attention  of  the  audience  to  the 
fact  that  he  knew  nothing  about  the  prepara- 
tion of  Dean  Young's  speech,  but  it  would 
become  evident  to  all  that  the  two  addresses 
were  vitally  opposed  to  each  other.  It  was  a 
situation  similar  to  the  one  developed  at 
Mitchell  last  fall,  when  Regent  Hitchcock 
and  Dr.  G.  W.  Nash  inadvertently  followed 
each  other  on  the  program  of  the  association, 
in  set  speeches,  each  taking  diametrically  op- 
posed views  of  the  proposition  to  consolidate 
our  state  schools,  thus  forcing  Dr.  Nash  to 
announce  at  the  outset,  when  he  arose  to 
succeed  Regent  Hitchcock  on  the  floor,  it 
would  soon  become  evident  to  the  audience 
that  he  and  Mr.  Hitchcock  had  not  compared 
notes,  and  the  evidence  was  soon  forthcom- 
ing. 

However,  Dr.  Heston's  speech  at  Red- 
field  became  the  subject  of  much  discussion 
throughout  the  state.  He  made  a  bitter  at- 
tack on  the  whole  educational  system  of  the 
state,  showing  that  the  whole  scheme  was 


90  WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

to  head  students  toward  some  university, 
and  he  argued  for  the  very  change  that  has 
since  come  about — the  preparation  of  the 
high  school  boy  for  life  instead  of  for 
college. 

HIS  TRAINING 

Heston's  training  had  of  course  been 
along  the  line  of  his  argument.  He  was  born 
at  Belief onte,  Pa.,  in  1854;  was  educated  in 
the  normal  schools  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in 
1879  was  graduated  from  the  Pennsyvlania 
state  college,  taking  his  A.  B.  degree.  Two 
years  later,  his  alma  mater  granted  to  him 
his  Master's  degree. 

Then  he  began  to  teach  in  this  same  in- 
stitution, and  stayed  by  his  job  for  twelve 
consecutive  years.  This  is  out  of  the  ordi- 
nary. Usually  a  man  has  to  seek  employ- 
ment elsewhere.  Last  year  Dr.  Kerfoot  of 
Mitchell,  was  called  to  the  presidency  of 
Hamline,  his  alma  mater  at  St.  Paul. 
President  Woodrow  Wilson  was  called  to  the 
presidency  of  Princeton  university,  the  same 
school  that  graduated  him,  and  after  many 
years  of  continuous  and  successful  service, 
stepped  into  the  governor's  chair  of  his  home 
state,  and  then  was  called  to  the  presidency 
of  the  nation.  But  these  recognitions  by 
colleges  of  their  own  students  are  not  numer- 
ous; in  fact,  they  are  rare  exceptions.  Cor- 


J.  W.  HESTON  91 

relatively,  we  might  state  that  Dr.  Heston 
has  been  repeatedly  urged  to  give  up  educa- 
tional work  in  this  state  and  to  enter  the 
political  arena. 

The  western  fever  finally  got  hold  of 
him,  and  he  moved  to  Seattle,  Wash.,  and 
engaged  in  public  school  work  at  that  place 
for  over  three  years.  You  can't  keep  a  good 
man  down.  Heston  was  aggressive  and  pro- 
gressive. He  soon  found  recognition  in  the 
educational  councils  of  his  new  state,  with 
the  result  that  he  was  called  to  the  presi- 
dency of  the  Washington  state  agricultural 
college. 

Two  years  at  the  head  of  this  school 
brought  him  up  to  1893.  He  was  now  40 
years  of  age.  Ambition  overwhelmed  him. 
He  wanted  to  get  rich.  Other  professions 
seemed  to  offer  great  financial  inducements. 
He  had  previously  been  admitted  to  the 
Pennsylvania  bar.  So  in  1894  he  withdrew 
from  school  work  to  take  up  the  practice  of 
law.  He  failed.  God  intended  every  man  to 
do  a  certain  thing  in  life.  It  is  only  in  the 
discharge  of  that  specific  duty  that  one  can 
properly  succeed.  Professor  Hobson  was 
first  a  plumber,  then  a  soldier  and  then  a 
musician.  He  finally  found  his  field,  put  into 
use  the  talents  God  had  given  him,  and  won ! 


92          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

Just  so  with  Heston ;  he  was  not  intended  for 
a  lawyer,  and  as  he  himself  once  said,  "I 
nearly  starved  to  death  at  it." 

CALLED  TO  DAKOTA 

A  new  educational  opening  thrust  it- 
self in  his  pathway.  There  was  a  genuine 
row  on  at  our  state  college  at  Brookings. 
Heston  was  called  to  the  presidency.  He  is 
a  good  "mixer"  and  in  six  months  he  had 
acquired  a  state-wide  acquaintance  with  the 
result  that  the  attendance  at  Brookings  shot 
skyward. 

Several  years  passed  by.  Finally,  when 
a  few  of  the  old  members  of  Heston's  faculty 
revived  the  old  political  agitation,  he  de- 
manded some  changes.  These  the  Board 
were  not  in  position  to  give,  and  hence  a 
change  in  the  Presidency  followed  as  the 
only  course.  A  year  later,  Dr.  Heston  was 
tendered  his  present  position  as  head  of  the 
Madison  State  Normal  faculty  which  place 
he  has  held  now  for  over  twelve  years. 

OTHER  RELATIONSHIPS 

The  university  at  Seattle  conferred 
upon  him  his  Ph.  D.  degree,  and  later  his 
LL.  D.  In  1902,  he  served  as  president  of 
the  South  Dakota  State  Educational  associa- 
tion. He  is  a  member  of  the  National  Edu- 
cational association,  of  the  American  As- 
sociation of  Sciences,  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 


J.  W.  HESTON  93 

the    Baptist    church,    the    Masons    and   the 
Eastern  Star. 

Dr.  Heston  was  married  in  1881  to  Miss 
Mary  E.  Colder,  daughter  of  President 
James  Colder  of  the  Pennsylvania  Agri- 
cultural college.  Two  children  bless  their 
home  life.  Charles,  who  is  married  and  lives 
at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  is  connected  with  the 
Carlson  Telephone  company,  the  largest 
manufacturers  of  electric  supplies  in  the 
United  States.  He  is  an  electrical  engineer, 
and  for  eight  years  he  was  connected  with 
the  war  department  and  supervised  the  wir- 
ing of  their  submarine  mines,  of  their  ports, 
etc.,  serving  two  years  for  them  at  similar 
labor  in  the  city  of  Manila,  P.  I.  He  is  a 
graduate  of  the  university  of  Wisconsin. 
The  other  son,  Edward,  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Northwestern  University  Medical  school,  and 
he  is  now  chief  surgeon  in  a  large  hospital 
in  the  state  of  Washington. 

President  Heston  is  big-hearted,  easy 
of  approach,  democratic  in  his  tendencies 
and  universally  liked.  He  is  "long  suffering 
and  kind,"  well  preserved  for  a  man  of  his 
age,  a  hard  worker,  a  faithful  servant  of  the 
state;  strong  in  his  likes  and  dislikes, 
courageous  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty,  and 
a  typical  man  among  men. 

(Later. — Mrs.  Heston  died  October  9th, 
1915,  and  was  buried  at  Madison.) 


C.   L.   DOTSON 
AT  THE  EDITOR'S  DESK 

Charles  Lewis  Dotson,  proprietor  of  the 
" Sioux  Falls  Daily  Press,"  has  developed 
one  of  the  most  essential  elements  of  success 


96          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

in  life — an  organized  will.  His  mind  is 
analytical  in  the  extreme.  He  reasons  with 
the  precision  of  a  machine.  When  he  has 
reached  a  conclusion  he  is  as  unyielding  as 
the  sphinx  on  the  Sahara.  Stubborn!  No; 
merely  determined.  Stubbornness  is  the 
child  of  ignorance;  determination  is  will 
power  intelligently  directed.  It  is  this  ele- 
ment in  Dotson's  makeup  that  drives  him 
forward  to  certain  victory.  It  is  the  same 
thing  that  caused  Columbus  to — 

"Sail  on,  sail  on,  sail  on  and  on" 
until  he  discovered  a  new  world ;  kept  Grant 
with  his  face  turned  toward  Richmond  until 
Lee  handed  him  his  sword  at  Appomattox; 
and  put  Bob  La  Follette  in  the  United  States 
senate. 

Mr.  Dotson  came  from  long-lived  stock. 
His  mother  died  at  the  ripe  age  of  76;  and 
his  father,  now  at  the  extreme  age  of  93, 
lives  in  Iowa,  and  apparently  enjoys  the  best 
of  health.  Last  year  he  gave  back  to  Charles 
the  gold-headed  cane  which  the  latter  and 
his  brother  had  given  to  the  old  gentleman 
twenty-five  years  before,  saying  that  he  did 
not  need  it.  He  still  reads  without  glasses 
and  appears  quite  as  young  as  a  man  of  30. 

The  elder  Dotson  was  raised  in  Ten- 
nessee. In  his  young  manhood,  he  drifted 
northward  into  Illinois.  Here  he  met  and 


C.  L.  DOTSON  97 

married  C.  L.'s  mother,  who  was  a  South 
Carolinian  by  birth.  In  1848,  the  young 
couple  migrated  to  Iowa  and  settled  in 
Jasper  county,  where  our  subject  was  born 
in  1859. 

Charles  secured  his  early  education  in 
the  rural  schools.  Later  he  attended  the 
Christian  college  at  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  and 
finally  completed  his  training  at  a  business 
college  in  Chicago.  Then  he  went  back  to 
Jasper  county  and  taught  a  rural  school  for 
two  years. 

However,  on  December  31,  1882,  at  Ira, 
Iowa,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Fernanda  Baker,  who  was  born  and  reared 
in  Jasper  county,  and  who  was  also  educated 
in  the  Oskaloosa  college.  It  is  therefore, 
safe  to  presume  that  during  C.  L.'s  scholastic 
training,  he  kept  both  eyes  wide  open  and 
did  more  than  merely  study  and  recite.  They 
are  the  parents  of  five  promising  children. 
After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Dotson  went  back 
to  the  old  farm  where  he  remained  one  year. 
Then  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  business 
for  two  years.  He  then  sold  out  and  traveled 
for  eighteen  months  for  a  wholesale  hard- 
ware establishment. 

NEWSPAPER  EXPERIENCE 

Mr.  Dotson  began  his  newspaper  ex- 
perience at  15  years  of  age  as  a  country  cor- 


98  WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

respondent  under  the  nom  de  plume  of  "Bob 
White"  for  several  weekly  papers.  His  pithy 
sayings  and  breezy  news  notes  soon  brought 
him  into  prominence  and  he  became  the  live 
correspondent  for  a  number  of  state  papers. 

After  his  experience  on  the  road  as  a 
hardware  salesman,  he  removed  to  Des 
Moines  and  became  identified  with  the  "Des 
Moines  Daily  News."  Later  he  transferred 
his  services  to  the  "Iowa  State  Register."  He 
acted  as  their  local  advertising  manager  for 
seven  years.  When  the  Spanish-American 
war  broke  out,  he  became  business  manager 
for  the  "Des  Moines  Daily  Capital,"  Hon. 
Lafe  Young's  paper.  This  position  he  held 
for  two  years,  after  which  he  went  back 
to  the  Des  Moines  Register  for  four  years. 

It  will  at  once  be  seen  that  he  had  been 
acquiring  a  varied  experience,  as  a  writer, 
an  advertising  solicitor  and  as  a  business 
manager,  which  was  equipping  him  most 
splendidly  to  launch  into  the  newspaper 
business  for  himself.  He  had  also  lived 
frugally  and  had  accumulated  a  small  purse. 
So  in  1901,  he  came  to  South  Dakota — the 
land  of  promise,  and  of  increasing  oppor- 
tunities— and  bought  a  half  interest  in  the 
"Sioux  Falls  Daily  Press,"  from  W.  S. 
Bowen,  now  editor  of  the  "Daily  Huronite." 

Six  years  later   (September,  1907),  W. 


C.  L.  DOTSON  99 

C.  Cook,  at  that  time  chairman  of  the  re- 
publican state  central  committee,  bought 
Bowen's  half  interest  in  the  Press,  and  he 
and  Dotson  became  allied  in  its  publication. 
Mr.  Cook  was  too  busy  with  political  matters 
and  with  private  business  affairs  to  give 
much  attention  to  the  paper-,  so  he  employed 
W.  R.  Ronald,  who  had  until  then  been 
managing  editor  of  the  "Sioux  City  Tribune," 
to  edit  the  paper  for  him. 

However,  on  March  30,  1910,  Mr.  Dot- 
son  bought  Mr.  Cook's  half  interest  in  the 
Press,  paying  to  him  for  it  four  and  one-half 
times  as  much  as  Cook  paid  Bowen  for  it 
seven  years  before.  Meanwhile  Mr.  Ronald 
had  resigned  as  editor,  to  go  to  Mitchell 
where  he  bought  and  still  publishes  the 
"Daily  Republican."  He  was  succeeded  by 
A.  E.  Beaumont,  who  resigned  in  December, 
1911,  to  become  identified  with  the  Sioux 
City  Tribune.  This  left  the  Press  with  no 
editor,  and  so  Mr.  Dotson's  son,  Carrol  B., 
was  pressed  into  service.  He  is  still  edit- 
ing the  paper,  while  another  son,  Russell, 
is  acting  as  associate  city  editor.  The 
youngest  son  is  now  in  the  high  school. 
After  graduation,  he,  too,  expects  to  become 
identified  with  the  Press.  In  addition,  Mr. 
Dotson's  son-in-law,  Mr.  H.  F.  Harris,  is, 
and  has  been  for  seven  years,  the  Press's 


100        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

local  advertising  manager.  It  will,  there- 
fore, be  seen  that  the  Sioux  Falls  Press, 
under  its  present  management,  is  largely  a 
family  affair. 

When  Mr.  Dotson  bought  a  half  inter- 
est in  the  Press  in  1901,  the  paper  was  issu- 
ing two  editions — the  daily  and  the  weekly. 
In  1902,  he  changed  the  weekly  to  the  "South 
Dakota  Farmer,"  but  continued  to  publish  it 
weekly,  making  it  the  only  weekly  farm 
paper  in  the  state.  Again,  it  is  the  only  farm 
paper  in  the  state  owned  exclusively  by  a 
South  Dakota  man. 

POLITICS  AND  THE  PLATFORM 

In  politics  Mr.  Dotson  has  been  a  life- 
long republican.  He  conducts  the  Press  as 
an  independent  republican  newspaper.  For 
the  past  six  years  that  faction  of  the  repub- 
lican party  which  he  has  supported  has  been 
in  control  of  the  state's  affairs.  Last  March, 
Governor  Byrne  appointed  him  a  member  of 
the  board  of  charities  and  corrections,  and 
when  the  board  met  to  organize  he  was 
elected  as  its  president. 

Mr.  Dotson  is  also  at  home  on  the  plat- 
form. He  is  one  of  the  easiest  and  most 
entertaining  speakers  in  the  state,  and  is 
in  constant  demand  at  banquets  and  before 
the  students  of  our  state  schools. 

As  a  citizen  he  is  also  active  in  civic 


C.  L.  DOTSON  101 

• 

affairs.  He  served  for  three  years  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Sioux  Falls  Commercial  club. 
It  was  through  his  individual  efforts  that 
Sioux  Falls  got  her  present  street  railway. 
Mr.  Dotson  knew  the  owner  of  the  company 
that  built  it,  Mr.  F.  M.  Mills,  in  Des  Moines. 
He  persuaded  him  to  come  to  Sioux  Falls. 
The  investment  proved  a  success,  and  today 
Sioux  Falls  has  one  of  the  best  electric  lines 
of  any  city  of  similar  size  in  the  country. 

Eleven  years  ago  when  C.  L.  Dotson 
came  to  South  Dakota,  he  was  a  stranger 
here.  His  identification  with  the  Sioux  Falls 
Daily  Press — one  of  the  two  big  family 
newspapers  of  the  state — at  once  brought 
him  into  prominence  and  gave  him  a  state- 
wide acquaintance — an  acquaintance,  by  the 
way,  that  has  worn  well,  one  that  has  sunk 
deeper  and  grown  broader  with  the  succes- 
sive years,  until  today  it  encircles  the  state. 
We  are  glad  to  have  him  with  us. 

(Later — Between  the  publication  of  this 
article  and  its  reproduction  in  this  book,  the 
elder  Mr.  Dotson  passed  to  his  reward.) 


C.  C.  CARPENTER 
Two  boys  were  attending  public  school 
in  adjoining  rooms  in  the  city  of  Watertown, 
this  state,  in  the  early  90's.  Their  home  en- 
vironments were  different  and  their  impulses 
were  the  direct  antitheses  of  each  other. 
One's  sixth  special  sense  (spiritual)  had 
been  cast  by  Providence  in  a  major  key;  the 
other's,  in  a  minor. 


104         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

Twenty  years  elapsed;  the  two  boys 
have  now  become  grown  men.  A  few  months 
since,  they  faced  each  other  at  the  bar  of 
justice — the  boy,  whose  impulses  were  up- 
ward, was  sitting  on  the  bench  as  a  circuit 
judge,  while  his  schoolmate,  whose  impulses 
were  downward,  now  stood  before  him  as  a 
criminal,  awaiting  sentence  to  the  peniten- 
tiary. 

This  scene  was  enacted  in  the  court 
room  at  Webster.  The  criminal  had  been 
convicted  of  carrying  dynamite.  The 
maximum  statutory  penalty  for  this  offense 
is  eight  years.  When  asked  if  he  had  any- 
thing to  say  why  the  maximum  penalty 
should  not  be  given  him,  the  criminal  stepped 
forward,  laid  his  head  on  his  hands  on  the 
jurist's  bench  and  with  the  tears  streaming 
down  his  face,  said :  "Judge,  don't  send  me 
to  the  penitentiary;  it  would  break  my  old 
parents'  hearts.  You  knew  me  as  a  boy  at 
Watertown ;  have  pity  on  me.  Give  me  a 
chance;  I'll  do  better." 

The  judge  was  deeply  moved.  After  a 
moment's  reflection,  he  said :  "Yes ;  we  were 
schoolmates,  and  I  am  sorry  for  you.  I  will, 
therefore,  give  you  only  six  months  in  jail 
and  not  send  you  to  the  penitentiary.  Dur- 
ing your  confinement  in  jail,  I  will  look  for 
a  good  job  for  you;  and  I  want  you  to 


C.  C.  CARPENTER  105 

promise  me  that  when  you  get  out  you  will 
be  a  man." 

"I  will;  God  witness  it!"  said  the  peni- 
tent wretch. 

But,  the  judge!  Ah!  yes;  the  judge. 
How  our  suspense  grows!  We  are  almost 
tempted  to  jump  over  a  few  lines  so  that  our 
eyes  may  more  quickly  catch  his  name — 
Cyrus  Clay  Carpenter,  of  the  twelfth  circuit 
who,  upon  request,  was  temporarily  occu- 
pying Judge  McNulty's  bench  in  the  fifth. 
And  the  criminal?  We  have  said  enough. 
The  Day  county  records  bear  his  name. 

PREPARATION  FOR  LIFE 

Judge  Carpenter  was  born  January  13, 
1878,  at  Ft.  Dodge,  Iowa — that  grand  old 
town  with  which  we  all  instinctively  link  the 
name  of  Senator  Jonathan  P.  Dolliver.  He 
has  never  been  terrorized  by  reason  of  the 
date  of  his  birth — the  13th.  Just  what  his 
parents  may  have  thought  about  it,  is  an- 
other proposition.  His  marriage — well,  let's 
wait  and  see. 

He  attended  public  school  at  Ft.  Dodge, 
1884-87.  Then  his  parents  removed  with 
him  to  Watertown,  South  Dakota,  at  which 
place  he  also  attended  public  school,  having 
for  one  of  his  teachers  the  Hon.  Doane 
Robinson's  sister.  She  is  a  grand  woman. 
Recently,  at  Pierre,  when  she  heard  that  her 


106         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

old  school  boy,  now  a  stern  judge  on  the 
bench,  was  in  the  city,  she  sent  for  him  to 
come  to  see  her.  Their  meeting  was  very 
cordial  and  reminiscent. 

Cyrus  finally  completed  the  grammar 
grades  at  Watertown.  About  that  time  his 
parents  moved  back  to  Ft.  Dodge,  and  young 
Carpenter  was  sent  to  Cornell  college  at  Mt. 
Vernon,  Iowa,  to  complete  his  education.  He 
stuck  to  it  most  faithfully  for  six  years. 

FIRST    CASE    IN    COURT 

In  1898,  before  he  had  completed  his 
college  course,  Cyrus  got  lonesome  to  return 
to  his  boyhood  haunts  at  Watertown,  or  he 
may  have  gotten  a  presentiment  that  he 
should  return;  at  least  his  parents  could  no 
longer  restrain  him,  so  they  advanced  the 
money  and  our  typical  young  westerner  set 
out  for  his  destination. 

It  so  happened  that  during  his  boyhood 
days  at  Watertown,  the  friendship  of  a  girl 
schoolmate  had  entered  into  his  life.  When 
the  young  Cornell  student  arrived  at  Water- 
town,  he  found  that  this  charming  lady  was 
soon  to  become  the  bride  of  another  man; 
in  fact,  her  wedding  gown  was  already  pre- 
pared. 

Cyrus  Clay  Carpenter's  fate  was  hang- 
ing in  the  balance.  He  sought  an  interview 
with  her;  pleaded  his  first  case  in  "court;" 


C.  C.  CARPENTER  107 

won  it !  and  the  young  couple — he  under 
age  and  she  but  a  few  days  over — made  a 
"flying"  trip  through  Iowa,  to  Janesville, 
Wisconsin,  where  a  license  was  secured  and 
the  "Carpenter  boy"  from  Cornell  and  Miss 
Katherine  Flint,  of  Watertown,  became 
husband  and  wife.  Fate  said  right  then  and 
there:  "This  lad  has  made  good  in  'court/ 
I  will  make  of  him  a  jurist."  And  Fate 
made  good  its  own  pledge. 

BECOMING  A  JUDGE 

The  happy  young  couple,  after  their 
romance,  came  back  to  Watertown  where 
Mr.  Carpenter  accepted  a  position  as  a  clerk 
in  a  drug  store.  So  well  did  he  apply  him- 
self that  he  was  soon  able  to  pass  the  ex- 
amination and  become  a  registered  pharma- 
cist. Later,  he  bought  a  drug  business  of  his 
own.  However,  in  1905,  he  sold  out  and 
went  to  the  University  of  Minnesota  where 
he  took  his  law  course.  In  October,  1907, 
he  passed  his  bar  examination,  and  immedi- 
ately thereafter,  he  and  Frank  McNulty 
formed  a  partnership  at  Sisseton  for  the 
practice  of  law.  It  sounds  like  fiction  to  say 
that  inside  of  four  years  each  of  these  two 
young  attorneys  found  their  way  to  the  cir- 
cuit bench. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  year  of  their 
partnership,  Attorney  Carpenter  was  ap- 


108         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

pointed  register  of  the  land  office  at  Lem- 
mon.  He  accepted  the  position.  Its  location 
threw  him  into  a  new  field.  So  when  the 
twelfth  judicial  circuit,  comprising  a  num- 
ber of  newly  organized  counties  in  the  north- 
west part  of  the  state,  was  formed,  Governor 
Vessey  appointed  Mr.  Carpenter  to  the 
bench.  The  appointment  came  unsolicited; 
he  accepted;  Fate  had  won! 

His  work  on  the  bench  as  a  jurist  soon 
attracted  wide  and  favorable  attention.  The 
attorneys  in  his  circuit  are  unstinted  in  their 
laudations  of  his  fairness  and  capabilities, 
while  the  newspapers  continually  sound 
paeans  of  praise  in  his  honor. 

As  a  student  of  criminology,  the  judge 
belongs  exclusively  as  well  as  inclusively  to 
the  new  school  of  thought — that  is,  to  the 
reformation  of  the  criminal  instead  of  mere- 
ly to  his  punishment.  "Some  men  are  born 
(criminals),  some  achieve  (crime)  and 
others  have  (criminality)  thrust  upon 
them."  We  beg  leave  to  digress  long  enough 
to  suggest  that  if  the  legislature  were  to  en- 
act a  law  authorizing  the  paroling  of  all 
convicts  in  our  state  penitentiary,  except  life 
termers,  on  the  basis  of  attaining  their  free- 
dom, if  they  remained  harmless  during  their 
entire  pardon,  and  if  they  did  not,  that  they 
would  not  only  have  to  undergo  imprison- 


C.  C.  CARPENTER  109 

ment  for  the  unexpired  portions  of  their 
terms,  but  would,  in  addition  thereto,  have 
to  serve  their  original  sentences  all  over 
again,  that  not  to  exceed  one  per  cent  of 
them  would  ever  go  wrong.  The  theorist 
says,  "A  lot  of  them  are  born  criminals  and 
they  are  serving  their  second  or  third  terms 
now."  Very  well;  the  trouble  is  here;  we 
need  a  board  of  employment  whose  business 
it  shall  be  to  see  that  good,  remunerative, 
suitable  employment  is  found  for  each  dis- 
missed convict  before  he  leaves  the  prison 
doors,  and  not  thrust  him  out  into  a  cruel, 
competitive  world  to  make  a  living  sewing 
buttons  onto  shirts  when  there  is  no  other 
shirt  factory  within  a  thousand  miles,  and 
when  it  is  a  woman's  job  at  best.  Yes;  we 
have  something  yet  to  learn,  and  Judge 
Carpenter  is  on  the  right  track. 

MILITARY  AND  PERSONAL 

While  Judge  Carpenter  was  in  the  drug 
business  at  Watertown,  he  was  appointed  ad- 
jutant of  the  old  first  regiment,  S.  D.  S.  G., 
which  position  he  occupied  for  two  years. 
Then  he  was  promoted  to  major  of  a  squad- 
ron of  cavalry.  He  served  in  this  position 
for  three  years,  but  gave  it  up  when  he 
entered  law  school.  Clay  makes  an  ideal 
military  officer.  He  is  happy  but  firm,  and 
he  possesses  that  uncommon  kind  of  common 


110         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

sense  which  makes  it  possible  for  him  to 
handle  all  kinds  of  men  without  friction. 

The  home  life  of  Judge  and  Mrs.  Car- 
penter has  been  blessed  by  the  presence  of 
Cyrus,  Jr.,  by  Lee,  and  by  two  of  the  sweetest 
twin  girls  that  ever  entered  life.  Their 
names  are  Doris  and  Dorothy. 

The  judge  has  an  exceptionally  pleasing 
personality.  He  makes  friends  readily;  and 
he  is  so  democratic  in  his  habits  and  yet  so 
cultured  in  manner  that  all  who  know 
him  love  him.  He  is  an  A-l  "mixer" 
and  we  shall  look  for  his  rapid  rise  to  a 
position  of  even  greater  prominence  and 
power  within  the  next  few  years. 

(Later. — Owing  to  the  meager  salary 
paid  by  this  state  to  its  circuit  judges,  Judge 
Carpenter  has  resigned  his  position  on  the 
bench  and  returned  to  private  law  practice.) 


HARRY  M.  GAGE 

NEW    PRESIDENT    HURON    COLLEGE 

Amid  impressive  and  scholarly  cere- 
monies, Professor  Harry  M.  Gage,  successor 
to  Dr.  Calvin  H.  French,  was  recently  in- 
augurated president  of  Huron  college.  It 
was  a  grand  affair.  The  oath  was  ad- 
ministered by  Hon.  E.  L.  Abel,  lieutenant- 
governor  of  South  Dakota  and  president  of 


112         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

the  board  of  trustees  of  the  school.  The 
state  schools  were  represented  by  Dr.  Rob- 
ert L.  Slagle,  president  of  our  state  college, 
at  Brookings,  while  the  denominational 
schools  of  the  state  were  represented  by  Dr. 
William  Grant  Seaman,  president  of  Dakota 
Wesleyan  university,  at  Mitchell.  There 
were  also  other  dignitaries  throughout  the 
state  and  several  more  of  national  repute, 
representing  various  phases  of  school  work, 
who  appeared  on  the  program. 

President  Gage's  inaugural  address  was 
practical  instead  of  theoretical.  It  dealt 
wholly  with  South  Dakota  conditions. 

He  was  born  in  Ohio,  thirty-three  years 
ago.  His  father  was  a  Presbyterian  home 
missionary  who  came  west  in  1865  with 
Sheldon  Jackson,  a  pioneer  who  attained 
some  fame  by  introducing  reindeer  in 
Alaska. 

While  the  lad  was  a  small  boy  his  par- 
ents came  to  Minnesota.  Later,  they  went  to 
La  Crosse,  Wisconsin,  where  the  father  be- 
came local  pastor  and  where  the  boy  got  his 
early  education.  Then  he  attended  school  at 
Grinnell  college  academy,  graduating  with 
the  class  of  1896.  From  there  he  went  to 
Wooster  University  (Ohio),  and  graduated 
with  honors  (cum  laude)  in  1900. 

While  attending  the  academy,  and  dur- 


HARRY  M.  GAGE  113 

ing  the  early  part  of  his  college  course,  he 
helped  to  defray  his  expenses  by  working  on 
a  farm.  Two  summers  were  spent  selling 
maps  in  Iowa  and  in  Illinois.  In  February, 
before  his  college  graduation,  he  decided  to 
lead  a  busincso  life ;  so  he  made  a  contract 
with  the  United  States  Building  and  Loan 
company,  of  Akron,  Ohio,  to  work  for  them 
for  one  year.  However,  in  August  of  the 
same  year  (1900),  he  received  from  Presi- 
dent French  a  telegraphic  offer  to  come  to 
Huron  college  to  teach  Greek.  He  accepted 
it ;  resigned  his  position  with  the  Akron  firm, 
and  thus  changed  his  whole  career. 

At  the  end  of  his  first  year  at  Huron, 
he  was  given  the  chair  of  philosophy.  From 
his  arrival,  he  had  taken  a  leading  part  in 
developing  a  college  spirit  throughout  the 
state.  He  not  orly  did  his  regular  class 
work,  but  he  spoke  from  the  pulpits  of  the 
leading  churches  of  the  state.  The  strength 
of  his  thought,  the  compactness  of  his  dis- 
course, his  wide  range  of  knowledge  and  the 
ease  of  his  delivery  attracted  wide  and  favor- 
able comment  everywhere,  with  the  result 
that  he  was  soon  called  upon  to  fill  several 
lecture  course  engagements. 

During  his  three  years  at  Huron,  he  also 
spent  much  time  in  helping  to  raise  money 
to  meet  the  school's  current  expenses.  In  ad- 


114         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

dition  thereto,  he  spent  his  summer  months 
doing  graduate  work  in  psychology  and  edu- 
cation at  the  University  of  Chicago. 

However,  in  1903,  Professor  Gage  re- 
signed his  position  in  Huron  college,  to  be- 
come Columbia  University  Fellow  in  Philos- 
ophy, receiving  $650  per  year  for  his  work. 
He  studied  in  New  York  two  years,  spscial- 
izing  in  philosophy,  psychology  and  educa- 
tion. Then,  he  was  appointed  assistant  in 
philosophy  at  Columbia,  but  resigned  a  little 
later  to  accept  the  Armstrong  professorship 
of  philosophy  in  Parsons  college,  Fairfield, 
Iowa.  Here,  for  four  years,  he  devoted  his 
time  exclusively  to  class  room  work,  giving 
up  his  summer  vacations  to  study  in  the 
teachers'  college,  Columbia  university.  One 
of  these  summers  was,  however,  given  to 
Chautauqua  work  on  the  lecture  platform. 

Dr.  Gage  was  appointed  dean  of  the 
faculty  of  Parsons  college  in  1909,  and  for 
three  years  he  did  administrative  work.  This 
fortunate  experience  was  preparing  him  un- 
consciously for  the  presidency  of  Huron  col- 
lege. While  in  this  position  he  spoke  a  great 
deal  in  Illinois,  Iowa  and  Nebraska,  under 
direction  of  the  committee  on  speakers  of  the 
Men  and  Religion  Forward  Movement,  on 
problems  of  religion  in  rural  communities 
and  on  mental  hygiene. 


HARRY  M.  GAGE  115 

But,  in  1912,  he  accepted  his  second  call 
to  Huron  college,  this  time  being  made  dean 
of  the  faculty  and  professor  of  philosophy 
and  education.  He  gave  his  time  wholly  to 
class  room  instruction,  and  to  developing  the 
purely  educational  work  of  the  college.  As 
president  he  will  continue  this  same  line  of 
work. 

Only  thirty-three  years  of  age!  Think 
of  it!  President  of  one  of  the  largest  de- 
nominational schools  in  the  west.  Here  was 
wisdom  on  the  part  of  the  board.  It  pays  to 
"break  in"  a  young  man  for  such  positions- 
one  who  is  virile  and  effective — one  filled 
with  hope,  ambition,  and  a  determination  to 
achieve. 

When  the  vacancy  occurred  in  the  presi- 
dency of  Huron  college,  through  the  resigna- 
tion of  President  French,  the  faculty  at  once 
became  an  inseparable  unit  in  their  request 
that  Dr.  Gage  be  made  president  of  the  in- 
stitution and  it  was  done.  May  the  future 
justify  the  act! 

Following  are  a  few  extracts  from  his 
charming  inaugural  address : 

"Finally,  we  have  been  reminded  many 
times  that  one  who  studies  law  to  help  him 
succeed  in  life  will  never  succeed  in  the  law. 
Aristotle  said,  'I  succeed  because  I  do  freely 
and  without  compulsion  what  others  do  from 


116         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

fear  of  the  law.'  So  the  ethical  aim  of  edu- 
cation from  the  intellectual  point  of  view  is 
freedom.  The  free  man  as  a  student  wishes 
Truth  and  does  not  follow  selfish  preferences. 
The  difference  between  the  selfish  and  the 
unselfish  man  is  this:  the  selfish  man  does 
not  wish  any  work  to  succeed  unless  he  is 
chairman  of  the  committee  that  has  it  in 
charge.  The  unselfish  man  does  not  even 
care  to  be  a  member  of  the  committee,  but  he 
does  want  the  work  to  succeed.  In  the  same 
manner,  the  unselfish  student  yearns  for  the 
final  reign  of  Truth,  regardless  of  personal 
gains.  The  boy  who  in  college  has  learned 
an  unselfish  regard  for  Truth  can  not  become 
a  charlatan.  In  the  practice  of  medicine  he 
is  not  a  quack;  in  law  he  is  not  tricky;  in 
business  he  never  misrepresents;  and,  if  he 
turns  to  invention  and  discovery,  he  never 
publishes  his  results  falsely  or  prematurely 
and  never  advertises  his  inventions  untruth- 
fully either  for  the  sake  of  fame  or  fortune. 

>•:          ^<          :J;          i|:          ;|:          :i: 

Ethically  we  desire  students  who 
care  for  Truth  regardless  of  consequences. 
Professor  Carl  E.  Seashore  says  in  an 
article  in  The  Iowa  Alumnus,  March, 
1909,  'If  the  investigator  who  gave  Marconi 
the  principles  of  wireless  telegraphy,  had 
aimed  directly  at  the  saving  of  ships  at  sea, 


HARRY  M.  GAGE  117 

he  would  probably  have  failed;  but  he  de- 
voted himself  to  the  mastery  of  an  abstract 
principle  and  laid  a  large  foundation.' 

"In  my  zeal  for  an  unselfish  love  of 
Truth  I  have  not  forgotten  that  liberal  edu- 
cation does  and  ought  to  fit  a  man  to  do 
something  and  to  do  it  well.  But  let  it  be 
thoroughly  understood  that  the  best  and 
practically  the  only  good  work  is  done  by 
men  who  are  completely  absorbed  in  the  ob- 
jective ends  of  Truth,  men  whose  minds  are 
unhampered  by  utilitarian  considerations. 
The  realization  of  the  practical  aim  of  edu- 
cation is  assured  only  by  intellectual  honesty 
which  is  the  guarantee  of  human  progress. 
The  most  unselfish  and  serviceable  or,  if  you 
please,  the  most  successful  men  in  the  world 
are  the  ones  who  have  made  a  conquest  of 
Truth  before  attempting  to  revise  or  formu- 
late the  rules  of  practice.  These  men,  for- 
getting self  and  seized  by  an  absorbing  pas- 
sion for  the  concrete  expression  of  Truth, 
are  able  to  throw  themselves  with  a  glad 
abandon  into  the  work  of  life.  They  have 
seen  the  Truth  and  the  Truth  has  made  them 
free  —  free  from  the  selfish  falsifications  by 
which  the  charlatan,  the  quack,  and  the 
demagogue  would  enslave  the  human  race." 


" 


Thinking   is  the  most  pleasurable   of 


118         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

exercises,  once  the  art  has  been  learned.  It 
is  also  the  most  profitable  and  altogether  the 
best  thing  in  life,  since  it  is  the  most  thor- 
oughly human  thing  a  man  can  do.  There  is 
no  doubt,  however,  that  the  discipline  of 
learning  to  think  is  at  least  a  little  painful. 
In  ignorance  or  in  disregard  of  this  fact 
many  students  enter  light-heartedly  upon  a 
college  course,  knowing  well  that  a  bachelor's 
degree  is  a  most  respectable  thing  and  that 
it  is  well  to  be  known  at  least  as  one  who  once 
attended  college.  Furthermore  the  mere  ex- 
perience of  being  in  and  about  a  college  is 
always  agreeable  and  sometimes  thrilling. 
The  result  is  that  we  always  have  in  college 
students  who  have  never  caught  the  vision 
of  intellectual  life  or,  having  caught  it,  would 
avoid  the  irksomeness  of  pursuing  it.  This 
spirit  fathers  a  long  list  of  well  known  dis- 
tractions that  overshadow  the  principal  ends 
of  the  curriculum.  A  revaluation  of  the 
things  that  occupy  our  students'  time  and  at- 
tention is  emphatically  demanded.  When  the 
outlines  of  a  complete  human  life  are  being 
formed  distortion  or  subordination  of  the 
values  that  are  eternal  is  a  capital  sin. 
The  supreme  achievement  of  the  artist  is  to 
have  nothing  in  his  picture  that  does  not 
count.  He  will  have  nothing  that  distracts 
attention  from  the  end  he  has  in  view — 


HARRY  M.  GAGE  119 

nothing  that  complicates  his  purpose.  Col- 
leges are  to  be  gauged  by  the  same  standard. 
We  must  eliminate  from  our  general  college 
activities  whatever  does  not  deepen  the  im- 
pressions of  the  curriculum,  whatever  does 
not  intensify  mental  life." 


J.  W.  PARMLEY 

' 'DADDY"  OF  OUR  GOOD  ROADS 

The  young  husband  steps  into  the  birth 

chamber,  picks  up  his  tiny,  first-born  child 

that  has  just  acquired  a  human  soul,  looks 

into  the  little  blinking  eyes  and  then  feels 

welling  up  within  him  the  noble  impulse  that 

he  is  a  father.    It  is  a  great  thing  to  become 

a  father.    Said  the  oracle  of  the  last  century, 

with  regard  to  George  Washington,  "Provi- 


122         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

dence  rendered  him  childless,  yet  his  country 
can  call  him  'Father.'  Joe  Parmley,  of 
Ipswich,  is  a  double  header,  as  a  father. 
This  does  not  mean  that  he  is  both  a  father 
and  a  step-father ;  no,  not  yet.  Joe  is  simply 
papa  and  daddy  both ;  that  is,  he  is  father  of 
a  promising  son,  named  Loren,  now  a  stu- 
dent in  college,  and  of  a  talented  daughter, 
Miss  Irene,  who  is  as  yet  a  high  school  stu- 
dent; and  daddy  of  our  good  roads  move- 
ment in  South  Dakota. 

While  others  in  the  state  have  been 
struggling  to  emblazen  their  names  in  im- 
perishable splendor  across  the  political  sky 
(only  to  wake  up  later  and  find  that  their 
ambitions  have  exploded  like  a  meteor  and 
that  their  political  lights  have  gone  out  for- 
ever, leaving  them  dead-broke  in  the  scrap- 
heap  of  the  "ex's"),  Joe  Parmley  has  been 
quietly  plodding  along  with  an  irresistable 
determination  to  have  this  generation  build 
up  its  roads  in  South  Dakota.  And  he  has 
succeeded  mighty  well.  Out  of  his  own  hard- 
earned  cash,  he  has  contributed  thousands 
of  dollars  toward  the  enterprise ;  has  spoken 
in  behalf  of  the  task  all  over  the  state;  has 
written  dozens  of  bristling  articles  along 
these  lines,  and  has  built  a  lot  of  good  public 
highway  with  his  own  individual  equipment. 
Without  his  enthusiasm,  his  leadership,  his 


J.  W.  PARMLEY  123 

voice,  his  pen,  his  cash  and  the  work  of  his 
own  hands,  the  state  perhaps  would  not  have 
awakened  from  its  lethargy  for  another  half 
century. 

That  little  sa wed-off  Ajax  of  the  south, 
the  Demosthenes  of  Atlanta,  John  Temple 
Graves,  speaking  at  a  Lincoln  banquet  in 
Chicago,  said  with  reference  to  the  "Lincoln 
Road"  which  congress  at  that  time  contem- 
plated building  from  Washington  to  Gettys- 
burg, "I  would  not  have  you  of  the  north 
forget  that  our  sires  and  our  brothers  lie 
side  by  side  at  Gettysburg  with  yours. 
Therefore,  I  propose  an  extension  to  this 
road.  I  would  have  it  begin  at  Richmond, 
extend  to  Washington  and  thence  on  to 
Gettysburg.  Its  sides  I  would  buttress  with 
slabs  of  white  marble.  Its  top  I  wrould  ma- 
cadamize with  crushed  white  stone.  And 
then  along  each  side  for  its  entire  length, 
I  wrould  plant  unbroken  rows  of  flowers  that 
bear  only  white  blooms.  And  when  it  was 
done,  I  would  call  it  'The  Great  White  Way, 
the  Lincoln  Way,  the  Way  of  Peace/  In 
harmony  with  this  beautiful  sentiment,  may 
we  suggest  that  in  the  broad  range  of  fu- 
ture years,  when  Joe  Parmley's  dust  has 
been  consigned  to  dust  again,  and  when  auto- 
mobile travelers  and  joy  riders  pas~  over 
the  dustless  boulevard  from  Aberdeen  ;o 


124         WHO'S  WHO  IX  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

Ipswich  that  penetrates  the  hearts  of  hills 
and  lifts  its  commanding  bosom  above  the 
lake  beds  along  its  route,  and  while  they  feel 
entranced  at  the  sight  of  spring-time  anem- 
ones and  later  inhale  the  fragrance  of  June 
roses  along  its  sides,  let  each  one  acclaim, 
"This  is  the  Great  White  Way,  the  Parmley 
Way,  the  Way  of  Progress !"  Yes ;  they  need 
not  wait  till  then,  they  can  begin  it  now,  for 
this  boulevard  has  already  been  officially 
named,  "The  Parmley  Highway."  It  con- 
stitutes one  of  the  important  sections  of  the 
new  "Twin  City- Aberdeen  Yellowstone  Park 
Trail,"  which  now  bids  well  to  become  one  of 
the  important  national  highways  of  the 
United  States. 

And  Joe  is  mighty  proud  of  that  twenty- 
six  miles  of  elegant  highway.  He  knows,  as 
does  every  man  of  experience  in  road  build- 
ing, that  where  a  road  is  graded  but  has  not 
been  macadamized,  the  only  way  to  keep  it 
in  good  shape  is  to  drag  it.  Accordingly,  he 
took  a  worn-out,  model  F  Buick  automobile, 
and  from  it  built  a  one-man  tractor  that  will 
drag  the  Parmley  highway  from  Ipswich  to 
Aberdeen  and  back — a  total  distance  of 
fifty-two  miles — in  a  single  day,  and  give 
sufficient  time  to  double  back  repeatedly  over 
areas  that  need  it.  This  gasoline  drag  is  now 
known  as  the  "Parmley  Patrol."  Joe-  pays 


J.  W.  PARMLEY  125 

the  salary  of  the  operator  and  bears  all  of  the 
other  expenses  himself.  He  claims  that  with 
this  outfit  one  man  can  patrol  and  keep  in 
fine  shape  100  miles  of  road.  It  is  possible 
that  he  has  again  hit  upon  a  practical  solution 
of  a  vexatious  problem. 

OLD  FRIENDS  MEET 

''Say,  Joe,  do  you  remember  a  letter 
you  wrote  me  while  at  old  Lawrence  soon 
after  you  came  west?"  Of  course  Joe  didn't 
remember,  but  his  companion  did,  and  he 
continued : 

"Well,  you  had  left  school  a  junior  and 
said  then  no  one  had  asked  you  whether  you 
could  translate  Homer,  speak  French,  dem- 
onstrate the  binomial  theorem,  or  knew  the 
color  of  Julius  Caesar's  hair,  but  a  good 
many  had  asked  what  you  could  do." 

Forgetful  of  the  surroundings  on  the 
corridor  of  the  Evans  hotel  at  Hot  Springs, 
and  of  the  many  things  both  men  had  been 
doing  the  past  thirty  years,  the  "boys"  were 
living  over  college  days  of  a  generation  ago. 
The  speaker  was  Bob  Selway,  of  Wyoming, 
the  big  sheep  man,  and  the  other  was  Joe 
Parmley,  of  South  Dakota,  or  to  be  more 
specific — of  Ipswich,  Edmunds  county,  South 
Dakota— the  subject  of  this  "Who's  Who" 
sketch. 

Joe  first  saw  the  light  of  day  on  a  farm 


126         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

in  southwestern  Wisconsin,  where  his  child- 
hood was  spent  plowing  corn,  milking  cows, 
studying  the  birds  and  rocks  and  learning  to 
be  an  athlete — at  the  wood  pile — to  hold  his 
own  in  a  rough  and  tumble,  or  if  he  didn't 
to  come  up  smiling  all  the  same  and  never 
admit  that  he  was  licked.  Incidentally,  he 
entertained  the  country-side  at  the  picnics 
with  such  classical  recitation  as  Cassabi- 
anca,"  "John  Burns  at  Gettysburg,"  or  the 
"Seminole's  Reply."  But  the  big  world  was 
calling,  and  he  took  his  first  ride  on  the  cars 
to  Appleton  where  he  spent  three  years  in 
Lawrence  university,  pursuing  a  scientific 
course,  and  as  captain  of  the  football  club. 
The  snow  was  still  on  the  ground  when 
he  arrived  .in  Aberdeen,  Dakota  Territory, 
in  1883.  He  looked  at  a  map  and  said, 
"Sometime  the  Milwaukee  will  build  west 
from  Aberdeen;"  bought  a  load  of  lumber, 
hired  a  team  to  take  it  forty  miles  toward 
the  setting  sun;  counted  his  cash  and  found 
less  than  fifteen  dollars  for  hardware  and 
the  future.  When  nearing  the  present  town- 
site  of  Roscoe,  he  saw  a  tent  and  he  made  for 
it.  Charley  Morgan,  of  Chicago,  had  pre- 
ceded him  less  than  a  day.  The  two  joined 
forces,  named  the  town  "Roscoe" — after 
Roscoe  Conkling  who  was  then  in  the  height 
of  his  brilliant  career — and  remained  firm 


J.  W.  PARMLEY  127 

friends  till  death  separated  them  a  few  years 
later. 

Joe  was  appointed  the  first  county 
superintendent  of  Edmunds  county,  and  he 
tramped  all  over  the  county  organizing 
school  townships  and  schools.  He  held  the 
office  two  terms,  and  was  then  elected  reg- 
ister of  deeds.  At  various  times  he  has 
held  by  appointment  and  election  the  office 
of  county  judge,  and  he  served  two  terms 
in  the  state  legislature,  besides  holding 
numerous  other  offices  of  honor  and  trust 
from  mayor  up  to  road  boss.  He  admits 
having  studied  law,  but  he  always  refused  to 
practice.  It  is  an  open  secret  though  that 
many  attorneys  when  stuck  on  a  title  to  real 
estate  get  him  to  tell  them  what  is  wrong 
with  it. 

He  has  always  been  a  leader  in  better 
methods  of  farming  and  stock  breeding  and 
he  is  owner  of  the  largest  herd  of  Shetland 
ponies  in  the  northwest.  Mr.  Parmley  still 
has  in  use  the  first  manure  spreader  sold  in 
Edmunds  county,  though  he  loaned  it  to 
every  farmer  for  miles  around,  in  order  to 
induce  them  to  buy  for  themselves.  He  built 
the  first  silo  in  the  country  west  of  Aber- 
deen, and  is  today  spending  much  time  in 
addressing  public  meetings  of  farmers  on 
corn,  cows  and  the  silo. 


128         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

While  a  member  of  the  legislature,  he 
introduced  a  bill  for  farmers'  institutes  and 
saw  it  defeated  by  farmer  votes.  Then  he 
changed  his  vote  to  "no"  in  order  to  move 
re-consideration,  and  three  days  later  he  got 
the  present  farmers  institute  law  on  our 
statute  books.  Joe  has  always  been  an  ad- 
vocate of  prison  reform  and  he  is  the  autho 
of  our  present  parole  law,  said  to  be  one  of 
the  most  practical  in  the  union.  Within  the 
past  year  he  became  sponsor  for  a  prisoner 
on  parole.  A  few  weeks  after  being  paroled, 
the  prisoner — not  criminal- -was  asked  to 
teach  a  class  of  boys  in  a  Methodist  Sunday 
school.  This  came  to  Parmley's  notice  and 
he  ran  down  to  Pierre  and  asked  the  board 
of  pardons  if  they  didn't  think  it  safe  to  let- 
Sunday  school  teachers  run  loose,  and  they 
did.  The  next  mail  carried  a  full  pardon  to 
a  useful  citizen  who  went  wrong  and  was 
caught — notwithstanding  we  were  particeps 
crimus  by  leading  him  astray  in  the  United 
States  army  in  time  of  peace.  If  you  happen 
around  when  he  is  pitching  alfalfa  or  filling 
a  silo  or  working  on  the  road  with  $3.00  a 
day  men,  it  will  be  well  to  see  that  there  is 
an  avenue  of  escape  before  defending  the 
shirt  factory  at  the  pen  where  the  state's 
able  bodied  wards  get  39  cents  a  day  and  the 
state  boards  and  clothes  them.  This  monu- 


J.  W.  PARMLEY  129 

mental  waste  and  the  expenditure  of  67  per 
cent  of  the  nation's  income  for  war  and  navy 
has  been  the  subject  of  bitter  attacks  by  him, 
and  his  address  before  the  state  conservation 
congress  on  "Better  Roads  or  Battle  Ships" 
and  before  the  state  peace  society  on  "War's 
Waste  of  Men  and  Money"  were  said  to  be 
the  strongest  pleas  ever  made  in  the  state 
for  world  peace  or  arbitration,  except  the  ad- 
dresses made  by  President  Taft. 

Mr.  Parmley  has  traveled  extensively 
in  the  United  States,  Canada  and  Mexico, 
and  he  has  written  much  for  publication.  His 
descriptions  of  the  Pyramids  of  San  Juan 
Teotihuacan  attracted  wide  notice  and  elic- 
ited very  favorable  editorial  comment.  As 
a  literary  student,  Joe  is  a  volume  de  luxe 
of  God's  choicest  edition,  while  as  a  public 
speaker  he  is  one  of  the  choicest  and  keenest 
in  the  state.  We  are  greatly  pleased  to  re- 
produce from  the  files  of  the  Argus-Leader 
two  paragraphs  from  his  eloquent  speech  re- 
cently delivered  before  the  district  bankers' 
convention  at  Watertown : 

'The  face  of  our  continent  is  chang- 
ing. Yesterday  we  faced  Europe.  To-mor- 
row we  will  face  Asia.  West  of  this  point 
lies  one  half  of  the  territory  of  the  United 
States  with  one-tenth  of  the  people. 

•P 

It  is  the  better  half  and  capable  of  main- 


130         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

taining  a  population  many  times  greater 
than  the  total  of  the  whole  country.  We  are 
at  present  simply  scratching  around  on  the 
surface  of  things.  A  thousand  civilized  men 
will  thrive  where  a  hundred  savages  starved. 
The  inner  chambers  of  God's  great  granite 
safes,  where  the  oil  and  coal  and  the  iron,  the 
nitrogen,  the  silver  and  the  gold  have  been 
stored  since  the  morning  stars  sang  to- 
gether, are  fastened  with  time  locks  set  for 
the  hour  of  man's  necessity.  It  is  for  us 
to  get  the  combination." 

"I  come  to  you  this  afternoon  with  a 
plea  for  the  silo  for  I  believe  that  it  will  solve 
some — yes  many — of  the  financial  and  eco- 
nomic problems  confronting  us.  I  believe 
that  right  here  within  a  few  miles  of  the 
center  of  the  North  American  continent  in 
the  valley  of  the  Sioux  or  over  in  the  valley 
of  the  "Jim"  or  of  the  Missouri  or  on  the 
hills  of  the  Coteau  or  in  that  trans-Missouri 
country  there  can  be  established  a  perma- 
nent industry  that  will  add  fertility  to  an  al- 
ready fertile  soil,  that  will  bring  prosperity 
and  contentment  to  a  dense  population  and 
will  work  out  on  the  trestle  board  of  life  the 
plans  of  the  Great  Architect  of  the  Uni- 


verse.' 


CLEOPHAS  C.  O'HARRA 

HAS  MADE  GOOD 

Back  in  1908  when  Spafford,  Erickson, 
Norby,  Burt  and  Anderson  composed  the 
board  of  regents,  they  held  a  meeting  at  the 
Royal  hotel  in  Huron.  During  the  session, 
a  motion  was  made  to  appropriate  $200  to 
defray  the  expense  of  sending  Dr.  Cleophas 


132         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

C.  O'Harra  of  the  State  School  of  Mines  at 
Rapid  City,  to  visit  the  institutions  of  the 
east  that  had  sent  expeditions  into  the  Bad 
Lands  in  years  gone  by,  and  to  collect  from 
their  libraries  all  available  records  of  these 
expeditions,  and  to  unite  them  into  one 
general  report  for  use  in  South  Dakota. 
Burt  objected;  Spafford  defended:  the  mo- 
tion prevailed;  and  today,  as  a  result  of  the 
undertaking,  there  is  distributed  through- 
out our  state  and  elsewhere  2,000  copies  of 
Dr.  O'Harra's  "Geology  of  the  Bad  Lands," 
containing  150  pages  of  condensed  subject 
matter,  plus  50  full-page  illustrations.  It  is 
a  document  without  which  no  library  in  the 
state  would  be  complete.  In  addition  to  the 
second-hand  data  used,  Dr.  O'Harra  went 
away  beyond  and  incorporated  into  it  the 
results  of  his  own  immediate  investigations 
and  observations  in  the  Bad  Lands. 

Prior  to  this— in  1902— Dr.  O'Harra 
prepared  and  published  his  "Mineral  Wealth 
of  the  Black  Hills,"  a  book  that  attracted 
wide  attention,  for  it  was  the  first  time  that 
a  ripe  student  of  minerology  had  taken  time 
and  gone  to  the  expense  of  collecting  suf- 
ficient data  from  which  to  work  out  an 
authentic  volume.  New  discoveries  here  and 
there  during  the  past  ten  years  may  make 
its  early  revision  necessary,  but  in  the  main, 


CLEOPHAS  C.  O'HARRA  133 

it  will  always  stand — a  triumphant  achieve- 
ment of  its  indomitable  author. 

PREPARATION  AND  EXPERIENCE 

Dr.  O'Harra  came  into  life  at  the  village 
of  Bentley,  Illinois,  not  far  from  the  old 
Mormon  town  of  Carthage,  in  Hancock  coun- 
ty. His  parents  were  early  pioneers  in  that 
section  of  the  state. 

He  got  his  early  education  in  the  schools 
of  Hancock  county,  and  then  attended  Carth- 
age college,  being  graduated  by  that  insti- 
tution as  an  A.  B.  in  1891.  The  board  of 
directors  immediately  elected  him  a  member 
of  the  faculty  of  his  Alma  Mater,  and  as- 
signed him  to  the  professorship  of  natural 
and  physical  sciences.  He  had  made  good 
as  a  student  and  they  knew  he  would  do  so 
as  a  professor. 

After  filling  this  position  for  four  years, 
he  resigned  in  1895,  to  enter  Johns  Hopkins 
university  at  Baltimore.  Here  he  specialized 
on  geology  and  minerology;  graduated  in 
1898  and  was  given  his  Ph.  D.  degree. 

COMES  WEST 

On  the  very  day  that  he  took  his  final 
examination  at  Johns  Hopkins,  he  was 
elected  professor  of  geology  and  minerology 
in  the  School  of  Mines  at  Rapid  City,  this 
state,  and  he  immediately  struck  west. 

He  filled  this  position  so  satisfactorily 


134         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

for  thirteen  consecutive  years,  that  when 
President  Fulton  of  the  School  of  Mines  re- 
signed in  July,  1911,  Dr.  O'Harra  was 
tendered  the  presidency  of  the  institution. 

The  first  thing  he  did  was  to  throw  out 
the  business  course  and  the  academic  pre- 
paratory course  and  bring  the  institution  up 
to  college  grade  in  all  lines.  The  only  under 
course  now  in  vogue  is  a  preparatory  scien- 
tific course.  This,  under  present  conditions, 
seems  to  be  an  indispensable  necessity.  At 
present  the  school  has  an  enrollment  of  78. 
Only  5  are  girls.  The  change  in  the  course 
of  study  forced  them  to  take  training  else- 
where. Good  for  O'Harra  !  He  did  the  man- 
ly thing. 

DOMESTIC  RELATIONS 

When  Dr.  O'Harra  graduated  at  Carth- 
age, in  1891,  he  was  the  only  member  of 
his  class.  Two  years  later  (1893),  Miss 
Mary  Marble,  of  Bowen,  Illinois,  also  gradu- 
ated at  Carthage  college;  and,  strangely 
enough,  she,  too,  was  the  only  member  of  her 
class.  The  school  is  a  half  century  old,  and 
the  two  occasions  herein  enumerated  are  the 
only  times  in  its  history  when  its  graduating 
class  consisted  of  but  one  person. 

O'Harra  is  a  pious  fellow  as  well  as  a 
philosopher.  He  believes  in  the  scriptures 
and  he  is  a  profound  student  of  them.  He 


CLEOPHAS  C.  O'HARRA  135 

realizes  that  God  meant  it  when  He  inspired 
Moses  to  write  "It  is  not  good  for  man  to  be 
alone;"  so  the  lone  graduate  of  1891  married 
the  lone  graduate  of  1893,  immediately  after 
her  graduation,  and  they  have  been  having 
a  happy  social  duet  ever  since. 

Into  their  cheerful  home  have  come  four 
children — three  boys  and  a  girl.  The  oldest 
son  is  now  a  sophomore  in  the  School  of 
Mines;  the  other  two  are  attending  public 
school  in  Rapid  City,  while  the  girl  is  not 
as  yet  of  school  age. 

OTHER  RELATIONS  AND  ACHIEVEMENTS 

Dr.  O'Harra  was  elected  a  member  of 
1;he  I 'hi  Beta  Kappa  at  Johns  Hopkins.  He 
is  also  a  Fellow  of  the  Geological  Society  of 
America,  a  Fellow  of  the  American  Associ- 
ation for  the  Advance  of  Science,  a  member 
of  the  Seismological  Society  of  America ; 
was  special  assistant  for  the  government  in 
preparing  the  United  States  geological  sur- 
vey ;  published  a  number  of  geological  pam- 
phlets of  his  own,  and  mapped  many  square 
miles  of  Black  Hills  geology,  including  Belle 
Fourche,  Devil's  Tower,  Aladdin  and  Rapid 
Quadrangles. 

He  has  procured  many  choice  views  and 
specimens  of  antedeluvian  fossils.  From 
these  he  gives  two  choice,  scholarly,  illus- 
trated lectures — one  on  the  Black  Hills  and 


136         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

the  other  on  the  Bad  Lands.  The  educational 
value  of  these  two  lectures  is  not  discounted 
by  any  speeches  that  are,  or  have  been,  de- 
livered throughout  the  state. 

In  addition  to  these  two  lectures,  he  has 
developed  a  third,  entitled  'The  Age  of 
Precision,"  which  is  commanding  the  re- 
spect of  the  scholars  of  the  state.  It  is  too 
lengthy  to  be  embodied  in  its  entirety  in  a 
work  of  this  kind,  yet  the  following  extracts 
from  it  will  not  only  prove  interesting  and 
valuable,  but  they  will  suffice  to  give  the 
reader  the  idea  of  the  broad  sweep  and 
beautiful  literary  style  of  the  whole  speech : 

"This  age  above  all  others  demands  the 
keenest  intellects  for  the  solving  of  the 
problems  placed  before  us.  It  is  a  period  of 
unrest.  In  the  busy  marts  of  the  world,  in 
the  quiet  lanes  of  rural  labor,  among  the  en- 
lightened nations  of  the  earth  and  in  the  far 
away  recesses  of  savage  habitation,  the  same 
discontent  appears  and  all  are  seeking  for 
something  better.  Too  many,  discouraged 
by  the  perplexities  of  their  environment  and 
sympathetic  in  reasonable  measure  for  the 
burdens  of  their  brothers,  wonder,  under  the 
weight  of  dissatisfaction,  if  the  world  is  all 
wrong.  Everybody's  in  a  hurry — in  a  hurry 
to  go  somewhere,  in  a  hurry  to  get  rich,  in  a 


CLEOPHAS  C.  O'HARRA  137 

hurry  to  attain  position,  in  a  hurry  to  excel 
in  one  way  or  another. 

HJ         H*         HS         H1         %         H* 

"Six  hundred  years  ago  an  old  English 
King  took  three  ba*rley  corns,  round  and  dry, 
and,  placing  them  end  to  end,  called  the  space 
one  inch,  and  twelve  of  these  spaces  one  foot. 
From  this  crude  beginning  Henry  VII.,  in 
1490,  established  the  earliest  actual  yard- 
stick. This  stick  continued  in  use  250  years. 
It  was  made  of  nicely  shaped  brass,  but  the 
ends  were  neither  exactly  flat  nor  exactly 
parallel.  Three  hundred  years  afterward  the 
Elizabethan  standard  was  made  and  in  1824 
this  was  adopted  by  Parliament.  Ten  years 
later  this  standard  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
Fortunately  one-half  dozen  copies  were  in 
existence  and  from  these  a  new  standard 
was  made.  This  was  legalized  in  1855.  It 
is  today  the  English  standard  of  the  world 
and  a  duplicate  rests  in  the  United  States 
office  of  weights  and  measures  at  Washing- 
ton City. 


" 


In  the  laboratories  at  the  South  Da- 
kota State  School  of  Mines  we  have  weigh- 
ing balances  of  sufficient  refinement  to  weigh 
the  minute  amount  of  graphite  used  in  mak- 
ing the  dot  over  the  letter  T  in  ordinary 
pencil  writing,  and  we  are  told  that  instru- 


138         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

ments  are  now  obtainable  which  will  record 
differences  of  as  little  as  one-thousandth  of 
a  milligram  or  approximately  one-twcnty- 
five  millionth  of  an  avoirdupois  ounce. 

:•:  ;£  %  >!<  ^  :£ 

"Twelve  years  ago  a  new  star  flamed 
forth  in  great  brilliancy  in  the  constellation 
Perseus  and  later  faded  to  insignificance. 
We  are  told  that  the  light  was  three  cen- 
turies in  reaching  us  and  that  the  phenome- 
non causing  this  brilliant  display  seemingly 
occurring  in  1901  had  ,in  reality  taken  place 
in  the  days  of  Oliver  Cromwell.  The  links 
that  make  up  an  ordinary  chain  are  com- 
mon place  enough  but  who  can  refrain  from 
reverie  when  he  learns  that  Neptune 
2,800,000,000  miles  away  is  held  to  the  solar 
center  by  a  gravitational  influence  equiva- 
lent to  the  strength  of  a  rod  of  steel  500  miles 
in  diameter. 

:£          :|c          :£          :{:          :{:          :£ 

"Some  time  ago  a  man  found  an  ant 
dragging  a  grasshopper  and  being  impressed 
by  the  incident  weighed  both.  The  ant 
weighed  3.2  milligrams  and  the  grasshopper 
190  milligrams — sixty  times  as  much.  Just 
as  many  another  might  do  the  observer 
stated  that  this  was  equivalent  to  a  150- 
pound  man  dragging  a  load  of  4  1-2  tons  or 
a  1,200  pound  horse  a  load  of  36  tons.  Later 


CLEOPHAS  C.  O'HARRA  139 

a  keener  observer  showed  a  fallacy  in  this 
reasoning  in  that  the  weight  of  the  animal 
varies  approximately  as  the  cube  of  its  line- 
al dimensions  while  its  strength  varies  ap- 
proximately as  the  square  of  the  diameter  of 
the  muscle.  Calculation  on  this  basis  shows 
the  strength  of  the  ant  compared  with  that 
of  man  to  be  much  the  same  rather  than 
many  times  as  great. 

*'*  i^I  5ti  ife  ft'  jfe 

"The  United  States  Coast  and  Geodetic 
Survey  in  connection  with  a  similar  organi- 
zation from  Canada  is  marking  with  extreme 
precision  the  boundary  line  between  the  two 
countries.  It  so  happens  that  the  axis  of 
rotation  of  the  earth  varies  its  position  in 
regular  order  in  periods  of  about  fourteen 
months.  This  leads  to  a  corresponding 
variation  in  latitude  along  this  boundary  line 
so  that  according  to  a  recent  statement  by 
one  of  the  chief  officials  of  this  survey  any 
point  of  the  boundary  line  if  precisely  fixed 
on  a  given  day  may  be  as  much  as  50  or  60 
feet  distant  seven  months  later. 

H:          ^          H=          *          #          * 

"The  ability  to  think  is  a  divine  gift. 
The  higher  the  mountain  the  greater  the  op- 
portunity for  vision.  A  thousand  years  ago 
heaven  had  a  particular  physical  location. 
But,  as  has  been  well  stated,  heaven  today 


140         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

has  a  different  meaning  to  men  who  know 
that  the  earth  is  whirling  through  space  at 
a  rate  of  66,000  miles  an  hour  and  that  the 
direction  of  the  zenith  changes  every  sixty 
minutes  through  an  angle  equal  to  15  degrees 
multiplied  by  the  cosine  of  the  latitude.  Far 
more  faith  than  unbelief  will  come  from  the 
intelligent  acceptance  of  well  founded  scien- 
tific facts.  Science  makes  for  purity,  genu- 
ineness and  truth.  Half  a  century  ago  we 
limited  the  age  of  the  earth  to  a  few  thou- 
sand years  and  viewed  with  righteous  horror 
any  who  might  raise  a  question.  Today  we 
grant  ourselves  unlimited  millions  and  we 

love  God  all  the  more. 

****** 

"The  same  requirement  exists  whatever 
be  our  places.  Let  us  not  start  out  by 
mourning  over  a  supposed  degeneracy  of  the 
present.  There  never  has  been  a  day  better 
than  today  and  tomorrow  will  be  a  little 
ahead  of  this  one.  Grumblers  are  seldom 
efficient.  Let  us  open  our  door  to  cheerful- 
ness and  surround  ourselves  with  joy.  Let 
us  make  our  hearts  storehouses  for  unselfish 
thoughts  and  our  hands  instruments  for 
ready  action.  Let  us  see  to  it  that  our  work, 
conceived  in  faith  and  wrought  in  patience, 
has  the  element  of  accuracy,  permanency, 
and  helpfulness,  so  that  even  better  than  the 


CLEOPHAS  C.  O'HARRA  141 

Herculanean  manuscripts  written  in  carbon 
ink  it  may  withstand  the  vicissitudes  of  the 
ages." 

The  Doctor  is  a  man  of  tremendous  ten- 
sion of  intellect,  a  profound  student,  a  care- 
ful observer,  a  close  reasoner  and  a  deep 
thinker;  in  fact,  he  is  acknowledged  as  one 
of  the  leading  scholars  of  the  state.  His 
habits  are  of  the  simplest  kind,  and  his  so- 
ciability and  fellowship  are  unsurpassed. 


C.  F.  HACKETT 

ANOTHER  PIONEER  EDITOR 

About  eight  months  ago,  ten  sturdy 
pioneers,  with  either  bald  or  semi-bald 
heads,  who  had  been  in  business  in  Parker, 


144         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

this  state,  continuously  for  thirty  years  or 
more,  had  their  pictures  taken  in  a  group. 
One  great  commanding  figure  stands  among 
them,  just  back  of  Mr.  Lord  (Banker  Lord, 
if  you  please — not  at  Armageddon;  but  in 
choice  company  nevertheless).  It  is  Editor 
Charles  F.  Hackett,  of  the  "Parker  New 
Era"  -a  man  who  has  done  more  to  place 
Parker  on  the  map  and  keep  it  there,  than 
all  other  forces  combined;  one  whose  good 
deeds  will  live  after  he  is  dead  and  gone ;  one 
who  left  the  imprint  of  his  personality  upon 
our  pioneer  days  as  few  other  men  have  ever 
done. 

ANCESTRY 

Charles  F.  Hackett's  geneology  shows 
a  lineage  of  high  rank.  The  name  "Hackett" 
is  from  the  old  English  word  "Harcourt." 
His  paternal  ancestors  came  over  from  Eng- 
land, after  the  fall  of  Cromwell  and  settled 
in  Connecticut.  Hackett,  the  commentator, 
and  Hacketts,  the  actors,  came  from  this 
stock.  Charles'  great-grandfather  on  his 
father's  side  settled  in  southwest  New  Jer- 
sey and  engaged  in  lumbering  and  ship- 
building. His  grandmother,  on  his  father's 
side,  was  Sarah  Reeve.  Her  ancestors  came 
over  from  England,  in  1660,  and  also  settled 
in  New  Jersey.  On  his  mother's  side,  his 


C.  F.  HACKETT  145 

grandparents  were  also  English.     They  mi- 
grated to  Jersey  in  1780. 

Hackett's  father  was  a  self-educated 
school  teacher,  and  a  local  Methodist 
preacher  for  about  thirty  years.  Charles, 
himself,  ought  to  have  been  a  preacher  also- 
he  has  all  of  the  characteristics.  For  sev- 
eral years  he  has  been  running  a  chapter  of 
the  Bible  each  week  in  the  New  Era.  This 
is  right!  Many  a  man  reads  it  who  would 
not  bother  to  pick  up  a  Bible. 

AN  APPRENTICE  LAD 

The  old  Hackett  homestead  near  Man- 
nington,  Salem  county,  New  Jersey,  has  been 
in  the  family  for  225  years.  It  was  here 
that  Charles  F.  was  born,  May  20,  1853.  He 
has  five  brothers  and  five  sisters,  all  of  whom 
are  still  living,  except  one  girl,  and  all  of 
whom  were  born  on  the  old  homestead. 

When  Charles  was  fifteen  years  of  age, 
his  father  apprenticed  him  to  William  S. 
Sharp,  of  Salem,  N.  J.,  publisher  of  "The 
Standard,"  at  Salem,  at  $2  per  week.  The 
boy  had  to  pay  for  his  room  and  board. 
These  cost  him  $3  per  week.  He  earned  the 
balance  by  doing  chores.  Near  the  close  of 
the  first  year,  he  got  a  raise  in  his  apprentice 
fee  to  $3  per  week. 

HIS  FIRST  TIP 

The  tipping  business,  like  other  social 


146         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

habits,  has  its  good  and  its  bad  sides.  Again, 
it  is  not  nearly  such  a  recent  creation  as 
some  of  us  would  suppose,  for,  judging  from 
the  boyhood  record  of  Charles  Hackett,  it 
dates  back  fifty  years — at  least  among  poli- 
ticians. It  is  possible,  of  course,  that  other 
folks  at  that  time  had  not  as  yet  developed 
the  contagion. 

Well,  it  was  this  way:  Young  Hackett 
had  gotten  to  be  the  "handy"  boy  around  the 
old  print  shop.  From  the  start  he  had  not 
seen  in  it  more  than  $2  per  week.  Ever  alert 
and  willing,  he  knew  what  was  in  every  case 
and  tool  box  around  the  place ;  and  he  wasn't 
afraid  of  extra  hours,  either.  He  had  in  him 
that  fundamental  instinct  which  revealed  to 
him  that  the  quickest  way  to  get  a  raise  in 
salary  was  to  show  to  his  employer  that  he 
could  earn  it. 

He  had  to  be  at  the  office  at  5 :30  in  the 
morning  and  sweep  out.  One  evening  during 
General  Grant's  first  campaign  for  the  presi- 
dency, the  chairman  of  the  republican  state 
central  committee  for  New  Jersey,  came  to 
The  Standard  office  late  one  evening;  found 
the  Hackett  boy  loitering  around  the  shop 
experimenting  with  new  forms;  asked  him 
if  he  could  get  out  some  campaign  hand  bills 


C.  F.  HACKETT  147 

for  him  and  get  them  onto  an  early  morning 
up-Delaware  flatboat  that  left  dock  at  4:30 
a.  m. 

"Sure!"  exclaimed  the  lad,  "I'm  always 
up  by  that  time/' 

"All  right,"  said  the  politician  whose 
corporosity  was  equalled  only  by  his  gen- 
erosity, "tell  your  employer  to  charge  them 
to  the  Grant  committee — he  understands, 
and  here's  something  for  yourself  (handing 
the  boy  a  dollar)." 

"Oh!  That's  too  much!"  declared  the 
boy;  take  75  cents  of  it  back!" 

"Never  mind,"  said  the  "corporate" 
gentleman,  with  a  broad  grin  on  his  broad 
face,  "just  get  the  posters  down  to  the  boat 
on  time;  it  will  be  all  right." 

That  day  Charles  Hackett  was  the  hap- 
piest boy  in  Salem.  It  is  safe  to  assume  that 
he  thought  himself  in  Salem,  Massachusetts, 
instead  of  in  Salem,  New  Jersey,  and  that 
those  fancied  witches  had  again  broken  out. 
He  took  that  "easy"  dollar  out  of  his  pocket 
very  easily  at  least  a  hundred  times  during 
that  day  and  looked  at  it ;  and  right  then  and 
there  he  got  his  initiation  into  the  political 
game  as  well  as  into  the  tipping  habit. 
Somehow  this  tipping  business  appeals  to 
us  like  this: 


148         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

TIPS 

Give  a  quarter 

To  the  porter 
Who   deserves    it,    every   time, 

But  withhold   it 

From  the  bandit 
Who  would  spend  it  for  strong  wine. 

So  be  careful, 

Gentle  tipper, 
Whom  you  tip  and  what  you  tip  for, 

Tips    that  tipple 

Soon  may  ripple 
Friendships  of  the  days  of  yore. 

Bounteous   heaven 
Smile  upon  you 
When  a  righteous  tip  is  given 
But  its   curses- 
Empty  purses- 
May  consign  you  to  oblivion. 

CHANGED  POSITIONS 

In  1869,  Hackett's  employer  went 
"broke,"  and  the  lad  lost  several  weeks  of 
his  apprentice  fee.  Then  he  went  to  Phila- 
delphia and  apprenticed  himself  for  four 
years  to  the  American  Baptist  Publication 
Society.  He  began  at  $3.75  per  week;  but 
his  board  and  room  were  $4.00  per  week,  so 
he  took  on  the  extra  work  of  carrying  the 
locked-up  forms  from  the  composing  room 
on  the  third  floor  to  the  press  room  in  the 
basement  and  received  75  cents  per  week 
extra  for  this  task.  This  arrangement  en- 
abled him  to  pay  his  living  expenses  and  left 


C.  F.  HACKETT  149 

him  a  surplus  of  50  cents,  each  week,  with 
which  to  pay  his  laundry  bills  and  other  in- 
cidentals. 

GETS  AN  EDUCATION 

By  the  end  of  the  first  two  months  the 
"new  apprentice"  had  so  ingratiated  himself 
into  the  affection  of  his  employers  and  had 
made  himself  so  valuable  in  various  ways 
around  the  office,  that  he  was  given  a  volun- 
tary raise  in  salary.  He  was  raised  again 
in  another  sixty  days,  and  every  two  months 
thereafter  during  the  entire  four  years.  He 
got  it  simply  because  he  demonstrated  to  his 
employers  that  he  could  earn  it.  The  boy 
did  not  grow  extravagant  in  his  expendi- 
tures, simply  because  his  earnings  had  in- 
creased, but  instead  he  pursued  the  same 
rigid  economy  throughout. 

During  the  four  years  with  the  Ameri- 
can Baptist  Publication  Society,  he  saved 
enough  money  to  put  himself  through  school. 
Right  here  is  a  lesson  in  finance,  in  boyhood, 
in  acquiring  an  education,  which  every 
poor  boy,  if  he  would  be  successful,  must 
learn  and  adopt.  Success  is  the  direct  result 
of  aiming  at  an  ideal.  The  element  of  chance 
is  seldom  of  any  specific  use.  Just  so  with 
young  Hackett ;  he  saved  his  small  coins  and 
with  them  put  himself  through  school.  First, 
he  attended  the  academy  in  Salem  for  one 


150         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

year,  then  he  attended  the  state  normal  at 
Trenton,  N.  J.,  for  two  years. 

THE  TREND  OF  EVENTS 

During  his  vacations  he  worked  at  var- 
ious things  to  earn  more  money  and  to  con- 
serve his  diminishing  resources.  In  the  va- 
cation of  1874  he  edited  and  published  the 
"Woodstown  (N.  J.)  Register,"  while  the 
proprietor,  William  Taylor  (a  cousin  of  the 
famous  novelist,  Bayard  Taylor,  and  a 
brother  of  Maris  and  of  James  Taylor  who  in 
the  early  days  of  Dakota  established  at  Yank- 
ton  the  "Yankton  Herald"  now  owned  and 
published  by  the  celebrated  Mark  M.  Ben- 
nett), toured  Europe. 

The  Taylors  took  a  decided  liking  to 
young  Hackett  and  they  were  deeply  im- 
pressed with  his  keen  editorial  pronuncia- 
mentos.  So,  in  1876,  the  two  brothers  who 
had  gone  west  and  established  themselves  in 
the  newspaper  business  at  Yankton,  sent  for 
Hackett  to  come  and  join  them. 

He  did  so;  and  upon  his  arrival  he  was 
made  city  editor  of  the  Herald.  He  arrived 
with  $2.40  in  his  pockets,  a  trunk  and  two 
suits  of  clothes.  The  Taylors  were  in  no 
better  shape  financially  than  he.  They 
had  induced  him  to  come  west  with  the  as- 
surance that  they  were  going  to  make  a  daily 
of  the  Herald,  etc.,  etc.,  ad  infinitum. 


C.  F.  HACKETT  151 

In  addition  to  being  city  editor,  the 
young  fellow  soon  found  himself  setting 
type,  running  the  presses,  doing  the  solicit- 
ing and  the  collecting — in  fact  chief  cook  and 
bottle  washer,  with  his  wages  unpaid  for 
several  months.  This  continued  for  a  year. 
He  wanted  to  go  home  but  he  hadn't  the 
money  to  go  with.  During  the  second  year, 
he  acted  as  field  solicitor;  rode  over  north- 
western Nebraska  and  southeastern  Dakota, 
visiting  the  new  settlements  here  and  there, 
taking  subscriptions  and  writing  up  for 
publication  in  the  Herald  the  lives  of  prom- 
inent men  in  the  several  colonies. 

TRIP  TO    MILITARY   FORTS 

About  the  only  fellows  left  out  west  who 
were  receiving  money  regularly  were  the 
soldiers,  stationed  in  the  military  forts  at 
and  above  Yankton  along  the  Missouri  river, 
to  Bismarck.  It  was,  therefore,  decided  that 
Mr.  Hackett  had  better  make  his  way  over 
land  up  the  river  to  all  of  these  forts,  write 
up  the  officers  and  take  as  many  cash  sub- 
scriptions for  the  Herald  as  he  possibly 
could. 

The  account  of  this  trip  contains  so 
many  details,  the  names  of  so  many  men  who 
have  since  become  prominent  in  the  history 
of  the  Dakotas,  and  it  comprises  such  a  vital 


152        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

part  of  our  state  history,  that  Mr.  Hackett's 
own  story  is  to  be  published  later. 

CUPID'S  PART  IN  A  LIFE  DRAMA 

Upon  his  return  to  Yankton,  via  St. 
Paul,  after  his  harrowing  trip  northward, 
Mr.  Hackett  decided  to  "pull  stakes"  and 
return  to  his  boyhood  haunts.  At  that  time 
(1878)  Shurtleff  &  Deming  were  running  a 
stage  line  between  Yankton  and  Sioux  Falls. 
It  crossed  the  Vermillion  river  on  a  ford 
at  the  old  village  of  Finlay,  in  Turner  county ; 
and  it  also  passed  through  the  village  of 
Swan  Lake,  which,  in  the  long-gone  years, 
stood  about  four  miles  south  of  the  present 
town  of  Hurley,  on  the  old  military  road. 

Mr.  Hackett  had  friends  at  Sioux  Falls 
whom  he  desired  to  bid  good-by  before  he 
started  east.  Accordingly  he  took  the  Yank- 
ton-Sioux  Falls  stage  via  Swan  Lake  and 
Finlay.  When  they  reached  Swan  Lake,  Vale 
P.  Thielman,  postmaster  at  the  village  and 
clerk  of  the  court  for  Turner  county  (Swan 
Lake  was  at  that  time  the  county  seat), 
urged  Hackett  to  abandon  his  plans ;  to  come 
to  Swan  Lake,  buy  the  "Swan  Lake  Era,"  a 
newspaper  that  had  been  established  at  that 
village  in  June,  1875,  by  H.  B.  Chaffer,  and 
to  enter  newspaperdom  on  his  own  behalf. 
Hackett  agreed  to  think  it  over. 

The  old  stage  was  driven  at  that  time  by 


C.  F.  HACKETT  153 

Jack  Halsey.  He  now  lives  in  Parker,  and 
he  and  Mr.  Hackett  frequently  enjoy  rem- 
iniscences of  their  trip  together,  side  by 
side  on  the  old  stage  seat,  from  Yankton  to 
Sioux  Falls  and  back — as  we  shall  see  later. 
When  they  arrived  at  the  Vermillion 
river  ford  at  Finlay,  the  stage  halted,  to 
exchange  mail  and  water  the  horses.  Young 
Hackett  climbed  down  and  went  into  the 
post-office  to  say  good-bye  to  the  postmaster, 
Rev.  J.  J.  Mclntire,  whom  he  had  before  met 
and  who  was  just  then  mourning  the  loss  of 
his  devoted  pioneer  wife.  Mclntire  was 
away  at  the  time.  His  youngest  daughter, 
Miss  Carrie,  was  looking  after  the  store  and 
post-office  for  him.  Hackett  stood  and 
chatted  with  her  while  Halsey  watered  the 
team. 

"Beneath  her  torn   hat  glowed   the   wealth 
Of  simple  beauty  and  rustic  health." 

The  stage  drove  on.  Hackett  grew 
strangely  melancholy  as  he  pondered  o'er 
another  one  of  Whittier's  choice  couplets  in 
"Maud  Muller :" 

"A  form  more  fair,  a  face  more  sweet, 
Ne'er  hath  it  been  my  lot  to  meet." 

When  he  reached  Sioux  Falls,  he  sud- 
denly changed  his  mind  and  decided  to  go 
back  to  Yankton  via  Finlay.  When  he  ar- 
rived at  Finlay  she  was  there.  Together 
they  walked  down  to  the  well,  and  the  gal- 


154        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

lant  young  lover  took  hold  of  the  rope  that 
lifted 

"The  old  oaken  bucket,  the  iron-bound  bucket, 
The  moss-covered  bucket  that  hung  in  the  well," 

as  hand  over  hand  he  raised  it  to  the  top, 

"Filled  with  the  nectar  that  Jupiter  sips." 
Tis  done!  Today,  she  is  Mrs.  Hackett, 
postmistress  at  Parker;  and  all  who  come 
within  the  radius  of  her  charming  life  join 
in  congratulating  her  valiant  husband  on  his 
stage  trip  in  the  seventies  and  for  having 
"changed  his  mind." 


BUYS   THE    SWAN    PAPER 

When  Hackett  got  back  to  Swan  Lake, 
Thielman  was  waiting  for  him,  and  again  he 
urged  Hackett  to  buy  the  paper.  It  was  in 
a  rundown  condition;  Hackett  was  not 
favorably  impressed,  but  he  was  anxious  to 
get  settled  in  Turner  county — and  right 
away;  for  as  he,  himself,  once  confessed  to 
the  writer :  "That  girl  at  the  ford  had  more 
to  do  with  my  having  settled  in  Turner 
county  than  did  the  newspaper  or  anything 
else." 

Briefly,  the  history  of  the  paper  was 
this :  H.  B.  Chaffee,  of  Vermillion,  came  over 
to  Swan  Lake  and  started  it,  as  previously 
stated,  in  June,  1875.  He  continued  it  till 
the  fall  of  1877;  then  he  sold  the  plant  to 
Smith  &  Grigsby  (Col.  Melvin  Grigsby)  who 


C.  F.  HACKETT  155 

removed  it  to  Sioux  Falls  and  merged  it  with 
"The  Pantagraph."  The  next  spring  (April 
1878),  William  Gardner  came  out  from 
Chicago,  resurrected  the  paper,  named  it  the 
"Swan  Lake  Press,"  and  started  things  all 
over  again.  He  ran  it  until  October  19,  1878, 
when  he  sold  out  to  Chas.  F.  Hackett  who  has 
since  been  its  constant  owner  and  publisher. 
Its  original  name  was  "The  Swan  Lake  Era." 
Hackett  changed  it  to  "The  New  Era."  When 
the  Milwaukee  railroad  built  into  Turner 
county,  in  1879,  Mr.  Hackett  removed  the 
paper  to  Parker  and  re-named  it,  'The  Par- 
ker New  Era,"  which  name  it  bears  to  this 
day. 

Reverting  to  the  meeting  of  Thielman 
and  Hackett,  at  Swan  Lake,  on  the  latter's 
return  trip  from  Sioux  Falls,  Hackett  told 
Thielman  that  he  did  not  have  the  money 
with  which  to  buy  the  outfit;  that  his  entire 
assets  were  a  note  of  $250,  given  him  by 
Taylor  Brothers,  of  Yankton,  for  unpaid 
salary.  Thielman  promised  to  back  him. 

However,  Hackett  returned  to  Yankton 
and  then  went  to  Vermillion  to  bid  good-bye 
to  Bower,  Burdick,  and  to  that  prince  of 
chivalrous  business  men,  D.  M.  Inman,  who 
at  the  time  of  his  sudden  death  a  few  months 
since,  was  president  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Vermillion,  and  a  man  whose  noble 


156        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

traits,  business  sagacity  and  commercial  in- 
stinct made  him  worthy  to  be  president  of 
any  institution  in  our  land.  Inman  urged 
Hackett  to  buy  the  "Vermillion  Republican." 
The  price  seemed  too  high.  Hackett  told  In- 
man of  the  Swan  Lake  proposition.  Right 
then  and  there  a  Johnathan  and  David 
friendship  sprang  up  between  them. 

"You're  an  honest  young  fellow,"  said 
Inman,  "and  the  west  holds  more  opportuni- 
ties for  you  than  does  the  east.  Go  ahead 
and  buy  the  plant.  I'll  supply  the  money 
and  take  for  it  a  plain  note  at  a  low  rate  of 
interest.  This  is  going  to  be  a  great  country 
some  day  and  I  am  anxious  to  see  it  built 
up  with  fellows  like  yourself." 

Hackett  needed  $200.  Inman  advanced 
it  and  took  Hackett's  note  payable  in  two 
years.  Hackett  rushed  across  the  country 
to  Swan  Lake,  bought  the  paper  on  October 
10th;  got  out  the  first  edition  on  October 
15th  and  every  succeeding  edition  to  date. 
He  boarded  out  some  of  his  advertising  ac- 
counts, apprenticed  a  young  fellow  to  help 
him,  got  some  badly  needed  new  clothes,  had 
his  picture  taken  with  the  "New  Era"  hang- 
ing across  his  breast;  lived  frugally,  and  in 
eight  months  paid  off  his  note  to  Inman — 
long  before  it  was  due;  moved  his  printing 
plant  to  Parker  in  1879;  made  frequent 


C.  F.  HACKETT  157 

trips  to  Finlay,  and  in  October,  1880,  tri- 
umphed in  one  of  the  neatest  and  truest  love 
matches  ever  completed  within  the  state. 

SUCCESSFUL 

Editor  Hackett  prospered  greatly  at 
Parker.  Today  he  owns  two  fine  farms  in 
Turner  county  and  several  business  blocks 
in  the  city  of  Parker.  He  has  but  recently 
moved  his  printing  plant  and  the  post-office 
into  an  elegant,  large,  new,  modern  building 
of  his  own.  He  has  demonstrated,  as  did 
his  contemporaries- -Willey  at  Vermillion, 
Day  at  Sioux  Falls,  Bonham  at  Deadwood, 
Gossage  at  Rapid  City,  Stanley  at  Hot 
Springs,  Longstaff  at  Huron  and  McLeod  at 
Aberdeen,  that  there  is  money  to  be  made 
in  the  printing  business  if  it  is  conducted 
right. 

Another  very  pertinent  and  noticeable 
thing  about  all  of  these  editors,  and  several 
others  not  mentioned,  is  that  they  have  kept 
out  of  politics  quite  largely  and  attended  to 
business ;  that  is,  they  have  not  been  chronic 
office  seekers  themselves. 

Mr.  Hackett  was  appointed  chief  en- 
rolling clerk  of  the  first  state  legislature  in 
1889-90;  was  assistant  secretary  of  the  sec- 
ond state  senate  (these  appointive  positions 


158         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

pay)  ;  has  served  as  clerk  of  the  Courts  in 
Turner  county;  is  a  Shriner,  a  Knight 
Templar,  an  Odd  Fellow,  a  Mason  and  an 
A.  0.  U.  W. 


JOY  M.  HACKLER 

ATE  JACK-RABBITS  AND  CUCUMBERS 

The  names  of  "Hackler"  and  "Rosebud" 
are  synonymous.  It  took  Joy  Hackler,  of  the 
Gregory  National  bank,  to  develop  the  Rose- 
bud reservation,  and  it  took  the  Rosebud  to 
develop  Joy  Hackler.  You  can't  separate 
them  without  spoiling  both.  Still,  Joy  is  no 
"hackler"  about  rosebuds.  While  he  en- 


160        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

"Joy"  (s)  them,  yet  sand-cherries  are  his 
choice. 

Let's  not  hackle  about  this  proposition, 
but  hit  the  nail  right  square  on  the  head  at 
once.  Joy  Hackler  was  born  five  miles  from 

Nebraska  City,  Nebraska,  June  14,  1877. 
There  were  June  rosebuds  everywhere,  but 
Joy  found  more  "joy"  among  the  sand- 
cherries  on  the  sand  dunes  and  sandy  plains 
of  Nebraska.  At  six  years  of  age,  his  par- 
ents removed  with  him  to  Keyapha  county, 
Nebraska.  They  were  very  poor.  Here  Joy 
and  the  other  children  attended  rural  school, 
and  lived  on  sand-cherries  and  buttermilk. 
This  diet  made  them  poddy,  or  paunchy,  as 
the  typical  westerner  would  say.  Their 
neighbors  were  equally  poor.  Their  children 
also  washed  down  their  sand-cherries  with 
buttermilk.  One  of  these  children  finally 
swelled  up  and  died.  The  local  doctor  said 
its  death  was  caused  by  the  berries  and  that 
they  were  poison.  Word  was  sent  over  the 
whole  community  not  to  eat  any  more  of 
them.  The  Hacklers  disobeyed.  However, 
for  a  winter  diet  their  food  varied,  and  they 
lived  mostly  on  jack-rabbits  and  cucumbers. 
The  acid  in  the  vinegar  on  the  cucumbers 
killed  the  wild  taste  of  the  rabbit  meat  and 
the  Hacklers  lived  on  this  diet  for  several 


JOY  M.  HACKLER  161 

months  at  a  time,  without  even  getting  the 
scurvy. 

However,  it  is  from  just  such  homes  as 
these  that  the  west  is  developing  her 
strongest  and  her  ablest  men.  The  poverty 
of  boyhood  is  readily  superceded  by  the 
riches  of  manhood,  and  the  transition  is  not 
one-tenth  so  much  luck  as  it  is  adaptability 
of  a  man  to  his  environment.  Such  a  man 
is  Joy  M.  Hackler.  We  are  proud  of  him. 

At  twelve  years  of  age,  his  parents  re- 
moved with  him  to  Springview,  Nebraska, 
where  the  lad  for  a  few  years  had  the  advan- 
tage of  town  school.  He  completed  the 
grades  and  spent  one  year  in  the  high  school. 

This  constituted  his  scholastic  preparation 
for  life. 

However,  he  had  gotten  along  far 
enough  in  his  studies,  so  that  he  passed  a 
teachers'  examination  in  1894  and  secured 
a  third  grade  certificate.  On  this  he  taught 
one  term,  for  which  service  truly  rendered, 
he  received  the  magnificent  salary  of 
$18  per  month.  Out  of  this  he  paid  his 
board  and  other  expenses.  They  didn't  "live 
around"  in  those  days  like  they  used  to  away 
back  in  the  hoosier  days  of  Indiana  and  the 
early  years  of  Illinois. 


162         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

COMES  TO  DAKOTA 

In  December,  1904,  when  the  Rosebud 
was  opened  for  settlement,  Mr.  Hackler  came 
to  Dakota  and  organized  at  Gregory  the 
Gregory  State  bank,  which  he  opened  for 
business  January  1,  following.  The  bank 
had  a  capital  of  $5,000.  In  1907,  he  increased 
the  capital  to  $25,000;  and  in  1909,  to 
$50,000  and  made  it  a  national  bank.  This 
institution  was  promptly  made  a  United 
States  depository.  On  January  22,  1913,  the 
Corn  Belt  Bank  and  Trust  company  was  con- 
solidated with  it — the  consolidated  institu- 
tion retaining  the  name  of  the  Gregory 
bank.  So  much  for  the  financial  achieve- 
ments of  a  self-made  lad  who  grew  up  on  the 
sand  hills  of  Nebraska,  but  who  has  helped 
to  develop  Dakota ! 

MARRIES 

Mr.  Hackler  was  married  on  July  29, 
1903 — about  a  year  and  a  half  before  he 
came  to  Dakota — to  Miss  Nellie  Tissue,  of 
Springview,  Nebraska.  She  was  deputy 
county  treasurer  at  Springview,  and  as  such 
she  had  acquired  a  practical  business  educa- 
tion. Such  girls  make  the  best  mothers  on 
earth.  Hackler  chose  wisely.  They  are  to- 
day the  proud  parents  of  a  seven-year-old 
boy  named  Victor,  and  he  bids  mighty  well 
to  be  a  "victor"  like  his  dad. 


JOY  M.  HACKLER  163 

PUBLIC    SPEAKER 

Peculiarly  enough,  Mr.  Hackler,  like 
0.  L.  Branson,  president  of  the  First  National 
Bank  at  Mitchell,  and  like  Lieutenant- 
Governor  E.  L.  Abel,  president  of  the  City 
National  Bank  of  Huron,  is  a  combination 
of  business  sagacity  and  literary  instinct. 
He  is  one  of  the  happiest  after-dinner 
speakers  in  the  state.  Last  year,  while  Mr. 
Roosevelt  was  prominent  before  the  public 
eye,  Mr.  Hackler  was  called  upon  to  respond 
to  a  toast  at  a  bankers'  convention  held  in 
Dallas,  this  state.  It  was  such  an  original 
speech  and  such  a  witty  "take  off,"  that  we 
have  decided  to  use  a  portion  of  it  here.  The 
adaptation  of  his  keen  thrusts  will  at  once 
be  seen  by  all  who  last  year  were  regular 
readers  of  the  newspapers : 

"At  a  banquet  before  the  last  one  I  at- 
tended, I  responded  to  a  toast,  or  rather  I 
attempted  to  respond  and  immediately  after- 
wards I  declared,  and  made  the  statement 
that  'Under  no  circumstances  would  I  again 
accept  an  invitation  to  speak  at  a  banquet.' 
A  short  time  after  this  announcement  I  at- 
tended another  banquet  and  was  called  upon 
for  a  talk  and  referred  then  to  my  prevoius 
announcement  and  said,  'I  have  not  changed 
and  shall  not  change  that  decision  thus  an- 
nounced.' 


164        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

"Last  evening  I  was  urgently  requested 
by  the  board  of  seven  little  governors  or 
managers  of  this  group  to  respond  to  the 
toast  'Our  Association  and  its  Social  Side.' 
It  was  pointed  out  to  me  and  I  was  clearly 
shown  that  my  speech  at  the  banquet  was 
absolutely  necessary  to  save  the  association 
from  the  domination  of  the  bosses.  I  thus 
decided  to  accept  the  invitation  and  shall  ad- 
here to  that  decision  until  my  speech  is  com- 
pleted or  until  I  am  ejected  from  the  hall. 

"My  'hat  is  now  in  the  ring,'  and  in  view 
of  this  very,  very  urgent  request  of  the  seven 
little  governors  or  managers  and  the  com- 
mon bankers  behind  them  I'm  in  the  fight 
to  the  finish  and  will  not  stand  for  any 
crooked  manipulation  by  the  bosses. 

"I  will  perhaps  be  criticized  for  again 
entering  the  ring  since  I  had  announced  that 
I  would  not  again  do  so,  but  I  meant  that  I 
would  not  speak  at  two  consecutive  ban- 
quets. 

"I  expect  to  hit  straight  from  the 
shoulder  and  will  likely  put  you  over  the 
ropes;  I  may  also  hit  below  the  belt,  but  I 
trust  you  will  not  squeal  as  you  are  not,  or 
should  not  be,  that  species  of  animal;  al- 
though I  have  heard  of  bankers  being  called 
names  that  would  indicate  there  was  some 
squeal  in  them. 


JOY  M.  HACKLER  165 

"I  assume  that  there  are  no  crooked 
bankers  or  politicians  at  the  banquet  board 
tonight  as  I  should  certainly  have  declined 
to  sit  with  them  had  I  known  them  to  be 
such.  It  makes  no  difference  to  me  whether 
or  not  the  charge  of  crookedness  had  been 
proven,  the  charge  itself  is  sufficient  to  war- 
rant me  in  saying  that  he  or  they  'are  un- 
desirable citizens'  and  should  be  forthwith 
ejected. 

"I  typify  and  am  the  embodiment  of  the 
progressive  banker,  and  it  so  happens  that 
I  am  the  only  man  wrho  can  represent  you  in 
the  role  of  the  'Social  and  Moral  Ethics  of 
Banking.  I  am  therefore  fortunately  and 
peculiarly  adapted  to  the  place  on  the  pro- 
gram assigned  me  of  bringing  up  the  rear, 
and  bringing  in  the  sheaves,  (when  the 
sheaves  constitute  hot  air  and  little  thought) . 

:'I  want  it  understood  that  I  am  against 
the  bosses  when  they  are  against  me  and  am 
with  them  when  they  are  going  my  way.  I 
have  today  seen  committees  appointed  with- 
out the  aid  or  consent  of  myself,  although  as 
a  member  of  one  committee,  I  could  not  con- 
trol it  and  'My  Policies'  were  not  adopted  in 
their  entirety,  and  right  here  I  wish  to  say 
that  hereafter  I  propose  to  take  my  case  to 
the  common  bankers  and  do  away  with  the 
high  handed  methods  that  have  prevailed  in 


166         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

all  bankers  conventions  since  there  were 
banks,  and  put  a  stop  to  the  work  of  such 
consummate  bosses  as  E.  A.  Jackson,  W.  S. 
Ayers,  C.  E.  Burnham,  et  al. 

"I  am  in  favor  of  the  recall  in  all  its 
ramifications.  I  am  in  favor  of  not  only 
recalling  the  decision,  but  the  banker  him- 
self who  loans  money  for  less  than  12  per 
cent  and  pays  higher  than  6  per  cent  on  time 
deposits.  I  am  also  in  favor  of  invoking  the 
recall  where  the  bankers  organization  is 
dominated  by  the  bosses  and  does  not  follow 
'my  policies.' 

"I  am  opposed  to  arbitration  and  peace 
treaties,  as  they  might  interfere  with  my 
fighting  qualities ;  for  how  would  I  have  had 
a  great  reputation  had  it  not  been  for  my 
memorable  fighting  record  up  a  certain  hill 
in  a  certain  southern  island?  I  am  also 
against  arbitration,  on  the  theory  that  it 
might  interfere  with  my  local  Monroe  doc- 
trine which  is  this:  There  shall  be  no  in- 
fringement on  our  territory,  nor  the  estab- 
lishment of  any  outside  or  foreign  bank  or 
banker  on  Rosebud  soil/  And  I  shall  fight 
to  the  last  ditch  to  maintain  that  doctrine  so 
long  established  and  adhered  to  by  our  fore- 
fathers and  early  bankers. 


JOY  M.  HACKLER  167 

"I  am  indeed  sorry  that  I  cannot  ad- 
dress you  from  the  rear  end  of  a  special  train 
fully  equipped  with  everything  that  Har- 
vester and  Steel  Trust  Money  can  buy.  I  am 
sorry  that  I  can  not  show  my  teeth  to  better 
advantage,  take  my  cowboy  hat  in  my  hand 
and  pound  it  over  the  railing  of  the  car, 
cling  to  the  rail  with  the  other  hand  and 
shout  to  the  tumultuous  and  appreciative 
throng  'Back  to  the  common  people,'  for  I 
am  sure  I  would  create  unbounded  as  well 
as  unbalanced  enthusiasm.  But  I  must  abide 
by  the  arrangements  as  they  have  been  made 
and  I  trust  that  the  next  time  I  am  inflicted 
upon  your  good  nature  I  will  be  running  the 
executive  branch  of  the  government  of  the 
South  Dakota  Bankers  Group  No.  Eleven, 
where  my  word  and  'My  policies'  will  be  law, 
absolutely  law." 

(Strangely,  and  yet  naturally,  enough, 
Mr.  Hackler,  at  the  next  session  of  the  bank- 
ers in  "group  eleven,"  was  elected  president.) 


REV.  CHARLES  BADGER  CLARK,  D.  D. 
THE  PRAYING  CHAPLAIN 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  C.  B.  Clark  were  sitting 
in  the  parlor  of  their  cozy  Deadwood  home, 
reading.  Presently,  Mrs.  Clark  looked  up 
and  said:  "I  see  they  are  going  to  have  a 
chaplain  at  the  new  national  sanitarium  for 
old  soldiers,  in  Hot  Springs.  I  wonder  if  it 


170         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

would  be  possible  for  you  to  secure  the  ap- 
pointment." 

Dr.  Clark,  looking  up,  meditatingly,  re- 
plied: "It  would  be  a  nice  position,  I  pre- 
sume. But,  in  a  measure,  the  appointment 
will  be  a  political  one.  I  suspect  that  Con- 
gressman Martin  will  control  it."  (Martin 
was  one  of  Dr.  Clark's  church  members  at 
Deadwood). 

"Well,  it's  worth  trying  for,  isn't  it?" 
responded  Mrs.  Clark. 

A  letter  was  promptly  dispatched  to  the 
active,  loyal  Martin.  He,  in  turn,  sent  one 
with  equal  promptness  to  the  board  of  con- 
trol. Said  he :  "All  I  want  in  the  way  of  ap- 
pointments in  the  sanitarium  at  Hot  Springs, 
are  the  chaplain  and  the  quartermaster." 
His  request  was  immediately  granted;  and 
the  Reverend  Dr.  C.  B.  Clark  was  promptly 
appointed  chaplain  of  Battle  Mountain 
Sanitarium. 

This  was  back  in  1907,  and  he  still  holds 
down  the  job — to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
management  and  the  hundreds  of  soldiers 
and  sailors  admitted  to  the  institution.  In 
fact,  it  would  have  been  quite  impossible  to 
have  gotten  a  better  man  for  the  place.  Mrs. 
Clark's  suggestion  has  found  suitable  re- 
ward. 


REV.  CHARLES  BADGER  CLARK    171 

Dr.  Clark  was  born  at  Saquoit,  Oneida 
county,  New  York,  December  29,  1839.  He 
came  west  with  his  parents  in  1857  and 
entered  college  in  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War 
he  enlisted  in  the  25th  Iowa  Volunteer  In- 
fantry and  after  serving  one  year  was 
wounded  in  the  first  attack  on  Vicksburg  and 
at  the  same  time  lost  the  hearing  of  his  right 
ear  by  the  concussion  of  heavy  artillery.  He 
lay  in  the  hospital  until  discharged  for  dis- 
ability from  his  wound.  On  his  return  to 
Mount  Pleasant  he  re-entered  college,  but  his 
health  had  been  so  shattered  by  army  service 
that  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  the  completion 
of  his  university  course. 

He  entered  the  ministry  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church  in  1864  and  became  a 
member  of  the  Iowa  conference,  where  he 
completed  the  four  years'  study  course  pre- 
scribed by  the  church.  His  first  appointment 
in  southern  Iowa  contained  twelve  preaching 
places,  so  far  apart  that  in  order  to  encom- 
pass the  circuit  he  rode  one  hundred  miles 
and  regularly  preached  three  times  each 
Sunday.  The  outdoor  life  was  beneficial  to 
his  health  and  from  the  very  first  his  minis- 
try met  with  success.  The  "boy  preacher," 
as  he  was  generally  called,  succeeded  in  ad- 
ding a  hundred  and  fifty  people  to  the  mem- 


172         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

bership  of  his  circuit  in  his  first  year,  and 
he  so  enlarged  the  work  that  the  conference 
divided  his  circuit,  giving  to  him  what  was 
known  as  the  Cincinnati  division  and  the 
brick  church.  The  next  year  was  wonder- 
fully fruitful  in  his  endeavors,  and  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  people  were  brought  into  the 
church. 

Feeling  well  established  in  his  life  work, 
he  went  back  to  Mount  Pleasant  and  married 
Miss  Mary  Cleaver,  who  proved  to  be,  in  the 
highest  sense,  a  helpmeet,  not  only  in  the 
home  but  in  the  work  of  the  church.  After 
being  ordained  as  deacon  and  elder  he  was 
sent  to  the  larger  stations  of  the  conference, 
filling  the  pulpits  of  Pella,  Newton,  Oska- 
loosa,  Burlington  and  Ottumwa.  At  the  last 
place,  after  building  a  large  church,  costing 
$35,000,  his  nerve  force  being  exhausted  by 
nineteen  years  of  strenuous  and  unbroken 
service  his  physician  peremptorily  ordered 
a  change  of  climate  and  occupation. 

In  1883  he  moved,  with  his  wife  and 
children,  to  South  Dakota  and  settled  on  a 
homestead  near  Plankinton.  The  freedom 
and  wholesome  outdoor  life  of  the  farm  re- 
stored his  health  and  he  was  very  happy  in 
his  new  situation,  but  the  authorities  of  his 
church  soon  "found  him  out"  and  he  was 
persuaded  to  resume  his  life  work  at  the  end 


REV.  CHARLES  BADGER  CLARK    173 

of  two  years  of  farming,  taking  the  pastor- 
ate of  the  First  M.  E.  church  at  Mitchell. 
After  two  years  here  he  served  a  full  term 
of  six  years  as  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
Mitchell  District  and  enjoyed  the  love  and 
fellowship  of  the  twenty-two  preachers  under 
his  charge.  During  his  years  at  Mitchell  he 
was  particularly  happy  in  his  relation  to  the 
then  newly-established  Dakota  university, 
and  he  was  one  of  the  first  trustees  of  that 
institution.  It  was  as  a  representative  of 
this  college  that  his  gifted  son,  Fred  (de- 
ceased), won  the  state  oratorical  contest  at 
the  age  of  seventeen,  while  still  in  the  pre- 
paratory department. 

At  the  end  of  his  presiding  eldership  he 
was  called  to  the  pastorate  at  Huron,  where 
he  spent  five  years  and  completed  the  term 
of  his  labors  in  the  "East-of-the-River" 
country.  These  were  all  glorious  years  in 
the  youthful  days  of  the  new  state  and  Doctor 
Clark  often  recalls  them  with  deep  pleasure. 

By  an  unmistakable  call  of  Providence 
he  became  the  pastor  of  the  First  M.  E. 
church  in  Deadwood  in  1897  and  moved  to 
the  Black  Hills.  He  served  this  station  four 
years  and  was  then  appointed  superinten- 
dent of  the  Black  Hills  M.  E.  Mission,  which 
he  held  for  the  regular  term  of  six  years. 
During  his  first  year  in  Deadwood  he  lost 


174         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

his  wife,  the  devoted  mother  of  his  four 
children,  two  of  whom  had  preceded  her  to 
the  other  home.  Three  years  later  he  mar- 
ried Miss  R.  Anna  Morris,  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  who  has  proven  a  most  worthy  com- 
panion and  assistant  in  his  work. 

During  forty-nine  years  of  strenuous 
service  for  his  church,  Dr.  Clark  has  re- 
ceived over  two  thousand  persons  into  the 
church  fellowship ;  and  he  has  officiated  in 
hundreds  of  marriages,  funerals,  and  other 
occasions  of  joy  or  sorrow,  close  to  the  hearts 
of  thousands,  both  in  and  out  of  the  church. 
August,  1914,  marked  the  golden  anniversary 
of  his  entry  into  the  ministry.  While  Dr. 
Clark  has  a  long  past  to  look  back  upon  he  is 
by  no  means  ready  to  stop  growing  mentally, 
and  the  present  has  no  more  interested 
spectator  then  he.  He  has  fond  memories  of 
the  "good  old  times"  but  is  of  the  declared 
opinion  that  the  new  times  are  as  good  or 
better.  He  often  quotes 

"  'Tis  an  age  on  ages  turning, 
To  be  living  is  sublime," 

Brownings  lines, 

"God's  in  His  heaven, 

All's   right   with   the   world," 

which  are  favorites  of  his,  come  near  ex- 
pressing his  optimistic  faith  in  the  present 
and  the  future.  "The  voice  of  the  church  of 
Christ  in  these  days,"  he  says,  "is  as  the 


REV.  CHARLES  BADGER  CLARK    175 

voice  of  many  waters.  One  mighty  impulse 
pervades  the  Christian  nations  and  it  is  en- 
circling the  globe  with  the  message  that 
Jesus  saves." 

Dr.  Clark's  interest  and  influence  have 
always  been  wider  than  his  own  town  or  his 
own  church.  In  1892  and  1896  he  was  sent 
as  a  delegate  from  the  Dakota  conference 
to  the  great  general  conference  of  his  church. 

In  1897  he  was  elected  department  com- 
mander of  the  G.  A.  R.  of  this  state,  and  has 
lectured  in  dozens  of  conventions  and  chau- 
tauquas.  He  has  always  taken  an  earnest 
interest  in  politics,  and  in  1900  he  nominated 
E.  W.  Martin  for  congress  the  first  time  at 
the  state  republican  convention  in  Sioux 
Falls. 

Probably  the  main  elements  of  success 
in  Dr.  Clark's  career  have  been  his  magnetic 
eloquence  as  a  speaker  and  his  no  less  mag- 
netic kindliness  of  heart.  He  is  and  always 
has  been  a  brotherly  man,  not  only  to  his 
fellow  Methodists  and  fellow  Christians  but 
to  every  human  creature  whom  he  meets. 
From  the  tenderness  and  inspiration  of  his 
public  prayers  he  is  sometimes  called  the 
"Praying  Chaplain."  He  is  now  seventy- 
five  years  old,  and  is  yet  in  remarkably 
good  health.  In  his  present  position  he  com- 


176         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

bines  his  devoted  Christian  life  with  his  ar- 
dent patriotism,  and  serves  the  church  and 
the  country,  both  of  which  have  honored  him, 
and  both  of  which  he  has  loved  and  honored, 
throughout  his  long  life. 


..  < 


W.  A.  MORRIS 

OUR  CITIZEN  SOLDIER 

'Whom  shall  I  appoint  adjutant  gen- 
eral" asked  Governor  Byrne  of  Representa- 
tive W.  A.  Morris  of  Redfield,  whom  he  had 
summoned  to  his  executive  chamber  for  con- 
sultation. 

"I  really  don't  know,"  replied  Mr.  Mor- 
ris, "just  how  you  will  settle  that  dispute." 


178        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 


'Well,  sir,"  said  Governor  Byrne,  "I 
have  been  thinking  of  appointing  you." 

"Appointing  me!"     ejaculated  Morris. 

"Yes ;  you !"  declared  the  governor.  And 
the  appointment  was  promptly  made. 

It  was  this  way:  Mr.  Morris  as  the  re- 
elected  house  member  from  Spink  county, 
was  a  candidate  for  speaker  of  our  last  legis- 
lature. Dean  Thomas  Sterling  of  his  home 
city  was  a  candidate  for  the  United  States 
senate.  Many  of  those  who  were  backing 
Mr.  Morris  for  speaker  were  opposing  Mr. 
Sterling  for  the  senate.  Noses  were  counted ; 
it  was  ascertained  that  Mr.  Morris,  by  a 
collusion  of  democrats  and  republicans,  had 
enough  votes  to  be  elected.  It  was  at  this 
critical  moment  that  his  warmest  supporters 
put  him  on  the  mat  and  asked  him  whom 
he  intended  to  favor  for  the  United  States 
senate,  if  they  "put  him  over"  as  speaker. 

Mr.  Morris  had  two  cards  to  play:  one 
was  politics;  the  other,  loyalty  to  a  friend. 
If  he  had  chosen  to  play  his  political  cards, 
he  could  have  been  elected.  On  the  other 
hand,  he  had  studied  law  under  Dean  Ster- 
ling. They  had  also  been  law  partners,  and 
they  were,  in  a  measure,  fellow  townsmen. 
Morris  said,  "I'm  going  to  stand  by  Ster- 
ling." That  settled  it !  Morris  was  prompt- 
ly defeated.  But  "the  administration,"  of 


W.  A.  MORRIS  179 

which  Dean  Sterling  was  a  component  part, 
decided  that  Mr.  Morris,  because  of  this 
sacrifice,  must  be  "taken  care  of,"  and  he 
was;  hence,  his  appointment  to  the  adjutant 
generalship. 

But,  from  the  standpoint  of  efficiency, 
the  appointment  was  wisely  placed.  It 
doesn't  take  a  man  versed  in  military  tech- 
nique to  be  a  competent  adjutant  general. 
If  a  man  has  this  knowledge,  it  is,  of  course, 
an  asset,  but  it  is  not  an  indispensable  nec- 
essity. This  is  abundantly  demonstrated  by 
the  secretary  of  war  and  the  secretary  of 
the  navy.  Neither  of  them  know  the  man- 
ual of  arms.  They  are  selected  for  their 
judgment,  their  probity  and  their  business 
sagacity.  However,  General  Morris  was  not 
without  military  experience.  He  had  for- 
merly served  in  the  Wisconsin  militia,  and 
he  was  captain  of  the  Redfield  company,  S. 
D.  N.  G.,  for  two  years.  In  addition  there- 
to, he  possessed  the  poise,  the  tact  and  the 
business  instinct  necessary  to  handle  the 
work  most  successfully.  So  that,  aside  from 
politics,  the  appointment  was  well  placed. 
The  past  four  months  have  already  attested 
this. 

His  promotion  of  Majors  Wales  and 
Hazle  to  colonel  and  lieutenant-colonel,  re- 
spectively, was  a  master  stroke  of  military 


180         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

genius.  There  are  in  the  state  enough  com- 
petent Spanish  war  veterans  to  officer  the 
entire  regiment,  but  more  particularly  to 
complete  the  complement  above  the  line  of- 
ficers. On  this  basis — merit,  instead  of  poli- 
tics— General  Morris  started  out  well.  His 
military  school  called  at  Redfield,  the  same 
year  of  his  appointment,  showed  his  tact  and 
his  determination  to  make  the  regiment  a 
twentieth  century  force. 

General  Morris  was  born  on  a  farm 
south  of  Mt.  Carroll,  Illinois,  December  13, 
1864.  He  spent  his  boyhood  on  the  farm, 
working  hard  during  the  summer  months, 
and  attending  country  school  during  the 
winter.  Finally,  he  entered  the  Northern 
Illinois  college  at  Fulton,  111.,  and  took  his 
law  course,  graduating  with  the  class  of 
1884,  while  yet  but  twenty  years  of  age. 

After  graduation,  he  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  at  Fulton.  Later  he  re- 
moved to  Darlington,  Wis.,  where  he  con- 
tinued the  mercantile  business  for  awhile. 
In  the  fall  of  1888,  he  came  to  Dakota;  set- 
tled at  Doland  where  he  was  elected  principal 
of  schools;  was  admitted  to  the  state  bar 
the  following  June,  worked  in  Dean  Ster- 
ling's law  office  during  vacation,  but  con- 
tinued his  school  work  at  Doland  on  through 
the  second  year  until  January  1,  1890,  when 


W.  A.  MORRIS    .  181 

Redfield  with  the  Hon.  Thomas  Sterling,  now 
our  junior  United  States  senator. 

This  partnership  was  continued  for  ten 
years.  Then  Morris  withdrew  to  become 
secretary  and  general  manager  of  the  Mem- 
orial college  at  Mason  City,  la.  But  three 
years  later,  in  September,  1903,  he  returned 
to  Redfield  and  resumed  his  practice  of  law- 
this  time  by  himself.  However,  in  October, 
1904,  he  formed  a  new  partnership  with  At- 
torney W.  F.  Bruell,  also  of  Redfield.  This 
business  association  was  continued  until 
January  1,  1912,  when  it  was  dissolved  and 
Mr.  Morris  took  in  for  a  new  law  partner, 
M.  Moriarty.  The  last  partnership  still  con- 
tinues. 

IN  POLITICS 

General  Morris  was  elected  state's  at- 
torney for  Spink  county  in  1896  and  served 
four  years,  1897-1900,  inclusive.  In  the 
spring  of  1910,  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Red- 
field,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  he  was 
sent  to  the  state  legislature.  Here  he  made 
a  good  record,  not  only  as  one  versed  in  the 
initiation  of  new  laws  but  as  a  ready,  sub- 
stantial debater.  He  was  re-elected  in  1912, 
and  his  friends  at  once  got  busy  with  the 
hope  of  electing  him  speaker — a  position  he 
could  have  had,  if  he  had  cared  to  sever  old 
friendships.  That  he  would  have  made  a 


182         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

he  resigned  to  form  a  law  partnership  at 
most  excellent  presiding  officer  for  the  house 
members,  there  can  be  no  dispute.  His 
political  stock  is  still  rated  at  a  premium 
and  it  is  not  safe  to  foreshadow  what  the 
future  may  bring  forth.  The  general  is  an 
able  lawyer,  a  good  public  speaker,  a  shrewd 
organizer  and  a  square-toed  mixer.  He  is 
one  of  those  fellows  who  were  born  to  win 
(even  though  he  did  enter  life  on  the  13th 
day  of  the  month.)  Success! 

He  was  re-appointed  adjutant-general 
in  1915  for  four  years,  and  his  appointment 
was  promptly  confirmed  by  the  senate. 


T.  W.  DWIGHT 

NOT  A  BULL  MOOSER  A  LA  MODE 

"Money  is  the  root  of  all  evil."  No  it 
isn't.  How  often  we  use  that  old  quotation 
incorrectly,  for  private  gain.  Let's  quote 
it  right,  "The  love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all 
evil."  Very  well;  that  sounds  different. 

Money  is  all  right.     Without  it  where 


184        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

would  our  good  things  come  from?  How- 
ever, even  in  small  denominations,  it  some- 
times plays  a  peculiar  part  in  the  affairs  of 
men. 

Recently  the  commercial  club  of  Sioux 
Falls  held  their  annual  meeting.  Eight  men 
were  voted  on  for  directors. 

Only  four  could  be  elected.  The  three 
highest  men  were  promptly  accepted.  The 
chair  announced  that  two  men  had  tied  for 
fourth  place- -D wight  and  Reininger.  He 
proposed  another  vote  to  settle  it.  "Non- 
sense!" said  Mr.  Dwight,  "let's  flip  a  cent 
and  decide  it  that  way."  Everybody  agreed. 

The  coin  was  tossed!  "Heads  up!" 
Dwight  won.  The  directors  held  a  meeting 
and  Regent  T.  W.  Dwight  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  club  for  the  ensuing  year.  That 
penny  was  worth  a  dollar,  regardless  of  its 
stamp  and  composition.  Correlatively,  we 
all  remember  how  President  Roosevelt  once 
disposed  of  the  South  Dakota  senatorial 
patronage  and  settled  a  dispute  between 
Senators  Kittredge  and  Gamble,  by  flipping  a 
coin  to  the  ceiling  in  the  executive  mansion. 

In  politics  Mr.  Dwight  is  a  progressive 
republican  (all  good  republicans  are  pro- 
gressive), but  he  is  not  a  bull  mooser  a  la 
mode.  He  is  so  well  balanced  that  he  knows 
the  difference  between  loyalty  to  a  man's 


T.  W.  DWIGHT  185 

political  organization  with  a  disposition  to 
await  one's  call  to  office,  and  the  rantanker- 
ous  bucking  against  a  man's  party  organi- 
zation just  because  he  failed  to  be  its  nom- 
inee for  high  office  at  a  certain  time.  In 
other  words,  Regent  Dwight  is  one  of  those 
regular  progressives  who  believes  that  pro- 
gress should  be  made  gradually,  systema- 
tically and  collectively.  He  is  one  of  those' 
political  rationalists  whom  a  party,  at  the 
proper  time,  delights  to  honor,  and  one  in 
whose  hands  they  willingly  place  permanent 
leadership. 

HIS   WHEREABOUTS   AND   ROUNDABOUTS 

Our  good  friend  with  whom  we  are  con- 
cerned at  this  moment,  Theodore  William 
Dwight  "shuffled  (on)  this  mortal  coil"  (we 
hope  he  won't  shuffle  off  for  at  least  a  half 
century)  near  Madison,  Wisconsin,  in  Dane 
county,  March  12,  1865.  His  ancestors  were 
sturdy  New  Englanders — Hon.  Timothy 
Dwight,  D.  D.,  one  of  the  early  presidents 
of  Yale  college,  being  among  them. 

Mr.  Dwight's  father  was  an  adventure- 
some fellow.  At  twenty  years  of  age,  simply 
because  a  young  lady  with  whom  he  was  in- 
fatuated would  not  marry  him,  he  ran  away 
and  went  to  sea,  boarding  a  whale  ship  on 
which  he  cruised  all  over  the  world.  On  one 
occasion,  while  near  the  Madeira  Islands, 


186         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

east  of  Africa,  they  sighted  a  school  of 
whales.  The  captain  offered  $10  to  the  first 
boat  that  would  harpoon  a  whale  and  make 
him  fast.  The  first  mate's  boat  speared  one. 
It  angered  the  animal.  He  made  direct  for 
the  second  mate's  boat  in  which  was  the 
senior  Dwight  and  some  of  his  comrades. 
The  whale  struck  the  boat  a  terrific  blow 
with  his  tail  and  knocked  in  one  whole  side. 
Then,  he  came  back  and  struck  at  them  with 
his  teeth,  one  tusk  penetrating  the  bottom  of 
the  boat,  between  the  second  mate's  knees. 
The  mate  tore  off  his  shirt,  wrapped  it 
around  one  oar  and  made  a  plug  which  he 
thrust  into  the  hole  and  kept  the  boat  from 
sinking,  while  his  comrades  baled  out  the 
water.  They  finally  got  a  rope  onto  the  ani- 
mal, made  him  fast  to  the  whaler  and  secured 
the  prize.  The  whale,  itself,  was  sold  for 
$3,000.  One  tusk  of. the  animal  is  still  in  the 
Dwight  family.  When  the  elder  Dwight  re- 
turned, with  a  story  of  his  successful  ad- 
ventures, the  young  lady  who  had  rejected 
him,  changed  her  mind  and  they  were 
promptly  married. 

The  Dwight  family  have  been  prominent 
in  all  walks  of  life.  Justice  Hughes,  of  the 
U.  S.  Supreme  court,  was  formerly  associ- 
ated in  law  practice  with  one  of  Regent 
Dwight's  uncles — the  firm  being,  Carter, 


T.  W.  DWIGHT  187 

Hughes  and  Dwight.  Senator  Root  studied 
law  under  Prof.  Theodore  W.  Dwight,  of 
Columbia  University. 

Regent  Dwight  got  his  early  education 
at  Evansville,  Wisconsin.  Later,  he  grad- 
uated from  the  high  school  at  Red  Wing, 
Minnesota,  with  the  class  of  '85.  He  was  not 
able  to  complete  his  education  because  of 
poor  eye  sight.  So  after  clerking  for  three 
years  in  a  general  store  at  Brooklyn,  Wis- 
consin, he  migrated  to  Dakota  in  the  spring 
of  1888,  settled  at  Bridgewater  and  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business. 

Mr.  Dwight  remained  in  Bridgewater 
fourteen  years,  during  which  time  he  enjoyed 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  entire 
community.  However,  in  1902,  he  "pulled 
stakes"  and  moved  to  Sioux  Falls,  at  which 
place  he  engaged  in  the  insurance  and  loan 
business,  being  a  member  of  the  firm  of 

Knowles,  Dwight  and  Toohey. 

PLAYING  THE  GAME 

While  Mr.  Dwight  was  yet  at  Bridge- 
water  he  was  elected  to  the  state  legislature 
in  1898,  and  was  made  chairman  of  the 
committee — one  that  requires  the  most  ex- 
acting care.  As  its  chairman  he  gave  the 
state  splendid  service. 


188        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

In  the  campaign  of  1908,  he  acted  as 
treasurer  of  the  republican  state  central 
committee.  His  work  was  so  successful  that 
he  was  re-elected  in  1910;  and  in  addition 
thereto,  as  further  appreciation  of  his  ser- 
vices, Governor  Vessey,  in  1909,  appointed 
him  a  member  of  the  state  board  of  regents, 
for  six  years.  He  has  proved  to  be  a  valu- 
able member  of  this  board,  and  was  made  its 
vice  president.  In  1915,  he  was  re-appointed 
on  the  board  of  regents  and  was  made  its 
president. 

PERSONAL 

Regent  Dwight  married  Miss  Jennie  M. 
Brink  of  Red  Wing,  Minnesota.  Two  child- 
ren bless  their  home — Helen  and  Edward. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
the  U.  C.  T.  and  the  Masons;  also  secretary 
of  the  South  Dakota  Society  of  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  Mr.  Dwight 
came  from  good  stock ;  that  he  has  made  good 
all  along  the  line;  that  he  is  as  yet  but  48 
years  of  age,  in  the  prime  of  life,  with  good 
health,  and,  in  the  natural  order  of  events, 
with  a  promising  future  still  before  him.  He 
is  one  of  the  best  read  men  in  the  state.  In 
politics  he  has  followed  a  course  that  has 
been  entirely  consistent.  His  manhood  is 


T.  W.  DWIGHT  189 

above  reproach.  He  owns  a  fine  home  in 
Sioux  Falls  and  is  thoroughly  established 
there.  We  will  watch  his  future  with 
interest  and  shall  take  pleasure  in  chron- 
icling his  success.  May  he  mount  high ! 


W.  R.  RONALD 


W.  R.  RONALD  191 

IN  NEWSPAPERDOM 

"Style"  in  writing  is  just  as  pronounced 
and  just  as  easily  detected  as  style  in  dress. 
It  is  merely  independence  of  thought,  plus 
originality  of  expression.  The  literary  style 
of  some  of  our  modern  editors  has  become 
quite  as  flashy  as  some  of  the  modern  styles 
in  dress,  such  as  that  of  Elbertus  Hubbard 
in  "The  Phillistine,"  of  Clark  in  "Jim,  Jam, 
Jems,"  and  a  few  others. 

But  bringing  the  matter  closer  home, 
suppose  that  some  "corporation  hireling" 
(thanks  to  Mr.  Crawford),  for  a  stated  fee, 
should  write  a  public  article  and  send  it 
broadcast  over  the  country,  declaring  that  at 
heart  President  Woodrow  Wilson  is  a  high 
protectionist,  the  Argus-Leader  would  prob- 
ably say,  "Just  to  keep  the  record  straight 
we  refer  the  gentleman  to  President  Wilson's 
speech  of  acceptance,  last  year."  The  Sioux 
Falls  Press  would  treat  it  as  follows :  "We 
demur  to  this  allegation,  on  the  grounds  of 
insufficiency  of  the  evidence.  It  is  merely 
some  political  clap-trap  trumped  up  to  af- 
fect the  proposed  tariff  legislation  now  pend- 
ing in  congress."  Perhaps  the  Huronite 
would  say:  "It  is  quite  inconceivable  to  the 
average  mind  how  any  man,  in  view  of  the 
well-known  facts,  could  become  guilty  of 
such  editorial  impropriety."  The  blunt, 


192          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

hard-hitting,  editor  of  the  Yankton  Herald 
would  exclaim,  "He  lied!"  while  the  Aber- 
deen News  would  put  it  thus,  "The  fellow 
must  be  a  fool."  However,  when  it  came  to 
the  editor  of  the  Mitchell  Daily  Repblican, 
William  R.  Ronald,  the  man  about  whom  this 
article  is  to  center,  he  would  dispose  of  it 
thus:  "One  falters  at  the  mental  processes 
of  a  brain  that  could  arrive  at  such  a  con- 
clusion in  view  of  all  of  President  Wilson's 
well-known  public  declarations  upon  this  im- 
portant theme.  The  article  was  evidently 
written  at  the  instigation  of  certain  inter- 
ested parties,  and  it  may  not  be  hard  to  guess 
who  the  coterie  of  individuals  was  that  in- 
spired it."  It  is  just  as  easy  to  mimic  their 
writings  as  it  is  their  hand-writings.  One 
is  no  more  pronounced  than  the  other.  Each 
has  an  individuality  about  it  quite  as  distinct 
as  the  other. 

Mr.  Ronald's  style  is  pleasing.  His 
editorials  read  smoothly.  They  are  free  from 
personalities  and  usually  carry  considerable 

• 

conviction. 

He  was  born  at  Granview,  Iowa,  in 
1879.  His  grandfather  on  his  father's  side 
was  one  of  the  early  pioneers  in  eastern 
Iowa.  He  it  was  who  rode  day  and  night  on 
horseback  for  nearly  sixty  hours  to  reach 
the  early  convention  where  he  cast  the  decid- 


W.  R.  RONALD  193 

ing  vote  that  made  Iowa  City,    instead    of 
Burlington,  the  old  capital  of  Iowa. 

William  was  unfortunate,  in  that  his 
parents  both  died,  only  two  weeks  apart- 
the  father,  of  disease,  and  the  mother,  of  a 
broken  heart — when  he  was  but  three  years 
of  age,  leaving  him  to  be  reared  by  an  old 
aunt  on  a  farm  near  Wapello,  Iowa.  These 
old  aunties  frequently  come  in  handy  and 
they  serve  as  the  most  respected  substitutes 
for  father  and  mother. 

Just  so  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Ronald.  His 
aunt  appreciated  her  responsibility.  She 
sent  the  boy  to  a  rural  school,  near  by,  and 
then  put  him  through  the  Wapello  high 
school.  Cognizant  of  the  fact  that  the  best 
equipment  for  success  in  life  is  a  liberal  edu- 
cation, she  next  sent  him  over  to  Monmouth, 
111.,  where  he  graduated  from  the  Monmouth 
college  with  the  class  of  1898. 

A  NEWSPAPER  MAN 

Immediately  upon  graduation,  Mr. 
Ronald  got  it  into  his  head  that  he  wanted 
to  be  a  newspaper  man,  so  he  went  to  Bussey, 
Iowa,  and  became  identified  with  the  "Tri- 
County  Press."  He  rode  a  mustang  pony 
over  the  counties,  soliciting  subscriptions  for 
the  paper.  This  was  a  tough  beginning,  but 
he  already  knew  that  if  a  man  would  be  boss 
he  must  first  learn  to  serve;  that  the  safest 


194        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

way  to  get  to  the  top  and  stay  there  is  to 
begin  at  the  very  bottom  and  work  up. 

Next  he  answered  an  advertisement  in  a 
newspaper,  and  as  a  result  he  was  called  to 
Marion,  Indiana,  where  he  was  given  em- 
ployment on  a  weekly  paper — first  as  a  so- 
licitor; then,  business  manager,  and  then  to 
the  editorial  chair. 

However,  in  1901,  he  was  called  to  Sioux 
City,  Iowa,  and  given  a  position  on  the  Trib- 
une. Again  he  had  to  work  up.  He  began 
as  a  reporter;  was  then  made  editor,  and 
finally,  managing  editor. 

His  next  move  was  to  Sioux  Falls,  S. 
D.,  January  1,  1908,  where  he  became  editor 
of  the  Sioux  Falls  Daily  Press.  This  position 
he  held  for  nearly  two  years,  making  the 
Press  a  tremendous  factor  in  the  memorable 
campaign  of  1908  that  transferred  the 
United  States  senatorship  from  Sioux  Falls 
to  Huron. 

But  Editor  Ronald  was  anxious  to  get 
into  the  newspaper  and  general  printing 
business  for  himself.  He  had  "made  good" 
in  every  field  since  he  left  college.  Finally 
in  November,  1909,  he  came  to  Mitchell, 
bought  out  the  Mitchell  Printing  company, 
which  was  doing  a  general  printing  business 
and  issuing  a  daily  and  a  weekly  paper,  re- 
organized the  firm  and  changed  its  name  to 


W.  R.  RONALD  195 

the  "Mitchell  Publishing  Company,"  added 
new  capital;  put  out  a  city  salesman,  two 
general  salesmen  and  two  subscription  so- 
licitors; tripled  the  circulation  of  the 
"Mitchell  Daily  Republilcan,"  and  increased 
the  general  business  of  the  firm  250  per  cent. 
It  was  his  ambition  from  the  start,  through 
the  influence  of  the  Daily  Republican,  to 
make  Mitchell  a  commercial  center  and  the 
distributing  point  for  that  section  of  the 
state.  In  this  he  has  succeeded  well. 

Here  has  been  a  life  of  phenomenal 
success.  An  orphan  at  three  years  of  age; 
a  college  graduate  at  nineteen;  managing 
editor  of  a  big  daily  at  twenty-five ;  editor  of 
one  of  the  big  South  Dakota  dailies  and  pro- 
prietor of  one  of  the  state's  biggest  printing 
establishments  at  thirty :  this  is  the  inspira- 
tional career  of  W.  R.  Ronald.  He  has  set 
a  swift  pace,  to  be  sure;  but  the  future 
beckons  him  on,  and  if  his  pace  does  not 
slacken  he  will  have  won  life's  race  by  a 
splendid  margin.  Forward! 


GEORGE  A.  PETTIGREW 

THE  STATE'S  LEADING  MASON 

Free  Masonry  stands  for  advancement. 
Free  Masons  are  progressives.  Every  com- 
munity that  has  a  strong  masonic  order 
shows  a  healthy  growth.  The  most  sub- 
stantial citizens  in  most  communities  are 
masons.  They  are  the  town's  builders,  the 
town's  leaders  and  the  town's  bulwark. 

In  fact  the  history  of  South  Dakota  is 
in  a  large  measure  the  history  of  the  de- 


198         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

velopment  of  Free  Masonry  within  the  state. 
The  first  Masonic  charter  granted  to  a  lodge 
in  Dakota  Territory  was  dated  June  3,  1863. 
It  was  given  to  St.  John's  No.  166,  of  the 
jurisdiction  of  Iowa,  for  a  lodge  at  Yankton. 
The  second  lodge  was  Incense  No.  257,  or- 
ganized at  Vermillion.  From  this  time  on, 
Free  Masonry  spread  over  the  whole  terri- 
tory until  today  there  are  organizations  of 
the  order  in  every  town  of  any  considerable 
size  throughout  the  state.  Several  magnif- 
icent temples  have  been  built.  The  auxiliary 
organization  of  the  Order  of  Eastern  Star 
has  taken  firm  root  and  grown  quite  as 
rapidly  as  the  parent  lodge  itself.  To  sub- 
tract from  Dakota  what  the  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons  have  done  to  build  it  up, 
would  be  to  turn  backward  the  wheels  of 
civic  progress  for  over  half  a  century. 

Cnief  among  this  class  of  secret  society 
people  and  public  benefactors,  is  Dr.  George 
A.  rettigrew,  of  Sioux  .balls,  (une  siiouid 
not  coniuse  nim  with  K.  l1'.  rettigrew,  our 
ex- United  States  senator.)  We  do  not  nave 
in  the  state  another  man  with  such  numer- 
ous friends.  What  gained  them  ?  Personali- 
ty. If  some  one  will  explain  what  personality 
is,  perhaps  some  of  the  rest  of  us  might,  to 


GEORGE  A.  PETTIGREW  199 

a  certain  extent,  cultivate  it.  Dr.  Pettigrew 
has  more  than  personality.  He  has  per- 
sonality, plus  a  rich,  ripe,  ideal  manhood. 

Dr.  Pettigrew  is  a  typical  easterner. 
He  was  born  in  Ludlow,  Vermont,  on  April 
6,  1858.  For  a  boyhood  playmate  he  had 
Dr.  F.  A.  Spafford,  of  Flandreau.  His  early 
education  was  acquired  in  the  public  schools 
and  at  Black  River  Academy.  Later  he  at- 
tended the  New  London  Literary  and  Scien- 
tific Institution — now  known  as  Colby  In- 
stitute— at  New  London,  New  Hampshire. 
Then  he  entered  the  medical  department  of 
Dartmouth  college  and  was  graduated  as  an 
M.  D.  with  the  class  of  1882.  His  parents 
were  comparatively  poor.  His  scholastic 
preparation  required  an  heroic  struggle. 
While  at  Dartmouth,  he  served  as  a  waiter 
for  three  summers  at  a  hotel  in  the  White 
mountains ;  first  as  an  individual  waiter  and 
then  as  head  writer  with  28  others  under 
him. 

COMES  WEST 

Upon  the  completion  of  his  medical 
course,  he  decided  that  the  best  opportunities 
down  east  had  been  seized  by  older  men,  and 
that  if  he  were  to  mount  up  rapidly  in  his 
chosen  profession  or  in  a  monied  career,  it 
would  be  better  for  him  to  strike  westward. 


•200         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

Accordingly  he  came  to  Flandreau,  South 
Dakota,  and  at  once  stuck  out  his  local  sign 
and  began  work.  This  was  on  February  2, 
1883.  The  following  June  he  was  joined  by 
his  old  boyhood  chum,  Dr.  Spafford,  and  they 
formed  a  partnership  for  the  practice  of 
medicine  and  surgery.  Dr.  Spafford  is  at 
the  "old  stand"  yet. 

Dr.  Pettigrew  practiced  for  ten  years 
at  Flandreau.  The  country  was  new.  Win- 
ters were  severe.  Travel  was  difficult.  He 
lived  thirty  years  instead  of  ten,  during  this 
period,  if  they  could  be  measured  by  hard- 
ships and  sacrifices.  During  one  exception- 
ally hard  blizzard,  he  lay  out  all  night.  His 
rugged  manhood  saved  him. 

While  at  Flandreau  he  also  held  the 
position  of  government  surgeon  to  the 
Indians.  Upon  his  retirement  he  turned  this 
work  over  to  Dr.  Spafford.  In  addition  to 
this,  he  was  surgeon  for  the  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee and  St.  Paul  Railway  company  for 
eight  years ;  surgeon  of  the  second  regiment 
of  territorial  guards  1885-93 ;  surgeon-gen- 
eral of  South  Dakota  for  two  terms  under 
Governor  Sheldon;  member  of  the  board  of 
U.  S.  pension  examiners,  1884-1901,  with  the 
exception  of  one  year;  and  he  was  surgeon 
of  the  first  and  the  second  regiments  of  South 
Dakota  state  guards  (after  their  organiza- 


GEORGE  A.  PETTIGREW  201 

tion  into  a  state  guard),  until  the  Spanish- 
American  war.  It  will  be  recalled  that 
Andrew  E.  Lee  was  our  war  governor.  He 
was  a  rank  democrat.  Pettigrew  was  a 
radical  republican.  "Nuff  said." 

Dr.  Pettigrew  organized  the  Flandreau 
State  bank  in  1891,  and  he  was  elected  its 
first  president.  This  position  he  held  until 
he  resigned  in  September,  1903,  to  move  to 
Sioux  Falls.  Away  back  in  1889,  he  had 
been  elected  grand  secretary  of  the  Grand 
Chapter  (Masonic  order).  In  1893,  he  was 
elected  grand  secretary  of  the  grand  lodge; 
and  in  1903  he  was  elected  grand  secretary 
of  all  the  Masonic  bodies  in  the  state. 

This  made  it  advisable  for  him  to  move 
to  Sioux  Falls.  At  first  he  had  his  offices 
in  the  old  Peck  building.  But  he  was  very 
active  in  building  the  beautiful  Masonic 
Temple  in  Sioux  Falls,  which  was  dedicated 
in  June,  1906.  In  it  he  has  accumulated  the 
finest  and  costliest  collection  of  ancient  relics 
to  be  found  in  the  state;  also  a  library  of 
ancient  and  modern  literature  without  a 
parallel  anywhere.  He  has  it  admirably 
classified  into  Theology  (including  an  origi- 
nal copy  of  the  famous  "breeches"  Bible), 
Sociology,  Philosophy,  Masonry  and  dozens 


202         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

of  other  sections.  Every  Mason  has  free 
access  to  this  valuable  collection  of  famous 
works. 

After  going  to  Sioux  Falls,  Dr.  Petti- 
grew  showed  himself  to  be  the  same  active 
business  man  and  public  spirited  citizen 
that  he  was  at  Flandreau.  In  a  short  time 
he  was  made  president  of  the  Sioux  Falls 
Union  Savings  association,  which  position 
he  held  until  1914  when  he  resigned.  During 
1909-11,  he  served  on  the  board  of  education 
in  Sioux  Falls  as  president.  In  this 
position  he  made  an  enviable  record. 
While  he  was  on  the  board,  by  applying  to 
school  affairs  the  same  business  instinct  that 
a  man  gives  to  other  business  affairs  (a 
thing,  by  the  way,  that  you  can  seldom  get 
men  to  do),  he  helped  to  raise  the  teachers' 
salaries  in  Sioux  Falls  40  per  cent  without 
increasing  the  levy,  and  the  board,  in  ad- 
dition to  this  splendid  showing,  paid  off  their 
old  school  debt  at  the  rate  of  $1,500  per 
month.  It  is  impossible  to  estimate  the  value 
to  any  community  of  a  man  of  his  temper- 
ament and  sagacity.  South  Dakota  could  use 
several  of  them  at  other  points  to  good  ad- 
vantage just  now.  In  1914,  he  was  re-elected 
president  for  another  five-year  term. 


GEORGE  A.  PETTIGREW  203 

MARRIAGE 

Our  subject  had  prospered  so  well  out 
west,  in  four  years,  that  he  decided  to  take 
unto  himself  a  helpmeet;  so  he  went  back 
to  Troy,  New  York,  in  the  fall  of  1887,  and 
on  October  19th  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Eudora  Zulette  Stearns.  She  was  born 
at  Felchville,  Vermont,  July  28,  1858.  By 
a  comparison  of  dates  it  will  at  once  be  seen 
that  he  is  but  three  months  and  twenty-one 
days  her  senior.  To  assume  that  they  had 
never  met  in  their  "younger  days"  would  be 
to  impoverish  one's  own  imagination.  Their 
marital  blessing  is  an  only  daughter,  Miss 
Addie,  born  September  17,  1890. 

MASONIC  RECORD 

Reverting  again  to  Dr.  Pettigrew's 
Masonic  record  (it  is  as  a  Mason  that  he  is 
best  known),  we  deem  it  advisable  to  give 
it  in  full,  not  only  as  a  matter  of  informa- 
tion to  all  readers  of  the  Argus-Leader,  but 
as  an  inspiration  to  others.  It  is  doubtful 
if  there  are  a  half  dozen  other  men  in  the 
United  States  with  a  record  equal  to  his. 

King  Solomon  Lodge  No.  14,  New 
Hampshire.  Entered  apprentice  July  2, 
1879;  Fellow  craft  June  14,  1880;  Master 
Mason,  June  14,  1880 ;  dimitted  November  7, 
1883. 


204         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

Flandreau  lodge  No.  11,  South  Dakota. 
Admitted,  January  5,  1884;  secretary,  1884- 
1885;  senior  warden,  1886-1887;  worshipful 
master,  1888-89;  dimitted  October  4,  1905. 

Unity  lodge  No.  130,  South  Dakota,  ad- 
mitted November  3,  1905. 

Minnehaha  lodge  No.  5,  honorary  mem- 
ber, April  8,  1908. 

Grand  lodge  of  South  Dakota,  A.  F.  and 
A.  M.,  grand  pursuivant,  1889 ;  grand  secre- 
tary, June  13,  1894,  present  time. 

Chapter — Orient  chapter  No.  19,  South 
Dakota — Mark  master  Mason,  May  18,  1885 ; 
past  master,  May  21,  1885;  most  excellent 
master,  May  22,  1885;  Royal  Arch  Mason, 
May  27,  1885;  secretary,  1886-87;  principal 
sojourner,  1887-92;  high  priest,  1893;  di- 
mitted August  23,  1905. 

Sioux  Falls  chapter  No.  2,  South  Da- 
kota— Admitted  September  6,  1905. 

Order  of  High  Priesthood,  South  Da- 
kota— Initiated  June  11,  1896,  at  Huron. 

Grand  chapter  of  South  Dakota,  R.  A. 
M. — Grand  secretary,  organization  1890  to 
June  1906 ;  grand  high  priest,  June,  1906-07 ; 
grand  secretary,  June,  1907,present  time. 

Grand  representative  grand  chapter, 
Illinois  since  1890. 

Royal  and  Select  Masters — Koda  coun- 
cil, Flandreau,  S.  D. ;  royal  master,  Decem-J 


GEORGE  A.  PETTIGREW  205 

ber  18,  1894;  select  master,  December  18, 
1894;  super  excellent  master,  December  18, 
1894 ;  dimitted  December  2,  1896. 

Alpha  council  No.  1,  Sioux  Falls — Ad- 
mitted November  7,  1903;  thrice  illustrious 
master,  1896-97;  deputy  master,  1903-15. 

Gyrene    Commandery    No.    2,    K.    T.- 
— Red   Cross   February   28,    1888;   Knights 
Templar  February  28,  1888 ;  Knights  of  Mal- 
ta— February  28,  1888;  dimitted  November 
2,  1892. 

Ivanhoe  Commandery  No.  13,  Flan- 
dreau,  S.  D. — Charter  member,  June  30, 
1893;  captain  general  1893-95;  generalissi- 
mo, 1896;  eminent  commander,  1897;  di- 
mitted November  27,  1905. 

Cyrene  Commandery  No.  2,  Sioux  Falls 
— Admitted  December  5,  1905. 

Grand  Commandery  K.  T.,  South  Da- 
kota— Grand  standard  bearer  1892-3,  grand 
recorder  June,  1895-1906 ;  grand  commander, 
June  1907-08;  grand  recorder,  1908-present 
time. 

Honorary  member  Grand  Commandery 
of  Iowa,  August  9,  1907. 

A.  A.  A.  Scottish  Rite,  Alpha  lodge  of 
Perfection  No.  1.  Yankton,  S.  D.,  February 
14,  1894;  Mackey  chapter,  Yankton,  Febru- 
ary 15,  1894 ;  Robert  de  Bruce  council  No.  2, 
February  16,  1894;  Oriental  Consistory 


206         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

No.  2,  Yankton,  February  17,  1894;  master 
of  ceremonies,  1897;  chancellor,  1899-1900; 
preceptor,  1901. 

Khurum  lodge  of  Perfection,  charter 
member;  Albert  Pike  chapter,  Sioux  Falls, 
charter  member;  Coeur  de  Leon  council, 
Sioux  Falls,  charter  member;  Occidental 
Consistory  No.  2,  Sioux  Falls,  charter  mem- 
ber. 

K.  C.  C.  H.  at  Washington  October  19, 
1897. 

Honorary  thirty-third  degree  January 
16,  1900. 

Deputy  inspector  general  for  Sioux 
Falls,  November  28,  1902. 

Royal  Order  of  Scotland  October  19, 
1903. 

A.  A.  0.  N.  M.  S.— El  Riad  temple, 
Sioux  Falls,  June  8,  1899;  held  all  inter- 
mediate offices,  and  elected  potentate  Decem- 
ber 12,  1908;  re-elected  potentate  December 
15,  1909 ;  grand  representative  New  Orleans 
1910;  grand  representative,  Rochester,  July 
11,  1911. 

Masonic  Veteran's  Association  South 
Dakota,  June  1,  1901,  elected  secretary  June 
14,  1911. 

Order  Eastern  Star,  Beulah  chapter 
No.  2,  Flandreau,  charter  member  February, 
1885;  worthy  patron  1885-6. 


GEORGE  A.  PETTIGREW  207 

Grand  chapter  0.  E.  S.,  of  South  Dakota 
— The  second  grand  patron,  May,  1890 ;  third 
grand  patron,  1891 ;  fourth  grand  patron, 
1892. 

Jasper  chapter  O.  E.  S.  No.  4,  Sioux 
Falls,  admitted  1905. 

General  grand  chapter  0.  E.  S. — chair- 
man board  trustees  1907-10;  right  worthy 
associate  grand  patron,  November,  1910. 

Most  worthy  Grand  Patron  1913  to 
present  time. 

St.  George's  Conclave  No.  6,  Red  Cross 
of  Constantine  at  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  April  25, 
1911. 


FRANK  CRANE 

EDUCATOR    POLITICIAN 

"He  burned  the  books!" 
"What  books?" 

"The  republican  campaign  books !" 
"Who  did?" 

"A  man  named  Frank  whose  surname 
is  Crane." 

"Who  said  so?" 
"His  enemies." 
"Does  that  prove  anything?" 


210         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

"No!  Most  certainly  it  doesn't.  A  man 
who  is  in  politics  nowadays  is  liable  to  be 
accused  of  almost  anything." 

"Did  he  ever  affirm  it?     or  deny  it?" 

"No.     You  remember,  don't  you?    how 

when  Christ  was  wrongfully  accused  before 

Pilate,  the  apostle  says,  'He  opened  not  his 

mouth.' 

IN'S  AND  OUT'S  OF  POLITICS 

• 

Having  disposed  of  our  expected  climax, 
perhaps  we  can  now  proceed  to  our  anti- 
climax with  some  degree  of  satisfaction  to 
all  concerned. 

Mr.  Crane  was  born  at  Sparta,  Wis., 
December  14,  1855.  Providence  intended 
him  for  a  Christmas  present  to  his  parents, 
but  the  change  of  eleven  days  in  the  Julian 
calendar  caused  Santa  to  arrive  with  him 
prematurely.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  at  Sparta,  and  later  secured  his 
master's  degree  at  Gale  college,  Galesville, 
Wis. 

In  1878,  at  the  age  of  23,  and  while  yet 
a  mere  stripling  of  a  lad,  he  made  his  way 
to  Watertown,  S.  D.,  and  was  immediately 
employed  as  superintendent  of  the  Water- 
town  city  schools.  The  country  was  new; 
Watertown  was  not  very  large;  a  few  coun- 
try schools  were  soon  organized;  and  for  a 


FRANK  CRANE  211 

few  years  Mr.  Crane  acted  both  as  city  and 
as  county  superintendents.  Then  he  relin- 
quished the  city  work  for  the  county  work 
exclusively,  serving  all  told  for  ten  years  as 
superintendent  of  Codington  county. 

CRANE,  THE  POLITICIAN 

However,  in  1894,  Mr.  Crane  got  tangled 
up  in  politics  on  a  wider  scale  and  he  became 
a  candidate  on  the  republican  ticket  for 
state  superintendent  of  public  instruction. 
This  was  logical.  The  modern  philosopher 
would  call  it  political  induction — going  from 
the  known  to  the  related  unknown.  Very 
well;  Crane's  horizon  widened  with  his  ex- 
perience and  his  ambitions  kept  pace  with 
his  horizon. 

He  won  out,  and  he  made  one  of  the 
most  practical,  sensible  superintendents  of 
public  instruction  that  the  state  has  ever 
had.  But  he  had  made  some  local  political 
enemies  at  Watertown  in  the  early  days,  so 
that  when  he  came  up  for  renomination  at 
the  Aberdeen  convention  in  1896,  he  was 
denied  the  support  of  his  home  delegation. 
This  would  have  killed  the  average  political 
aspirant — but  not  Frank  Crane.  Oh,  no ;  not 
yet! 

The  Lawrence  county  delegation,  headed 
by  Prof.  E.  0.  Garrett,  principal  of  schools 


212         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

at  Spearfish  (now  resident  agent  in  the  north 
half  of  Nebraska  for  the  American  Book 
Co.)  came  to  his  rescue. 

"Mr.  Chairman!"  shouted  Garrett  sev- 
eral times,  while  a  fellow  from  Codington 
county  was  trying  to  "butt  in"  with  an  ex- 
planation as  to  why  that  county  was  with- 
holding its  support  from  Mr.  Crane. 

"Mr.  Chairman!"  yelled  Garrett  in 
stentorian  tones,  as  he  jumped  upon  a  chair. 

The  presiding  officer  recognized  him  as 
having  the  floor. 

"I  rise,"  said  Garrett,  shaking  his  fist 
at  the  political  malefactor  from  Codington 
county,  "on  behalf  of  Lawrence  county,  to 
place  in  nomination  for  superintendent  of 
public  instruction  as  his  own  successor  in 
office  a  most  distinguished  citizen  of  this 
commonwealth,  one  who  is  a  man  among 
men  and  a  gentleman  among  the  ladies." 

Pandemonium  broke  loose.  A  fellow 
from  Hughes  county  shrieked  himself  hoarse 
trying  to  gain  recognition  from  the  chair. 
Finally,  he  succeeded;  and  on  behalf  of 
Hughes  county,  he  seconded  the  nomination 
of  Mr.  Crane.  Other  counties  rapidly  swung 
into  line,  and  he  received  the  nomination  in 
spite  of  his  home  delegation.  (The  primary 
law  has  now  superseded  the  old  convention 
system,  so  that  today  we  are  all  denied  the 


FRANK  CRANE  213 

exhilarating  effect  of  these  biennial  political 
revivals)  Crane  went  before  the  people,  made 
a  hand-shaking  campaign,  and  despite  the 
fact  that  the  free  silver  craze  was  on  and  that 
the  state  at  large  went  democratic,  he  was 
re-elected  by  something  like  a  majority  of 
44  votes  out  of  a  total  of  88,000.  No  man 
is  ever  whipped  in  politics  until  after  the 
votes  are  counted.  (Bryan  isn't  whipped 
then.) 

Near  the  close  of  Mr.  Crane's  second 
term  as  state  superintendent,  he  was  made 
secretary  of  the  republican  state  central 
committee.  In  1900,  largely  as  a  result  of 
his  own  organizing  ability,  the  state  swung 
back  into  the  republican  column  by  a  ma- 
jority of  14,000.  He  was  then  made  chair- 
man of  the  committee,  and  in  1904,  he  saw 
the  republican  majority  climb  up  to  nearly 
25,000. 

LAWYER 

During  these  eventful  years  Mr.  Crane 
had  been  busy  every  spare  moment,  reading 
law — first  at  Watertown,  and  then  at  Pierre. 
In  1899,  he  passed  the  bar  examination  and 
was  admitted.  Later,  upon  application  of 
Senator  Kittredge,  he  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice before  the  supreme  court  of  the  United 
States. 


214        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

In  March,  1901,  Mr.  Crane  was  ap- 
pointed, or  selected,  chief  clerk  of  the  state 
supreme  court  of  South  Dakota.  This  po- 
sition he  held  for  twelve  consecutive  years. 
However,  on  January  7,  1913  he  voluntarily 
resigned,  and  hereafter  he  will  devote  him- 
self to  a  new  line  of  out-of-door  work. 

Through  all  of  his  eventful  career,  he 
has  been  made  happy  by  the  companionship, 
since  1883,  of  Mrs.  Crane — nee,  Martha 
Crouch — a  talented  and  estimable  lady  whose 
friends  and  personal  acquaintances  cover  the 
entire  state.  Providence  has  left  them 
childless ;  yet  their  home  life  has  always  been 
one  of  exceptional  congeniality  and  hospital- 
ity. Good  citizens!  We  love  them. 


EMORY  HOBSON 

OUR  SUPERB   MUSICIAN 

Music,  on  earth,  dates  back  to  that 
eventful  night  in  the  Garden  of  Eden,  when 
Eve,  stepping  softly  and  shyly  amid  the 
flowers,  during  the  increasing  twilight, 
hummed  a  little  tune  which  mortal  man  had 
never  before  heard,  to  give  herself  courage, 
as  she  listened  to  the  voice  of  God  crying  out 
to  her  companion,  Adam,  "Where  art 
thou?" 


216        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

From  that  day  to  this,  the  melodious 
strains  of  music,  either  vocal  or  instrumen- 
tal, echoing  down  through  the  ages,  have 
"soothed  the  savage  beast,"  staid  the  lion's 
paw,  protected  the  snake-charmer,  en- 
couraged the  soldier,  given  hope  to  the 
penitent,  comfort  to  the  dying,  cheer  at  the 
marriage  altar,  and  rendered  happy  the  toil- 
ing millions  on  the  earth. 

We  are  all  influenced  by  it.  "Let  me 
make  the  ballads  of  a  nation,  and  I  care  not, 
who  makes  its  laws,"  said  a  wise  sage  long 
ago.  When  Napoleon's  army  faltered  near 
the  crest  of  the  Alps,  he  ordered  all  of  his 
bands  to  play.  The  result  was  that  he  con- 
quered the  Alps  and  Italy,  too.  At  Water- 
loo, the  Highland  piper  playing 

His    Scottish   airc 

In  the  English  squares. 

turned  Marshall  Ney's  charge  into  defeat 
and  sent  Napoleon  to  St.  Helena.  The  in- 
spiring strains  of  "The  Star-Spangled 
Banner"  sent  Grant's  determined  veterans 
up  the  slope  of  Missionary  Ridge,  swept  the 
rebel  hosts  from  the  field,  and  that  night  the 
camp  fires  of  the  American  republic,  on  the 
heights  about  Chattanooga,  launched  their 
red  flames  heavenward  as  a  burnt  offering  to 
God.  The  words  of  the  revivalist  exhorter 
frequently  fall  deaf  on  the  ears  of  the 


EMORY  HOBSON  217 

hardened  sinner,  while  the  mellow  accents  of 
"Nearer,  My  God  to  Thee"  rising  softly  from 
the  throat  of  a  sweet  singer  turn  the  same 
soul  toward  its  God. 

Instinctively  our  minds  turn  to  the 
brave  band  on  the  ill-fated  Titanic,  remain- 
ing at  their  post  of  duty  in  the  presence  of 
certain  death.  Said  the  Washington  Post: 
"There  is  sublimity  about  these  men  grouped 
around  their  leader  in  the  shattered  salon  of 
the  sinking  liner,  with  all  hope  for  them- 
selves abandoned,  playing  for  the  encourage- 
ment of  passengers  and  crew  the  gay  tunes 
to  which  lately  women  in  silk  and  diamonds 
had  been  dancing,  and  at  the  end  swinging 
into  the  strains  of  that  comforting  hymn 
which  knows  in  universal  appeal  no  distinc- 
tion of  station,  birth  or  nationality. 

"And  so  the  band  of  the  Titanic  was 
faithful  according  to  tradition  to  the  end, 
until,  playing  on  and  on,  as  the  dark  waters 
engulfed  them,  and  the  garish  lights  were 
snuffed  out  forever,  their  tired  eyes  beheld 
coming  out  of  the  darkness  a  celestial  radi- 
ance, and  their  ears  heard  the  first  faint 
sound  of  that  music  which  began  where 
theirs  left  off." 

MUSIC  EVERYWHERE 

This  old  world  of  ours  abounds  with 
music  of  various  kinds  everywhere  for  him 


218        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

or  her  whose  heart  is  attuned  to  its  strains. 
The  hubs  of  a  buggy  rattling  against  the 
shoulders  of  the  axles,  mingled  with  the 
clatter  of  the  horses'  hoofs,  make  music  in 
the  lovers'  ears.  Little  Katydid,  sitting  in 
the  harvest  field,  filing  together  her  saw- 
toothed  legs,  gives  to  us  our  rasping  autumn 
lays.  The  rumblings  of  nearby  thunders  are 
but  the  deep-toned  diapason  of  the  storm 
clouds,  that  sing  us  to  sleep. 

But  music  does  not  reach  us  exclusively 
through  the  sense  of  hearing.  Sight  steps 
in  and  gives  to  us  an  appreciation  of  the 
music  found  in  the  blending  of  tints  and 
shades  and  the  harmony  of  colors  which  the 
artist  spreads  upon  the  canvas.  The  builder 
lifts  our  souls  heavenward  as  we  view  with 
increasing  delight  the  music  found  in  the 
harmonization  and  symmetry  of  the  numer- 
ous parts  that  make  up  his  lofty  domes  which 
form  pillars  for  the  skies.  We  open  our 
dreamy  eyes  on  a  sunlit  morn  and  laugh  at 
the  music  in  nature  as  we  behold  the  God 
of  Day  in  the  east  chasing  the  Goddess  of 
Night  to  rest  in  the  west  while  he  "ascends 
the  sapphired  stars  of  heaven.  .  .  .  tops  the 
hills  with  gold,  paints  the  petals  of  every 
flower  with  gorgeous  beauty  and  arrays 
nature  in  her  shifting  garment  of  loveliness." 


EMORY  HOBSON  219 

As  was  said  by  Keats : 

"Heard  melodies  are  sweet,  but  those  urmeard 
Are  sweeter;  therefore,  ye  soft  piper,  play  on; 
Not  to  the  sensual  ear,  but  more  endeared, 
Pipe  to  the  spirit  ditties  of  no  tone." 

Then  again,  smell  comes  to  the  fore 
and  gives  to  us  another  joyous  sense  of  music 
in  nature's  realm  as  we  step  into  a  Pyncheon 
garden  and  inhale  the  delicate  perfume  of 
the  flowers. 

Yes,  there  is  music  all  about  us.  Even 
literature  is  filled  with  it.  Our  heart  strings 
tingle  with  melody  as  we  repeat — 

"Blessings   on  thee,  little  man, 
Barefoot  boy,  with  cheek  of  tan; 
With  thy  turned-up  pantaloons, 
And  thy  merry  whistled  tunes." 

while  we  turn  from  rhythmic  verse  only  to 
find  music  again  in  Stoddard's  elegant  prose : 

"Where    the    keen    Alpine    air    grows    soft   beneath 
the  wooing  of  the  Italian  sun." 

Think  of  it!  There  is  music  also  in 
prayer.  Man's  soul  is  a  "harp  of  a  thousand 
strings."  When  the  finger  tips  of  God  pick 
a  few  discordant  notes  on  its  sinful  bass 
strings,  man  looks  into  that  impassable  gulf 
between  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus  but  as 
the  same  Finger  Tips  trip  off  on  the  re- 
sponsive strings  of  the  upper  clef  those  divine 
melodies  that  articulate  the  soul  with  its 
Creator,  man  intuitively  hears  with  unborn 
ears  the  rhythmic  echoes  of  his  own  prayer, 
"Thy  will  be  done." 


220        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

Music  is,  therefore,  both  vocal  and  in- 
strumental, both  physical  and  spiritual.  We 
hear  it  in  the  brooklet's  stream  and  feel  it  in 
the  soul's  response.  It  heaves  the  chest,  pul- 
sates the  heart  and  mellows  the  soul.  We 
listen  to  its  merry  peals  in  the  bells  that 
chime,  to  its  lingering  chord  in  the  coronet's 
blast ;  to  its  soothing  strains  from  the  ban- 
jo's strings  and  to  its  dismal  thump  in  the 
bass  drums  notes ;  but,  after  all,  the  sweetest 
music  on  the  harp  of  life,  ever  listened  to  by 
mortal  man — that  which  lingers  with  us  all 
alike — is  those  angelic  notes — our  mother's 
voice,  when  she  sang  to  us  as  a  child,  while 
we  lay  listening  to  her  diminishing  refrains 
of  "Bye,  Baby,  Bye,"  as  the  unwelcome  sand 
man  from  "God's  Acre"  dropped  sand  into 
our  eyes  until  they  became  so  clouded  that 
we  closed  their  blinking  lids  in  silent  sleep, 
and  were  ushered,  amid  deep-drawn  breaths, 
into  dreamland's  realm. 

ONE  WHO  FEELS  AND  KNOWS 

We  have  purposely  indulged  in  this 
seemingly  extravagant  introduction,  so  as 
to  get  our  readers'  minds  surcharged  with 
thoughts  of  music  before  we  introduce  them 
to  our  superb  musician — a  man  whose  soul 
wells  up  with  melodious  response  to  music 


EMORY  HOBSON  221 

in  every  form — instructor  of  vocal  music  at 
Dakota  Wesleyan  university- -Professor 
Emory  Hobson. 

Hobson's  soul  is  ever  attuned  to  music 
in  nature's  realm ;  to  the  stirring  notes  from 
the  human  throat,  the  warblings  of  the  lark, 
the  reverberating  echoes  of  the  violin,  the 
choppy  chords  of  the  piano,  or  to  the  melody 
on  the  "Harp  of  the  Senses."  He  lives  in 
music,  feasts  on  it,  delights  in  it,  feels  it, 
radiates  it,  and  gives  a  potent  charm  to  its 
enchanting  powers. 

He  is  not  homely,  with  a  crooked  nose; 
long-haired,  deaf,  blind  or  a  recluse.  Rather 
he  is  simply  a  neat,  trim,  up-to-date,  twen- 
tieth century  musician ;  possessed  of  none  of 
the  oddities  that  personalized  the  masters  of 
old.  He  did  not  sink  the  Merrimac  or  glad- 
den the  hearts  of  400  St.  Louis  belles  with  a 
press  of  his  lips  (although  there  may  have 
been  music  even  in  that) .  Oh  no ;  that  was 
Lieutenant  Richard  P.  Hobson. 

PREPARATION  AND  EXPERIENCE 

Professor  Hobson  was  born  at  Paducah, 
Kentucky,  in  1880.  He  came  from  a  family 
of  musicians.  A  musician  must  be  born, 
not  made.  He  must  have  the  music  germ 
in  his  blood  before  the  musician  can  be  de- 
vveloped,  just  as  surely  as  the  consumptive 


222         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

must  have  a  tubercular  bacillus  in  his 
blood  before  the  disease  can  be  developed. 
Hobson  is  a  born  musician. 

When  he  graduated  at  the  college  of 
music,  he  was  given  first  rank  in  his  class 
and  presented  with  a  gold  medal. 

In  1906,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Myrtle  Sticker  of  Cincinnati.  That 
same  year  Dr.  Thomas  Nicholson,  former 
president  of  Dakota  Wesleyan  university, 
was  raking  the  whole  United  States  with  a 
fine-mesh  drag-net,  to  secure  for  his  insti- 
tution a  man  who  could  and  would  put  the 
musical  department  on  a  basis  that  would 
command  "respect  at  home"  and  give  it 
"prestige  abroad."  His  eagle  eye  caught 
Hobson;  he  was  secured,  and  he  and  his 
young  bride  came  directly  to  Mitchell  where 
Professor  Hobson  for  nine  years  strug- 
gled along  with  intelligent  modesty,  in  a 
grand  effort  to  make  Mitchell  one  of  the  big 
music  centers  of  the  state. 

MAY  FESTIVALS 

His  first  meritorious  act  was  to  organize 
the  May  festival.  The  first  performance  was 
given  in  connection  with  the  famous  Theo- 
dore Thomas  orchestra,  of  Chicago.  Hobson 
conducted  the  "Messiah"  with  a  drilled 


EMORY  HOBSON  223 

chorus  that  did  most  excellent  work.  Prof. 
Thomas  himself  was  unstinted  in  his  praise 
of  the  young  musician. 

The  second  year  he  gave  the  cantata 
"God's  Own  Time,"  by  Bach,  and  "The  Holy 
City"  by  Gaul,  with  the  Minneapolis  Sym- 
phony orchestra;  and  each  year  since  then 
he  has  appeared  in  the  May  festival  with 
this  grand  musical  combination. 

The  third  year  he  gave  "Olaf  Try- 
grasson,"  by  Greig;  the  fourth  year,  "Hia- 
watha's Wedding  Feast,"  the  fifth  year,  he 
gave  "Brahm's  Requiem,"  the  greatest 
choral  work  ever  written ;  the  sixth  year,  he 
repeated  "Hiawatha's  Wedding  Feast,"  and 
gave  with  it  the  "Cantata  of  Gallia"  by 
Gounod. 

CHOIR  WORK  AND  STUDENTS 

In  addition  to  this  work  Professor  Hob- 
son  is  of  great  service  to  the  churches 
throughout  the  city.  One  year  he  gave 
Hayden's  "Imperial  Mass"  with  a  chorus  of 
fifty  voices  at  the  Holy  Family  church  in 
Mitchell.  It  is  very  doubtful  if  this  per- 
formance has  ever  been  equaled  or  sur- 
passed in  the  state. 

He  also  gives  four  concerts  yearly  for 
the  benefit  of  the  local  M.  E.  church's  musical 
fund,  and  he  keeps  in  training  a  male 


224         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

quartet  that  is  simply  superb.  Professor 
Hobson  also  conducts  the  Methodist  church 
choir  each  Sunday,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that 
the  excellent  work  of  this  choir  is  no  small 
factor  in  attracting  the  large  congregation, 
ranging  from  1,200  to  1,600  to  that  institu- 
tion twice  each  Sunday. 

His  training  which  he  gives  to  his 
pupils  is  so  thorough  that  several  of  them 
have  already  won  distinction  outside  of  the 
state.  Among  these  are  Miss  Emma  Remp- 
fer  of  Parkston ;  Miss  Florence  Morris  of 
Mitchell,  (recently  married  to  Mr.  Kings- 
bury  at  Hartford,)  and  Miss  Jessie  Mc- 
Donald of  Highmore. 

We  speak  advisedly  and  with  reserva- 
tion when  we  say  that  he  is  beyond  contra- 
diction, the  best  instructor  in  voice  that  has 
as  yet  taken  up  work  in  the  state.  Under 
his  direction  the  musical  department  at 
Dakota  Wesleyan  has  been  thoroughly  or- 
ganized and  it  has  gained  strength  in  num- 
bers until  today  it  has  become  the  largest 
special  department  in  the  school.  Such  a 
man  lives  to  bless  his  community,  and,  as 
well,  the  world  at  large. 

In  1915  he  was  elected  Professor  of 
Music  in  the  Northern  Normal  and  Industrial 
School,  at  Aberdeen,  S.  D. 


FRANK  ANDERSON 

HIS  NAME  is  "ANDERSON" 

If  your  name  were  Anderson,  just  now, 
you  would  be  in  the  lime  light  of  politics. 
If  your  name  were  not  Anderson,  what 
would  you  wish  it  to  be?  (Perhaps,  right 
now,  Johnson;  for  Ed.  Johnson  is  just  going 
to  the  senate,  Royal  Johnson  to  congress,  and 
one  county  reports  four  Johnsons  on  their 
ticket  last  fall  with  every  single  one  of  them 


226         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

elected).  However,  the  Hon.  H.  B.  Ander- 
son, retiring  state  auditor,  has  given  the 
name  of  Anderson  quite  an  impulse  in  this 
state. 

" What's  in  a  name?"  asked  a  wise- 
acre years  ago.  Well,  there  must  be  some- 
thing when  on  a  state  board  of  only  five 
members — the  regents  of  education — the 
governor  either  found  it  necessary  or  wise- 
perhaps  as  wise  as  it  was  necessary — to 
aupoint  two  Andersons-  -The  Honorable  A. 
M.  (forenoon)  Anderson  of  Sturgis,  the 
fellow  who  gets  up  in  the  "a.  m."  and  does 
things,  and  the  right  Honorable  Frank 
Anderson,  of  Webster,  the  party  with  whom 
"Who's  Who"  is  today  concerned. 

A.  M.  has  been  on  the  board  of  regents 
for  many  years.  His  official  record  is 
enviable.  So  when  the -lamented  Marcus  P. 
Beebe,  of  Ipswich,  a  member  of  the  regents 
of  education,  died  last  year,  Governor  Byrne 
decided  he  would  try  another  Anderson  on 
the  board ;  and,  therefore,  without  any  equiv- 
ocation, he  gave  orders  that  a  commission 
as  regent  of  education  should  be  filled  out 
at  once  and  mailed  to  Attorney  Frank  Ander- 
son of  Webster.  True,  this  made  the  board 
40  per  cent  Andersons  and  60  per  cent  law- 
yers, but  it  made  a  good  board  just  the  same. 


FRANK  ANDERSON  227 

Frank  Anderson,  or  Regent  Anderson — 
which  ever  style  of  salutation  you  prefer — 
was  born  on  a  farm  in  Fillmore  county, 
Minnesota,  October  18,  1870.  He  spent  his 
boyhood  on  the  farm  at  hard  labor  and  at- 
tended rural  school  a  few  months  each  win- 
ter. Later,  he  attended  Windom  institute 
for  two  terms  and  then  was  enrolled  for  a 
couple  years  in  the  Anamosa  (Iowa)  high 
school.  This  makes  two  members  of  the 
board  (Frank  Anderson  and  Hitchcock), 
who  did  their  high  school  work  in  the  little 
penitentiary  city  of  Anamosa  (not  as  con- 
victs, of  course,  but  as  real  good  boys.) 

Like  other  boys  who  have  had  to  help 
themselves,  young  Anderson's  change  became 
short — shorter  than  his  trousers,  for  he  was 
now  a  young  man;  so  he  entered  the  teach- 
ing profession  for  three  years.  From  his 
earnings  as  a  teacher  he  saved  enough  to 
help  put  himself  through  Valparaiso  univers- 
ity law  school,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  May  1899.  (Hon.  C.  H.  Lugg,  superin- 
tendent of  public  instruction;  his  deputy,  C. 
T.  King;  Superintendent  W.  0.  Lamb  of 
Hutchinson  county,  and  a  number  of  other 
prominent  people  in  this  state  are  alumni 
of  the  same  institution.  It  really  has  helped 
to  shape  the  history  of  our  state.) 


228        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

Six  weeks  after  taking  his  law  degree, 
young  Anderson  struck  west  and  settled  at 
Webster,  S.  D.,  where  he  promptly  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession. 
His  practice  was  large  right  from  the  start; 
so  much  so,  that  in  a  few  months  he  ven- 
tured upon  a  still  greater  venture — matri- 
mony. In  the  fall  of  1899,  he  slipped  back 
to  Davis,  111.,  a  small  town  near  Freeport, 
and  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sophie 
Knudson. 

The  year  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Ander- 
son formed  a  law  partnership  at  Webster 
with  Josephus  Alley.  This  partnership  con- 
tinued for  five  years.  Upon  its  dissolution, 
Mr.  Anderson  formed  a  new  partnership 
with  Attorney  W.  G.  Waddel,  which  con- 
tinues to  this  day. 

Frank  Anderson,  like  the  Honorable  H. 
B.,  has  been  in  politics  more  or  less  all  his 
life.  In  1902  he  was  elected  state's  attorney 
for  Day  county ;  in  1908  he  was  elected  again 
and  re-elected  in  1910. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  appointed  Assistant 
U.  S.  District  Attorney  in  the  spring  of  1911, 
but  inasmuch  as  the  position  would  have 
necessitated  his  removal  to  Sioux  Falls,  he 
declined  the  appointment. 

He  has  a  large  following  in  his  own 
county — so  much  so  that  Governor  Byrne 


FRANK  ANDERSON  229 

contemplated  appointing  him  circuit  judge 
when  Judge  McNulty  resigned  to  enter  the 
congressional  arena  two  years  ago;  but  Mr. 
Anderson  gave  his  own  endorsement  to  Hon. 
Thomas  L.  Bouck  who  was  tendered  the 
position.  However,  we'll  predict  that  he'll 
be  a  "judge"  some  day:  he  has  that  "judicial 
temperament"  which  Senator  Beveridge  told 
us  so  much  about  in  the  campaign  of  1912. 


W.  G.  SEAMAN 

PRESIDENT  DAKOTA  WESLEYAN 

Said  the  Reverend  Dr.  Jenkins  in  his 
introductory  address  to  the  students  of 
Dakota  Wesleyan  at  Mitchell,  at  the  opening 
of  school  a  year  ago:  "The  committee  to 
whom  was  assigned  the  responsibility  of  se- 
curing a  new  president  for  you,  established 
their  headquarters  at  a  hotel  in  St.  Louis; 
and  oh !  my,  but  it  was  hot.  I  never  suffered 


232         WHO'S  WHOIN  SOUTH   DAKOTA 

so  with  heat  in  all  my  life,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.,  etc., 
but  out  of  it  we  brought  the  right  man,  your 
new  president,  Dr.  William  Grant  Seaman, 
of  De  Pauw  university,  who  will  now  ad- 
dress you." 

Jumping  to  his  feet  to  acknowledge  with 
polite  bows  the  hailstorm  of  applause  which 
he  was  receiving,  Dr.  Seaman,  with  a  broad 
grin  on  his  face,  said,  as  soon  as  the  excite- 
ment had  died  down :  "Yes ;  I  remember  now, 
the  story  of  a  man  who  used  to  live  in  St. 
Louis.  He  died  and  went  to  hell.  As  soon 
as  he  got  there  he  sent  back  to  St.  Louis  for 
his  overcoat." 

(Prolonged  applause.) 

This  was  a  superb  hit.  Right  then  and 
there  the  students  of  Dakota  Wesleyan  saw 
that  they  were  not  to  be  presidentialized  by 
a  "dead  head;"  but  rather  that  a  mixer — a 
give  and  take  fellow — a  real  live  wire,  if  you 
please — had  been  selected  to  lead  them  on. 
In  other  words,  as  Dr.  Jenkins  had  said,  they 
had  gotten  the  "right  man"  for  the  place. 

Dr.  Seaman  is  a  man  of  strong  demo- 
cratic tendencies — a  common  everyday  fel- 
low whose  position  does  not  swell  his  head 
but  merely  enlarges  his  heart.  He  is  jovial, 
keen  and  witty;  yet,  pious,  deep,  reverent, 
grand  and  good.  He's  a  companionable  fel- 


W.  G.  SEAMAN  233 

low — one  that  you  like  to  snuggle  up  to  as 
your  personal  friend — one  who  makes  you 
feel  at  home  in  his  presence;  in  fact,  just  the 
kind  of  a  man  by  temperament  and  training 
that  is  needed  for  such  a  job  as  he  now  holds. 

PRESIDENT  WILLIAM  GRANT  SEAMAN 

Nicholson  came  to  Dakota  Wesleyan 
as  president  when  he  was  forty-four  years 
of  age.  Kerfoot  followed  him  at  forty-three. 
Dr.  Seaman  took  hold  of  the  reins,  four  years 
ago,  at  the  age  of  forty-six.  The  little  vil- 
lage of  Wakarusa,  in  northern  Indiana,  was 
honored  with  his  birth  on  a  calm  November 
morning  in  1866.  Dr.  Seaman,  therefore, 
entered  life  with  the  advent  of  a  new  age. 
The  civil  war  had  closed.  Lincoln  had 
passed  from  the  stage  of  action  to  a  marble 
tomb  in  Illinois.  The  South  was  to  be  re- 
constructed. Men  who  had  won  distinction 
on  the  field  of  battle  in  extinguishing  the 
Confederacy,  were  shrewdly  seeking  political 
recognition.  Grant,  Garfield,  Hayes  and 
others  had  to  be  "cared  for."  As  yet  a 
Southerner  sat  in  the  presidential  chair. 
The  recognized  writers  of  the  nineteenth 
century  were  all  getting  old  and  leaving  their 
literary  works  behind  them  as  a  lasting  heri- 
tage for  future  generations.  Science,  art 
and  invention  were  daily  revealing  new 
things.  If  the  boy  should  catch  the  progres- 


234         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

sive  spirit  of  his  age,  make  suitable  prepara- 
tion for  life  and  plunge  in,  he  had  every 
chance  to  win.  He  did  it ;  the  result  is  upon 
us.  Dakota  Wesleyan  never  had  a  more 
vigorous  president  nor  a  better  organizer 
than  she  has  today  in  Dr.  Seaman. 

DEVELOPED  YOUNG 

As  a  boy  he  was  abnormally  bright.  He 
passed  a  creditable  teachers'  examination  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  and  taught  his  first 
school  at  fifteen.  Most  boys  at  that  age  are 
just  entering  the  high  school.  He  therefore 
developed  young.  In  actual  experience  it 
will  be  seen  that  he  is  at  least  ten  years  in 
advance  of  his  age. 

TRAINED  SINGER 

After  his  teaching  experience  he  pre- 
pared for  college  at  Fort  Wayne  Acadamy. 
From  there  he  went  to  De  Pauw  where  he 
took  his  full  college  course.  While  at  De 
Pauw  he  also  specialized  on  music.  He  has 
a  sweet,  well  trained  voice.  And  after  his 
graduation  he  at  once  became  a  member  of 
the  famous  DePauw  Male  Quartette,  which 
sang  from  one  side  of  the  continent  to  the 
other.  After  following  this  line  of  endeavor 
for  a  year  he  resigned  to  accept  the  M.  E. 
pastorate  at  Anderson,  Indiana. 


W.  G.  SEAMAN  235 

Dr.  Seaman  supplied  the  pastorate  at 
Anderson  for  nearly  a  year  and  then  went 
to  Boston  where  he  spent  four  years  study- 
ing theology  and  philosophy  preparatory  to 
receiving  his  Doctorate  of  Philosophy  which 
was  granted  to  him  in  1897,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-one. 

Intermingled  with  these  other  experi- 
ences, he  preached  at  Ludbury,  Mass.,  1893- 
1898;  at  State  Street  M.  E.  church,  Spring- 
field, Mass.,  1898-1900;  and  at  Wesley 
church,  Salem,  Mass.,  1900-04. 

RETURNS  TO  TEACHING 

In  the  fall  of  1904,  President  Hughes 
(now  Bishop  Hughes),  called  Dr.  Seaman 
back  to  his  Alma  Mater  and  made  him  Pro- 
fessor of  Philosophy  in  DePauw  university. 
He  occupied  this  chair  for  eight  consecutive 
years  until  he  was  chosen  president  of  Da- 
kota Wesley  an  in  the  fall  of  1912. 

It  is  due  to  Dr.  Seaman  to  say  that  he 
was  not  an  applicant  for  the  presidency  of 
Dakota  Wesleyan.  Some  friend  suggested 
him.  The  suggestion  reached  the  ears  of 
Bishop  Hughes ;  he  urged  it.  His  record  was 
looked  up.  When  it  was  placed  before  the 
scholarly,  Dr.  Weir,  of  the  D.  W.  U.,  he 
looked  it  over  and  remarked:  "His  training 
is  respectable  and  his  experience  is  ade- 


236         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

quate."  That  settled  it.  The  committee 
called  on  him.  A  prompt  decision  was 
reached  that  they  had  been  guided  to  the 
proper  man.  There  was  no  parleying.  They 
urged  that  he  accept ;  he  did !  It  was  a  clear- 
cut  case  of  a  position  seeking  a  man — an 
uncommon  occurrence  nowadays. 

AS  PRESIDENT 

His  work  as  president  of  Dakota  Wes- 
leyan  for  the  past  four  years  has  already  at- 
tested his  pre-eminent  fitness  for  the  place 
that  sought  him.  As  a  school  organizer,  he 
has  had  no  superiors  among  his  able  pre- 
decessors. 

When  one  walks  into  his  office,  he  sees 
hanging  upon  the  wall  a  map  of  South  Da- 
kota, about  two  feet  wide  and  three  feet 
long.  On  it  he  at  once  notices  a  lot  of  small 
hat  pins  with  various  colored  heads,  stick- 
ing either  singly  or  in  groups  in  the  tiny 
dots  that  indicate  the  various  towns  of  the 
state.  These  pins  show  the  number  of 
students  that  are  enrolled  at  Dakota  Wes- 
leyan  from  each  of  the  different  cities,  towns 
and  villages  in  South  Dakota.  Then,  on  the 
border  of  the  map  are  some  small  hand-made 
countries  and  states,  with  pins  sticking  in 
them  to  denote  the  enrollment  from  outside 
the  state.  Last  year  there  were  several  of 


W.  G.  SEAMAN  237 

these  little  "outside"  squares — one  marked 
"England"  with  one  pin  in  it ;  another,  Colo- 
rado with  one  pin ;  Ohio,  2 ;  North  Dakota,  3 ; 
Indiana,  1 ;  Minnesota,  4 ;  Iowa,  5. 

Then,  again,  these  pins  bear  other  sig- 
nificance. They  have,  as  previously  stated, 
various  colored  heads.  The  ones  with  large 
black  heads  denote  the  pupils  of  college 
rank ;  those  with  small  black  heads,  academy 
rank ;  large  red  heads,  college  normal ;  small 
red  heads,  academy  normal;  large  white 
heads,  college  commercial,  small  white  heads, 
academy  commercial;  while  the  blue  headed 
ones  indicate  music.  It  is  a  unique  thing, 
and  it  conveys  a  number  of  important  ideas 
not  herein  enumerated. 

Dr.  Seaman  is  a  rapid  public  speaker, 
with  a  clear  easy  address;  and  he  has  the 
ability  to  think  on  his  feet.  He  usually 
speaks  without  either  manuscript  or  notes, 
and  shows  by  his  intense  earnestness  that  he 
has  long  since  mastered  the  enviable  art  of 
thought-getting  and  word-getting  while 
standing  on  his  feet  before  an  audience.  In 
other  words  he  is  an  unusually  strong  im- 
promptu speaker. 

South  Dakota  profits  by  his  coming  to 
our  state ;  Methodism  prospers,  the  D.  W.  U. 
grows  stronger,  education  is  enhanced,  and 
society  blessed.  Welcome!  thrice  welcome! 


J.  B.  GOSSAGE 
"JOURNAL"  MAN  AND  JOURNEYMAN 

The  laurels  for  the  longest  continuous 
service  on  a  newspaper  in  this  state,  to  date, 
must  go  to  Joseph  Brooks  Gossage,  of  the 
"Rapid  City  Journal."  He  started  the  paper 
and  got  out  the  first  issue  on  January  5, 
1878;  and  at  the  time  of  this  publication, 
1916,  he  is  still  at  the  helm  and  is  putting 


240         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

out  one  of  the  very  best  dailies  in  the  state, 
thus  giving  to  him  over  thirty-seven  years 
of  continuous  service.  Hats  off! 

At  the  time  he  established  the  Journal, 
there  were  in  that  part  of  Dakota  Territory 
which  now  comprises  South  Dakota  but  fif- 
teen other  papers.  These  were  as  follows  as 
shown  by  Pettingill's  Newspaper  Directory : 

Bon  Homme  Dakota  Citizen :  Thurs- 
days; Independent;  A.  J.  Cogan,  publisher; 
established  in  1877. 

Canton  Advocate:  Wednesdays;  repub- 
lican; Carter  Bros.,  publishers;  circulation 
350. 

Canton  Sioux  Valley  News;  Saturdays; 
N.  C.  Nash,  publisher. 

Deadwood  City  Black  Hills  Miner,  daily, 
except  Mondays;  democratic;  W.  D.  Knight, 
publisher;  circulation  800. 

Deadwood  Black  Hills  Pioneer;  daily 
morning;  and  weekly,  Saturdays;  A.  W. 
Herrick,  publisher. 

Deadwood  Times,  daily  and  weekly, 
Sundays;  Porter  Warner,  proprietor,  L.  F. 
Whitbeck,  editor. 

Elk  Point,  Union  County  Courier;  Wed- 
nesdays; republican;  C.  F.  Mallahan, 
publisher. 

Sioux  Falls  Independent;  Thursdays; 
independent;  F.  E.  Everett,  publisher. 


J.  B.  GOSSAGE  241 

Sioux  Falls  Pantagraph;  Wednesdays; 
republican ;  Geo.  M.  Smith  &  Co.,  publishers ; 
circulation,  580. 

Swan  Lake  Era,  Thursdays;  indepen- 
dent; H.  B.  Chaff ee,  publisher. 

Springfield  Times;  Thursday;  republi- 
can; L.  D.  Poore,  publisher. 

Vermillion  Dakota  Republican;  Thurs- 
days; Mrs.  C.  H.  True,  publisher;  circulation, 
600. 

Vermillion  Standard;  Thursdays;  re- 
publican ;  L.  W.  Chandler,  publisher. 

Yankton  Press  and  Dakotan;  daily; 
evening  and  weekly;  Thursdays;  republican, 
Bowen  &  Kingsbury,  publishers. 

Yankton  Dakota  Herald;  Saturdays, 
democratic;  Taylor  Bros.,  publishers;  circu- 
lation, 1,056. 

Where  are  these  early  editorial  pioneers 
today? — these  men,  who,  in  the  early  days, 
when  the  buffalo  yet  roamed  the  plains  and 
the  Indians  refused  to  heed  the  strong  arm 
of  the  law,  stood  unflinchingly  at  their  posts 
of  duty,  heralding  praises  of  the  west  and 
sounded  long  and  loud  the  eloquent  tocsin 

• 

of  invitation  to  the  east  to  come  west  and 
help  to  build  an  empire  along  the  upper 
Missouri? 


242         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

Ah !  their  work  is  nearly  finished.  Most 
of  them  have  climbed  the  golden  rungs  of 
Jacob's  ladder 

"From  the   lowly  earth, 
To  the  vaulted  skies." 

and  they  are  enjoying  the  fellowship  of 
Angeldom  while  they  await  the  arrival  of 
their  contemporaneous  writers.  The  state 
owes  them  a  debt  it  can  never  pay.  Silence 
their  pencils  in  the  long-gone  years  of  our 
historic  past  and  you  would  at  once  reduce 
Dakota  to  a  semi-arid  Indian  region,  peopled 
here  and  there  by  cattle  rustlers  and  fugi- 
tives from  justice.  They  deserve  well. 

Mr.  Gossage,  unlike  most  of  our  pioneer 
editors  who  came  from  "down  east,"  is  really 
a  westerner.  He  was  born  at  Ottumwa,  la., 
May  19,  1852.  His  grandmother  was  the  first 
white  woman  in  Wapello  county,  having 
moved  there  before  the  treaty  had  been 
signed  by  the  Indians  surrendering  it  to  the 
Whites. 

His  father  died  when  Joe  wras  nine 
years  of  age;  the  home  was  broken  up  and 
our  lad,  together  with  his  mother  and 
brother,  went  to  live  with  his  grandparents. 
He  was  a  mischievous  little  rascal  and  ab- 
solutely refused  to  go  to  school.  Therefore, 
his  grandparents  apprenticed  him  for  five 
years  in  the  "Courier"  office  at  Ottumwa,  to 


J.  B.  GOSSAGE  243 

learn  the  printers'  trade.  The  first  year,  he 
received  the  princely  salary  of  $1.00  per 
week;  the  second,  third  and  fourth  years  he 
got  a  raise  each  year  of  $1.00  per  week.  The 
fifth  year  he  was  made  foreman  and  was 
raised  twice.  The  first  six  months  he  got  $5 
per  week,  and  the  last  six,  $8  per  week. 
Nevertheless  when  his  "time  was  up"  he  had 
learned  a  substantial  trade  and  was  prepared 
for  the  conflict  of  life. 

SEEKS  CITY 

At  16  years  of  age,  he  went  to  Chicago, 
and  worked  for  the  large  printing  establish- 
ment of  Rounds  &  James — afterwards 
Rounds  &  Kane.  He  remained  with  them 
for  a  year  and  then  joined  the  force  of  the 
old  "Chicago  Republican."  Here  he  staid  for 
six  months  and  then  became  identified  with 
the  National  Printing  Co.,  of  Chicago.  He 
was  with  them  at  the  time  of  the  big  Chicago 
fire,  and  was  receiving  $35  per  week.  After 
the  fire,  he  returned  to  Ottumwa,  and  once 
more  became  identified  with  the  Courier- 
the  old  plant  in  which  he  had  learned  his 
trade. 

CONTINUES  TO  ROVE 

After  tiring  of  the  old  haunts  around 
Ottumwa,  he  struck  out  for  Pekin,  111.,  and 
went  to  work  on  the  "Pekin  Register."  Inter- 


244         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

mingled  with  and  antedating  some  of  these 
experiences,  he  shot  across  the  country  to 
Sioux  City,  and  assisted  Caldwell  and  Stahl 
in  getting  out  the  first  issue  of  the  "Sioux 
City  Journal,"  on  April  12,  1870.  Digress- 
ing momentarily,  we  beg  leave  to  add  that 
Caldwell,  after  many  years  at  Sioux  Falls, 
returned  to  Sioux  City  where  he  is  and  has 
been  for  some  time,  identified  with  the  Jour- 
nal, while  Stahl  went  to  Madison,  this  state, 
and  established  the  "Madison  Leader,"  which 
he  still  publishes. 

Gossage  went  to  Eldora,  la.,  in  the 
spring  of  1872,  and  took  charge  of  the 
"Eldora  Herald."  Its  earning  power  had 
been  misrepresented  to  him,  so  he  threw  it 
up  in  a  few  months  and  drifted  over  to  Lin- 
coln, 111.  Shortly  thereafter  his  mother 
died  at  Ottumwa,  la.,  and  he  started  to  at- 
tend her  funeral,  but  the  train  was  wrecked 
and  he  got  there  too  late  to  take  a  "last  look" 
at  the  dear  old  face. 

After  this  experience  he  migrated  to 
Marshalltown,  la.,  and  took  charge  of  the 
"Marshalltown  Times."  At  the  end  of  six 
months  he  again  pulled  stakes  and  landed  in 
Cedar  Rapids,  where  he  became  identified 
with  the  "Cedar  Rapids  Republican." 

Here  he  remained  but  a  short  time.  In 
mid-summer,  1873,  he  struck  west,  landed  in 


J.  B.  GOSSAGE  245 

Omaha,  and  accepted  a  position  in  the  "Oma- 
ha Republican"  job  office.  However,  in  De- 
cember of  the  same  year,  his  roving  spirit 
took  possession  of  him  and  he  strayed  over 
to  Sydney,  Neb.,  and  assumed  control  of  the 
"Sydney  Telegraph." 

ESTABLISHED  "JOURNAL" 

He  owned  and  published  the  Sydney 
Telegraph  for  five  years.  Although  he  did 
not  sell  the  plant  until  May,  1878,  he  had, 
nevertheless,  five  months  before,  gone  to 
Rapid  City,  S.  D.,  and  established  the  "Rapid 
City  Journal."  He  got  out  the  first  issue  on 
January  5,  1878,  and  every  succeeding  issue 
since — a  period  of  thirty-eight  years  and  four 
months.  Thus  to  him  must  go  the  distinc- 
tion of  the  longest  continuous  service  on  the 
same  newspaper,  of  any  man  in  the  state. 
Hackett,  of  Parker,  enjoys  the  distinction  of 
having  been  in  the  newspaper  business  in 
South  Dakota  longer  than  any  other  man— 
a  period  of  forty  years,  but  his  continuous 
service  on  one  paper  lacks  from  January  5, 
1878,  to  October  15,  1878,  of  matching  that 
of  Gossage. 

At  the  time  of  establishing  the  Rapid 
City  Journal,  Gossage  had  been  connected 
with  twelve  other  newspaper  plants.  The 
Journal  made  his  thirteenth.  This  proved  to 
be  his  lucky  number,  and  so  he  settled  down. 


246         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

The  Journal  was  first  a  weekly,  but  on 
February  2,  1886,  it  was  converted  into  a 
daily,  in  which  form  it  is  still  maintained. 
A  recent  copy  of  the  "Inland  Printer"  gives 
two  photographic  reproductions  of  the  entire 
face  page  of  the  Journal,  and  it  compliments 
Mr.  Gossage  very  highly  on  the  artistic  ap- 
pearance of  the  paper. 

Too  much  credit  can  not  be  given  to  Mrs. 
Gossage  for  the  part  she  has  played  in  mak- 
ing the  Journal  what  it  is  today.  She  was 
formerly  Miss  Alice  Bower  of  Vermillion. 
Her  tastes  were  naturally  distinctly  western. 
For  twenty-eight  years  she  has  done  editorial 
work  on  the  paper  and  had  charge  of  the 
business  management.  She  is  a  keen  writer, 
well  balanced,  and  a  lady  of  unusual  business 
instinct. 

In  addition  to  his  newspaper  work,  Mr. 
Gossage  was  a  member  of  the  old  territorial 
board  of  trustees  of  the  School  of  Mines,  at 
Rapid  City,  having  been  appointed  to  the 
position  by  Territorial  Governor  Pierce. 

Mr.  Gossage's  befriending  old  Sergeant 
Preacher,  and  the  relationships  established 
between  the  two,  form  a  unique  and  pathetic 
story.  Our  next  "Who's  Who"  article  will, 
therefore,  deal  with  Preacher. 


CHARLES  B.  PREACHER 

A  SOLDIER  OF  FORTUNE 

Personally,  I  have  always  taken  more 
pleasure  in  writing  eulogies  of  the  living 
than  obituaries  of  the  dead.  For  this  rea- 
son, in  my  long  series  of  "Who's  Who  in 
South  Dakota"  articles,  I  have  confined  my- 
self to  paeans  of  praise  for  the  living ;  while 
now,  for  once,  I  wish  to  indulge  myself  in 
praise  and  reverence  for  the  dead. 


248         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

Here  and  there,  through  the  pages  of 
history,  there  looms  up  above  the  horizon 
the  name  of  a  man  who  was  evidently  a  sol- 
dier of  fortune;  that  is,  one  whom  fortune 
seemed  to  favor.  Some  would  say,  "a  man 
possessed  of  a  guardian  angel ;"  others  would 
say,  "one  favored  by  the  Gods."  For  in- 
stance, John  Smith,  of  the  Jamestown  col- 
ony, Michael  Ney,  Napoleon's  dashing 
cavalry  leader;  Israel  Putnam,  of  revolu- 
tionary fame;  or  Theodore  Roosevelt,  the 
hero  of  San  Juan. 

Such  a  soldier  was  Charles  B.  Preacher, 
the  old  first  sergeant  of  Co.  M.,  First  South 
Dakota  Volunteers,  that  served  in  the 
Philippines.  No  other  man  in  that  fighting 
regiment,  and  in  all  probability,  no  other 
man  in  this  state,  or  perhaps  in  any  other 
state,  ever  had  a  career  like  his — one  filled 
with  so  many  triumphs  over  death,  at  such 
critical  moments  when  some  strange  power 
seemed  suddenly  and  unbidden  to  come  to  his 
rescue.  His  biography,  among  those  of  the 
living,  merits  a  conspicuous  place. 

BORN  ABROAD 

Preacher's  parents  were  wealthy  south- 
erners. Their  name  was  Berry;  how  his 
happened  to  be  "Preacher,"  we  shall  later 
see.  His  parents  were  on  a  trip  abroad  at 


CHARLES  B.  PREACHER  249 

the  time  of  his  birth,  so  that  he  came  into 
being  in  London,  England.  This  fact  became 
a  great  "fact"  -in  in  his  life  later  on. 

IN  CIVIL  WAR 

Nothing  is  known  of  him  after  his  birth 
until  the  breaking  out  of  our  (un) -civil  war. 
At  that  time  he  was  a  student  at  Washing- 
ton-Jefferson college.  He  suddenly  disap- 
peared and  showed  up  next  as  an  orderly  for 
General  Lee  of  the  Confederate  forces. 
While  carrying  a  message  to  the  general, 
from  President  Jeff  Davis,  during  the  battle 
of  Malvern  Hill,  he  was  shot  clear  through, 
sidewise — the  ball  passing  through  both 
lungs.  With  Preacher,  as  with  many  others 
in  life — their  misfortunes  are  their  bless- 
ings, if  they  will  only  await  the  results. 
Prior  to  the  time  he  received  this  severe 
wound,  he  had  weak  lungs.  After  some 
"Yank"  drained  them  for  him  he  was  well 
and  rugged. 

CAPTURED  IN  MEXICO 

After  the  civil  war  was  over,  he  went 
to  Old  Mexico  and  joined  Maximillian's  army 
of  invasion.  On  account  of  his  superior 
military  knowledge  he  was  given  a  position 
on  Maximillian's  staff;  and  when  the  latter 
was  captured,  Preacher  was  captured  with 
him.  They  were  both  sentenced  to  be  shot. 
The  night  before  they  were  to  die,  Preacher 


250         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

caught  the  sentry  who  was  guarding  him, 
unaware,  overpowered  him,  seized  his  gun 
and  made  his  escape. 

IN  CUBA  AND  SPAIN 

He  wended  his  way  stealthily  to  the  sea- 
shore and  embarked  for  Cuba.  Here  he 
joined  the  forces  of  Don  Carlos  who  took 
him  along  to  Spain.  During  the  Spanish 
conflict,  he  was  shot  in  the  leg ;  was  captured 
and  sentenced  to  be  shot.  He  at  once  dis- 
patched a  note  to  the  English  consul,  which 
set  forth  the  fact  that  he  was  born  in  London 
and  declared  himself  to  be  an  English  sub- 
ject. The  consul  promptly  saved  him.  A 
strange  fate  seemed  ever  to  be  with  him. 

UNDER  TWO  MORE  FLAGS 

When  his  wound  had  thoroughly  healed, 
he  went  to  Russia  and  enlisted  in  the  Russian 
navy.  After  serving  one  year,  he  was,  at 
his  own  request,  transferred  to  the  Russian 
army.  He  served  till  the  outbreak  of  the 
Franco-Prussian  war.  Then  he  deserted  the 
Russian  army  and  joined  the  French  troops. 
He  served  through  the  war  without  meeting 
with  any  personal  disaster. 

RETURN  TO  UNITED  STATES 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  he  came  back 
to  the  United  States;  married,  and  settled 
in  West  Virginia,  where  he  took  up  the  work 
of  a  traveling  evangelist  and  preached  to  the 


CHARLES  B.  PREACHER  251 

Alleghany  mountaineers.  They  all  called  him 
"Preacher,"  and  it  somehow  became  his  per- 
manent name — possibly  on  account  of  his 
wife.  "A  woman  in  the  deal,"  you  say.  Ex- 
actly so !  This  was  what  he  needed  to  change 
the  tenor  of  his  life. 

No  external  force  between  the  cradle 
and  the  grave  exercises  so  much  influence 
over  a  man  as  his  wife.  She  makes  him  or 
breaks  him.  Preacher's  wife  did  both — 
she  made  him,  and  then  proved  untrue.  They 
parted.  He  lost  faith  in  humanity  and 
struck  for  the  army.  The  16th  Infantry  took 
him  in.  He  re-enlisted  with  this  regiment 
until  he  finally  reached  the  age  limit — 45 
years — while  they  were  stationed  at  Ft. 
Meade,  South  Dakota,  and  he  was  kicked  out. 

Then  he  went  to  Rapid  City  and  ran  a 
restaurant  for  awhile.  But  the  demon,  rum, 
plus  the  other  demon,  a  faithless  wife,  had 
ruined  him.  Hope  had  fled;  will  power  was 
ruined;  manhood  was  gone;  what  should  he 
do  ?  At  moments  like  these 

"A  friend  in  need  is  a  friend  indeed." 

That  friend  showed  up.  He  was  none 
other  than  Joseph  B.  Gossage,  editor  and 
proprietor  of  the  Rapid  City  Journal.  Gos- 
sage took  him  into  his  own  home,  sobered 
him  up,  befriended  him,  and  tried  to  make  a 
man  of  him. 


252         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 
SPANISH-AMERICAN   WAR   SOLDIER 

Finally,  Mr.  Gossage  got  him  a  job  herd- 
ing sheep.  This  kept  him  out  of  town  most 
of  the  time  and  away  from  booze,  so  that 
he  gradually  grew  better. 

The  "Maine"  was  blown  up,  Congress 
declared  war.  Preacher's  hour  was  at  hand. 
He  walked  to  Rapid  City,  peniless;  joined 
company  "M"  of  the  state  guards,  and  was 
made  first  sergeant.  He  swore  his  age  was 
43,  as  shown  by  the  regimental  records,  but 
when  he  was  killed  the  next  year,  the  evi- 
dence in  his  private  effects  showed  him  to  be 
57. 

When  the  company  started  to  Sioux 
Falls  for  mobilization,  Gossage  gave  Mr. 
Preacher  $10,  and  arranged  with  him  to  act 
as  war  correspondent  for  the  Journal.  This 
Preacher  did  in  a  clever  manner,  and  the 
old  files  of  that  paper  during  1898  and  early 
in  1899  abound  in  his  breezy  reports  from 
the  scene  of  action. 

MUSIC  IN  PROFANITY 

During  my  own  varied  career  as  a  farm 
boy  driving  oxen,  as  a  teacher,  soldier  and 
traveling  salesman,  I  have  heard  men  swear 
in  the  most  vicious  and,  sometimes,  enter- 
taining fashion,  but  in  all  my  experience  I 
never  heard  a  man  who  did  swear  or  could 
swear  by  note  as  did  old  Sergeant  Preacher. 


CHARLES  B.  PREACHER  253 

It  was  really  musical.  He  was  so  fluent,  his 
oaths  came  so  easily,  and  he  used  so  many 
profane  expressions,  born  out  of  his  broad 
experience  in  soldiering  with  so  many  differ- 
ent tongues  in  his  early  days,  that  he  in- 
variably attracted  the  attention  of  all  with- 
in the  range  of  his  voice  and  entertained 
them  mightily  as  he  waxed  eloquent. 

I  do  not  wish  to  grow  too  personal,  nor 
do  I  wish  to  be  irreverent  to  his  memory 
when  I  recite  one  specific  instance.  We  were 
about  two  days  from  Honolulu  on  our  out- 
going trip  to  the  Philippines.  The  noon 
hour  was  at  hand.  The  boys  were  lounging 
on  the  upper  deck  waiting  for  soup  (so- 
called)  to  be  served.  The  members  in  Com- 
pany "M"  had  gotten  outside  of  the  cramped 
space  on  the  deck  allotted  to  them  and  were 
interfering  with  the  affairs  of  Company  "G." 
When  Sergeant  Preacher  came  up  the  hatch- 
way, followed  by  a  detail  from  his  own  com- 
pany who  was  bringing  up  a  dish  pan  filled 
with  soup,  a  sergeant  in  Company  "G"  made 
complaint  to  him  about  the  intrusion  of  his 
company.  Preacher  halted  the  detail, 
ordered  his  own  men  inside  of  their  inade- 
quate space,  and  then  tore  loose  at  them  in 
a  torrent  of  profanity  that  was  the  most 
musical  and  gliding  of  anything  I  had  ever 
heard.  Such  a  volubility  of  unique  expres- 


254        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

sions!  Such  emphasis  on  the  main  oaths! 
Such  delsarte — elocution  and  profane  ora- 
tory!— I  doubt  if  any  man  ever  lived  who 
could  have  equalled  or  surpassed  the  effort. 
He  seemed,  as  Disraeli  said  of  Gladstone, 
"inebriated  with  the  exuberance  of  his  own 
verbosity."  An  entire  battalion  stopped 
their  mess  to  listen  to  him.  Strange  to  say ! 
not  a  man  in  his  own  company  got  mad  at 
him  for  it.  His  excessive  outburst,  although 
directed  at  them,  was  no  doubt  quite  as  enter- 
taining to  them  as  to  others. 

FATE 

The  first  two  battalions  of  the  South 
Dakota  regiment  reached  Manila  bay  about 
nine  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  August  24,  1898, 
and  that  afternoon  they  were  put  ashore  at 
the  village  of  Cavite,  seven  miles  south  and 
a  trifle  west  of  Manila,  across  the  neck  of 
the  bay.  The  other  battalion  soon  arrived 
also;  the  regiment  was  united;  remained  in 
Cavite  two  weeks;  was  transferred  to  Ma- 
nila, quartered  there  for  six  months,  and 
then  became  a  part  of  General  Me  Arthur's 
army  of  invasion  for  the  capture  of  Aguinal- 
do,  the  subduing  of  the  rebellious  Filipinos 
and  the  establishment  of  American  sover- 
eignty throughout  the  archipelego. 

On  March  23,  1899 — the  morning  before 
the  advance  was  to  have  been  begun  that 


CHARLES  B.  PREACHER  255 

cost  the  lives  of  so  many  brave  boys — Ser- 
geant Preacher  wrote  to  Mr.  Gossage  the 
following  letter: 

"Dear  Joe :  We  have  just  received  orders 
to  bivouac  tonight  a  short  distance  ahead  of 
our  present  position,  and  to  advance  at  4:00 
a.  m.  tomorrow. 

"That  means  business.  If  I  get  out  with 
a  whole  skin  I  will  write  you  a  long  letter  as 
soon  as  possible.  If  I  lose  the  number  of  my 
mess — well,  good-bye,  old  man,  it  is  all  right. 
You  will  understand  that  it  is  not  buncombe 
to  say  at  this  time  that  I  cheerfully  lay  my 
life  on  the  altar  of  patriotism.  But,  if  I  am 
spared  the  sacrifice,  I  will  try  to  live  for — as 
I  am  ready  to  die  for — my  country. 

"All  the  boys  feel  the  same  way  and 
cold  feet  are  scarce.  Captain  Medbury  and 
Lieutenant  Young,  are  jollying  each  other 
like  a  pair  of  kids,  and  as  soon  as  I  can  I 
will  be  with  them. 

"Remember  me  to  any  who  inquire  about 
me,  and  depend  upon  your  Journal  corre- 
spondent to  do  his  duty  to  the  best  of  his 
ability.  Your  friend, 

Charles  B.  Preacher." 

The  advance  was  made  two  days  later- 
March  25th.     It  had  its  sacrifices,  Preacher 
was  spared.    The  Filipinos  were  forced  back 
about  nine  miles.    The  next  day,  March  26th, 


256         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

i 

the  South  Dakota  regiment  was  marched  off 
of  the  field  in  a  column  of  fours,  by  the  left 
flank,  and  shortly  after  dinner  plunged  into 
the  battle  of  Polo.  The  next  day,  March  27th, 
was  Marilao — Marilao !  Will  those  who  were 
there  ever  forget  it? 

The    balls    came    pell-mell 

Like   a   moulten   hell, 
Smiting  us  left  and  right, 

We  rose  or  fell 
While  through  the  dell 

We  rushed  for  yonder  height. 

Preacher  rushed — but  only  part  way. 
Not  far  from  the  heroic  regimental  adju- 
tant, Lieutenant  Jonas  H.  Lien,  who  lay  in 
the  throes  of  death,  Preacher,  too,  went 
down.  He  died  "game  to  the  core."  His 
body  was  interred  at  Manila.  Eleven  months 
later,  Mr.  Gossage  received  this  telegram: 

"San  Francisco,  Feb.  14,  1900.— J.  B. 
Gossage,  Rapid  City — Remains  late  Charles 
Preacher,  Sergeant  "M",  First  South  Dako- 
ta, sent  your  care  6  o'clock  tonight  by  W.  F. 
express. — Long,  Depot  Q.  M." 

(Continued  in  the  following  article.) 

REV.  GUY  P.   SQUIRE  WRITES  ABOUT  THE  LAST 

MOMENTS  OF  THE  OLD  SERGEANT 

Editor  Argus-Leader:  I  was  very  much 
interested  in  Mr.  Coursey's  "Who's  Who"  ar- 
ticle on  Sergeant  Preacher.  Also  a  member 
of  Co.  F,  First  South  Dakota  Infantry,  I  was 


CHARLES  B.  PREACHER  257 

shot  in  the  right  side  in  the  fight  at  the  Mari- 
lao  river,  and  with  Sergeant  Preacher  was 
taken  that  night  on  the  same  car  back  to 
Manila.  We  were  laid  side  by  side  in  a  train 
of  freight  cars,  eighteen  in  number,  in  which, 
as  carefully  as  could  be  done,  our  soldier  en- 
gineer ran  us  back  the  eighteen  miles  to 
Manila  to  the  city  wharf.  There  we  were 
disembarked  and  placed  upon  a  launch  which 
conveyed  us  up  the  Pisig  river  to  where  a 
door  of  the  First  Reserve  hospital  opened  on 
to  the  river,  then  we  were  taken  out  and 
carried  to  the  operating  room  where  at  two 
tables  the  surgeons  were  soon  at  work  on 
their  mission  of  mercy.  So  many  were  there 
that  the  rooms  surrounding  the  operating 
room  were  completely  covered  with  the 
litters  of  the  boys,  where  they  lay  chatting 
and  smoking  amid  the  groans  of  the  dying, 
talking  over  the  events  of  that  terribly 
eventful  day.  Finally  it  came  my  turn  and 
after  having  my  wound  dressed  I  was  taken 
to  ward  18,  a  ward  made  of  large  "A"  tents 
erected  on  a  platform  outside  the  quadrangle 
of  wards  of  the  regular  hospital,  as  that  was 
full,  having  at  the  time  over  900  men  in  it. 
About  3:00  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  was 
placed  in  a  bed  in  this  ward,  the  first  springs 
that  I  had  been  laid  on  in  a  year.  I  had 
been  on  guard  without  sleep  throughout  the 


258         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

previous  night,  after  having  passed  through 
the  fierce  fight  at  Meycanayan,  and  after  that 
day's  fighting  at  Marilao  and  with  the  suf- 
fering from  my  wound  I  was  as  nearly  in  a 
state  of  collapse  as  I  well  could  be. 

Never  will  I  forget  the  sense  of  deli- 
cious ease  that  stole  over  me  as  they  laid  me, 
my  wound  dressed,  down  upon  those  soft 
white  sheets.  There  wrere  over  60  men,  all 
wounded  cases  in  this  ward,  shot  in  every 
manner  describable  and  indescribable,  and 
among  them  was  heroic  old  Sergeant 
Preacher.  The  ball  had  crashed  through  the 
center  of  his  chest,  making  a  wound  through 
which  the  blood  constantly  oozed  as  he 
breathed,  and  had  lodged  so  close  to  the  sur- 
face beneath  his  right  shoulder  blade  that 
its  location  was,  clearly  visible,  the  flesh 
blackening  at  the  spot. 

The  old  man  was  forced  to  gasp  for 
every  breath  he  drew,  and  each  inhalation 
must  have  cost  him  excruciating  pain.  He 
persuaded  the  nurse,  Miss  Betts,  the  next 
day  to  have  him  taken  to  the  operating  room 
for  a  further  examination.  More  to  humor 
the  old  man  than  anything  else  the  ward- 
master  consented  and  it  was  done,  though 
somewhat  hastily,  as  it  was  absolutely  known 
that  he  could  not  live.  A  few  "hypos"  were 
administered  to  relieve  his  pain  and  the  old 


CHARLES  B.  PREACHER  259 

man  was  brought  back  to  his  cot  with  the 
assurance  that  he  was  ''coming  along  all 
right",  that  there  would  have  to  be  a  little 
operation  by  and  by  but  as  they  were  very 
busy  he  would  have  to  wait.  The  surgeon 
in  charge  of  the  hospital  was  Major  Crosby, 
a  splendid,  kind  hearted  man,  but  it  was 
difficult  even  to  breathe  with  the  press  of  his 
work  and  consequently  he  was  somewhat 
short  and  gruff.  The  old  sergeant  noticed 
this  and  turning  to  me,  from  whose  cot  he 
lay  just  opposite,  he  enquired,  pausing  for 
breath  between  each  word,  "Who — is — that 

-surgeon — anyway?"  He  was  told  that  his 
name  was  Major  Crosby.  "Well,"  said  the 
sergeant,  "He — is — a — 'Cross — boy' — isn't 

-he?"  Think  of  it!  Dying  and  fighting  for 
every  breath,  this  old  American  soldier 
stopped  to  smile,  to  crack  a  joke  and  pun 
upon  the  name  of  this  doctor!  Later  on  as 
the  sun  was  beating  fiercely  down  on  the 
tents  in  the  heart  of  the  day,  as  help  was 
scarce,  and  there  was  no  one  to  be  constantly 
in  attendance  upon  him  I  got  myself  into  a 
position  where  I  could  fan  him  as  he  lay 
struggling  for  breath.  I  would  give  a  great 
deal  now  if  I  could  recall  the  snatches  of 
sentences  he  uttered  at  that  time  with  the 
death-dew  on  his  brow,  but  I  can  not  recall 
them  clearly  enough  to  reproduce  them  ver- 


260         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

batim.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  there  were 
visions  of  a  far  off  home,  of  other  battlefields, 
and  of  faces  that  he  had  "loved  and  lost 
awhile."  It  came  evening  and  the  shadows 
deepened.  The  old  man  knew  me  as  one  of 
the  boys  of  South  Dakota.  I  had  met  him, 
too,  at  some  of  the  little  gospel  services  when 
a  dozen  or  so  of  the  boys  had  gathered  with 
Chaplain  Daley  for  a  few  words  of  prayer 
and  Christian  praise  together.  I  know  not 
what  the  old  soldier  was  thinking  of  when 
he  said  it,  whether  it  was  the  glory  of  the 
charge  that  the  regiment  made  that  day  at 
Marilao  river  or  any  thought  of  the  Dark 
river  that  he  knew  full  well  lay  just  before 
his  feet.  But  looking  into  my  face  he  said 
with  a  smile  through  his  pain  and  weakness, 
"We're— all— right/— aren't  we?" 

Twilight  passed,  the  cathedral  bells  in 
the  walled  city  just  across  the  moat  had  rung 
the  vesper  hour  and  from  the  barracks  came 
sounds  of  retreat,  tattoo  and  taps.  The  old 
man's  ear  must  have  caught  them  for  the 
last  time  for  he  stirred  uneasily.  I  looked  at 
Miss  Betts  questioningly  with  an  inclination 
of  my  head  toward  the  cot  of  the  old  man, 
and  she  shook  her  head  negatively.  As  the 
darkness  fell  and  the  quiet  of  the  night  came 
on  the  struggle  for  breath  grew  keener  until 
it  could  be  heard  throughout  the  length  of 


CHARLES  B.  PREACHER  261 

the  ward.  He  was  dying  hard,  fighting  for 
every  inch  of  his  ground.  He  half  raised 
himself  on  his  elbow,  "I — hope — I — don't 
— bother — you — fellows!"  gasped  he,  falling 
back  on  his  pillow  as  he  finished  his  state- 
ment. That  was  the  last  coherent  sentence. 
The  night  wore  on.  Midnight  came.  Down 
at  the  guardhouse  the  relief  would  be  falling 
in  for  the  change  of  guard.  'Third — 
relief !-  -Fall  in !  Where — is — that — lazy 
devil !"  Can't — you — turn — out — when — 
your — relief- -is — called?"  The  old  sergeant 
in  delirium  was  turning  out  the  guard  for 
the  last  relief.  "M"— Co.— all— present— 
and — accounted- -for  sir!"  It  was  morning 
and  roll  call,  and  he  was  turning  in  his  report 
to  a  sleepy  lieutenant.  Now  the  talk  was 
just  a  gasping  babble.  I  lay  listening  for 
the  end.  The  hushed  voices  became  an  in- 
distinct murmur  and  I  knew  no  more. 

It  was  morning.  I  looked  over  to  the 
old  sergeant's  cot.  He  and  the  bed  clothing 
had  disappeared.  The  mattress  was  rolled 
half  back.  The  sun  was  shining  brightly 
without.  Nurse  Betts  was  taking  tempera- 
tures and  the  hospital  corps  boys  were  pass- 
ing out  the  dishes  for  breakfast.  Some  of 
the  boys  propped  up  in  bed  had  lit  up  their 
pipes  and  cigarettes  and  were  chatting  gaily. 
None  of  us  mentioned  it,  but  all  of  us  down 


262         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

in  our  hearts  were  glad  that  peace  had  come 
to  the  old  man,  and  that  his  pain  and  his 
sufferings  were  over.  Comrade  Coursey  may 
place  many  and  many  a  star  in  the  galaxy 
of  fame  that  comprises  his  "Who's  Who  in 
South  Dakota,"  but  he  never  will  place  a 
more  worthy  one  there  than  he  did  when 
he  wrote  in  them  the  name  of  Charles  B. 
Preacher.  He  served  in  the  ranks  and  he 
carried  a  gun,  but  no  man  that  wore  a  shoul- 
der strap  or  brandished  a  sword  was  more 
worthy  of  the  title  "Soldier  and  Gentleman" 
than  he. 

Guy  P.  Squire. 
Late   Private    Co.    F,    First   South     Dakota 

Volunteer  Infantry. 
Humboldt,  S.  D. 


DR.  W.  H.  THRALL 

A  SUPERB  ORGANIZER 

It  was  Sunday  morning,  May  8,  1898. 
The  battle  of  Manila  bay  had  been  fought 
and  won  by  Admiral  Dewey  on  the  previous 
Sunday.  The  heart  of  the  nation  was  throb- 
ing  with  patriotic  pride.  The  First  South 
Dakota  infantry,  U.  S.  volunteers,  were  in 
camp  on  the  old  Sioux  river  bottom  at  Sioux 
Falls.  A  large  tent  had  been  pitched  at  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  ground  in  which  to 


264         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

hold  services  for  the  soldier  boys.  At  a  stir- 
ring time  like  that  a  magnetic,  inspirational 
orator  was  needed  to  deliver  the  address. 
The  Reverend  W.  H.  Thrall  of  Huron  came 
out  to  camp  to  visit  his  neighbor,  Chaplain 
C.  M.  Daley,  of  his  home  city;  and  so  our 
preacher-educator,  Dr.  Thrall,  was  selected 
as  orator  for  the  occasion. 

Taking  the  battle  of  Manila  bay  as  his 
text — a  text  in  keeping  with  the  occasion — 
the  gifted  orator  made  the  eagle  scream  for 
an  hour  as  he  unfolded  the  duties  and  re- 
sponsibilities of  good  citizenship.  The  ad- 
dress set  forth  in  a  beautiful  strain  of  in- 
spiring eloquence  the  obligations  of  every 
man  to  that  country  under  whose  flag  he  en- 
joys his  citizenship.  The  effect  was  electri- 
cal. Many  who  had  merely  wandered  into 
camp  for  a  day  or  two,  thinking  to  return 
home  again,  went  the  next  morning  to  head- 
quarters and  promptly  enlisted.  Telegrams 
were  sent  to  the  companies  raised  at  Woon- 
socket  and  at  other  points  not  to  come,  that 
the  regiment  was  full  to  overflowing  and 
that  men  were  being  turned  away  by  the 
hundreds;  in  fact  South  Dakota  sent  to  the 
war  including  Grigsby's  rough  riders,  just 
three  times  her  quota  under  the  call. 

Throughout  the  long  campaign  in  the 
Philippines,  and  especially  as  the  South  Da- 


DR.  W.  H.  THRALL  265 

kota  boys  stood  on  the  banks  of  Manila  bay 
and  saw  lying  therein  the  shell-riven  wrecks 
which  Dr.  Thrall  had  so  vividly  painted  to 
them  with  his  brush-tipped  tongue  at  Sioux 
Falls  the  year  before,  they  frequently  re- 
ferred to  that  eloquent  address  that  had 
caused  them  to  enlist. 

Dr.  Thrall  comes  from  prominent  New 
England  stock.  His  ancestors,  John  Holland 
and  Elizabeth  Tillie,  came  over  on  the  May- 
flower. His  immediate  ancestors  on  his 
mother's  side — the  Bowmans — had  charge  of 
the  "minute  men"  of  Massachusetts  for  fifty 
years  prior  to  the  eventful  morning  near 
Lexington  when  these  famous  colonial  troops 

"Fired  the  shot  heard  'round  the  world." 

W.  H.,  himself,  was  born  at  Kewanee, 
111.,  February  25,  1854.  His  father  was  a 
Congregational  minister.  As  a  result,  the 
boy  was  raised  in  town.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  the  various  towns  in 
which  his  father  preached.  Finally,  when 
William  was  a  lad  well  along  in  his  teens,  the 
family  moved  to  Galesburg,  111.,  where  he 
attended  high  school.  Here  he  also  attended 
Knox  College  until  he  was  well  along  in  his 
junior  year.  From  there  he  went  to  Am- 
herst  college,  where  he  remained  for  two 
years,  taking  his  A.  B.  degree  with  the 
class  of  1877.  Yale  granted  him  his  B.  D.  in 


266         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

1881.  Amherst  gave  him  his  master's  degree 
in  1882;  and  Redfield  college  honored  him 
with  his  D.  D.  in  1903. 

In  1881,  Dr.  Thrall  joined  the  "Yale- 
Dakota  band  of  missionaries."  There  were 
nine  of  them.  As  they  passed  through  Chi- 
cago they  were  given  a  large  reception  at 
the  grand  opera  house.  The  nine  previously 
met  in  a  room  and  elected  young  Thrall  as 
their  speaker  to  represent  them  on  that  oc- 
casion. 

Upon  arriving  in  Dakota  territory  he 
went  to  Chamberlain  where  he  organized  the 
Congregational  church  at  that  place,  and 
built  the  building.  He  remained  at  Cham- 
berlain but  one  year,  during  the  latter  part 
of  which  he  also  did  "minute  man"  work. 

Then  he  accepted  a  call  from  the  Ameri- 
can Missionary  association  to  do  educational 
and  missionary  work.  They  assigned  him  to 
the  principalship  of  Gregory  normal  insti- 
tute, Wilmington,  N.  C.  After  that  he  was 
made  principal  of  the  Tougaloo  (Miss.) 
university. 

Not  liking  the  southern  climate  he  re- 
turned to  Dakota,  took  up  missionary  work 
and  organized  the  Congregational  church  at 
Armour.  From  there  he  went  to  Tomah, 
Wis.,  where  he  preached  for  two  years. 


DR.  W.  H.  THRALL  267 

His  wife's  health  having  begun  to  fail 
rapidly,  the  doctors  advised  them  to  go  south 
again,  so  Dr.  Thrall  accepted  the  principal- 
ship  of  Pleasant  Hill  (Tenn.)  academy. 

However,  in  1891,  he  returned  to  South 
Dakota  again  and  became  pastor  for  two 
years  of  the  church  at  Redfield.  During  his 
last  six  months  there  he  also  acted  as  super- 
intendent of  the  Congregational  churches  of 
the  state.  His  organizing  ability  was  so 
effective  that  he  was  made  superintendent  in 
May,  1893,  and  he  has  held  this  position  now 
for  upwards  of  twenty-two  years. 

The  greatest  honor  that  has  been  con- 
ferred upon  him  was  the  organization  and 
naming  after  him  of  Thrall  academy  at 
Sorum,  Perkins  county,  this  state,  in  1913. 
This  gives  the  Congregationalists  four  in- 
stitutions of  higher  education  in  South  Da- 
kota--Thrall  academy,  Ward  academy,  Red- 
field  college  and  Yankton  college. 

It  is  due  Dr.  Thrall  to  lay  additional 
stress  on  his  effective  platform  work.  At 
Yale,  he  was  one  of  the  seven  speakers  chosen 
from  a  class  of  thirty  to  represent  them  at 
commencement  time.  At  Amherst,  in  a  class 
of  seventy-four,  he  was  one  of  the  six 
speakers  chosen  for  commencement  honors. 
He  wrote  for  the  Hyde  prize.  His  oration 


268         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

ranked  first.  Today  he  is  in  general  demand 
for  commencement  season,  and  his  addresses 
are  always  refreshing  and  up-to-date. 

The  books  show  that  at  the  time  Dr. 
Thrall  became  superintendent  the'  total  mem- 
bership of  the  Congregational  churches  in 
South  Dakota  was  5,173.  It  has  now  10,574. 
The  number  of  families  has  also  doubled. 
Benevolences  have  grown  from  $7,665  to 
$21,560.  Home  expenses  from  $50,543  to 
$164,234.  The  value  of  church  property  has 
multiplied  several  times. 

There  are  more  Congregationalists  in 
South  Dakota  to  the  population  than  in  any 
other  state  west  of  New  England,  South 
Dakota  in  this  respect  even  standing  ahead 
of  Congregational  Iowa,  the  ratio  now  being 
one  congregationalist  to  every  fifty-eight 
people  in  the  state. 

Some  127  of  the  churches  still  living 
have  been  organized  since  the  beginning  of 
his  work  as  superintendent  twenty-two  and 
more  years  ago.  Of  the  churches  still  living 
101  have  erected  new  buildings  during  that 
time.  Superintendent  Thrall  has  taken  part 
in  the  dedication  services  of  all  of  these  but 
four  or  five.  He  raised  final  bills  on  such 
occasions  where  called,  except  in  four  in- 
stances. Sometimes  this  involved  the  rais- 
ing of  several  thousand  dollars,  e.  g.,  Mitchell. 


DR.  W.  H.  THRALL  269 

Most  all  occasions  of  that  kind  called  for 
some  last  bills  to  be  provided  for  and  yet 
almost  without  exception  no  church  has  been 
dedicated  without  the  money  being  raised. 
The  two  or  three  exceptions  have  been  cases 
where  the  finances  were  not  put  in  the  super- 
intendent's hands  ahead  of  time  nor  care- 
fully reported  upon. 

Sixty-nine    parsonages     belonging     to 

the  Congregational  churches  still  alive  have 
been  completed  in  that  time.  At  the 
beginning  of  his  superintendency  there  were 

but  six  churches  in  his  district  which  were 
self-supporting.  Now  the  majority  of  them 
are. 

He  has  been  chairman  of  the  committee 
on  legislation  appointed  by  the  federation 
of  Christian  churches,  several  years  in  suc- 
cession. In  that  capacity,  or  representing 
his  own  denomination,  he  has  taken  an  active 

part  in  some  important  legislative  work.  He 
took  a  very  active  part  in  effecting  an  amend- 
ment to  the  South  Dakota  divorce  law  when 
Bishop  Hare  was  also  interested  in  that  par- 
ticular legislative  work.  And  other  legis- 
lative acts  better  guarding  the  home  and  the 
purity  of  womanhood  have  received  his  act- 
ive attention  during  various  sessions  of 
the  legislature. 


ROLLIN  J.  WELLS 

A  LITERARY  REVIEW 

In  the  broad  range  of  literary  endeavor 
that  has  characterized  the  writings  of  our 
state,  there  seems  to  have  been  room  for  all ; 
and  the  manner  in  which  each  of  the  leaders 
seems  intuitively  to  have  selected  and  de- 
veloped a  field  of  his  or  her  own,  is  rather 
remarkable.  It  remained,  however,  for 
Rollin  J.  Wells,  of  Sioux  Falls,  to  make  an 
excursion  into  the  field  of  drama  and  therein 


272         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

to  make  for  himself  in  his  "Hagar"  a 
reputation  as  a  poetic  dramatist  that  will,  in 
all  probability,  give  to  him  the  domination 
of  this  field  of  literary  thought  for  some  time 
to  come. 

"HAGAR" 

Hagar  is  a  dramatic  poem  in  three  acts, 
illustrated  throughout  in  two  colors  by  the 
artist  Hudson.  It  is  founded  upon  the  bib- 
lical narrative  of  Sarah's  handmaid.  Every 
sentence  in  it  is  measured  with  the  mind  of 
a  master  builder;  every  word  is  set  in  each 
sentence  like  a  glistening  diamond  in  a 
studded  gem:  it  is  simply  a  perfect  piece  of 
pure  and  undefiled  English.  To  lovers  of 
classic  literature,  to  admirers  of  the  fault- 
less use  of  the  Mother  Tongue,  nothing  could 
be  more  satisfying  than  Hagar.  It  is  easily 
the  weightiest  production  in  South  Dakota 
literature. 

"PLEASURE  AND  PAIN" 

It  is  not  Hagar,  however,  that  we  wish 
especially  to  discuss  at  this  time,  but  rather 
Mr.  Wells'  new  volume  of  poems,  entitled 
"Pleasure  and  Pain,"  just  from  the  press  of 
the  Broadway  Publishing  company  of  New 
York  City. 

Taken  all  in  all,  this  is  the  most  sub- 
stantial volume  of  poems  from  the  pen  of  a 
single  author  that  has  appeared  thus  far  in 


ROLLIN  J.  WELLS  273 

the  history  of  our  state.  It  consists  of  sixty- 
two  poems,  one  of  them  covering  twenty  full 
pages. 

Wells'  poems  appeal  to  old  and  young 
alike,  because  of  their  plasticity,  their  per- 
fect rhythm,  their  music,  the  ideal  selection 
of  words  in  them,  their  charming  originality, 
and  the  still  greater  fact  that  in  each  of  them 
is  a  deep  sympathy  which  touches  the  heart 
strings  of  all  humanity. 

The  first  selection  in  his  new  volume 
which  has  just  been  placed  upon  the  market 
to  accommodate  the  holiday  trade,  is  given 
the  same  title  as  the  book.  It  follows  in  full : 

PLEASURE  AND  PAIN 

Yes,   Pleasure   and   Pain   are   a   tandem   team, 

Abroad  in  all  kinds   of  weather, 
And  whether  you  know  it  or  not  my  lad, 

They  are   always   yoked   together. 

The  first  has  a  coat  of  silken  sheen, 

With   mane    like   the    moonbeams    streaming, 

And  a  tail   like  the  fleecy  clouds  at  night 
When  the  winds  and  waves  are  dreaming. 

And  he  moves  like  a  barque  o'er  the  sappling  seas, 

As  his  feet  the  earth  are  spurning, 
And  his  breath  is  blown  through  his  nostrils  wide, 

And  his  eyes  like  stars  are  burning. 

Ah,  gaily  he  rides  who  bestrides  this  steed, 
And  flies  o'er  the  earth  with  laughter, 

But  whether  you  know  it  or  not,  my  lad, 
There's  a  dark  steed  coming  after. 


274         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

For,  hard  behind  with  a  tireless  pace 
Comes   Pain   like   a   wivern,   faster, 

And  whether  you  know  it  or  not,  my  lad, 
You  must  mount  on  him  thereafter. 

His  nostrils  are  bursting  with  smoke  and  flame 
From  the  fires  that  within  are  burning, 

And  whether  you  rue  it  or  not,  my  lad, 
There   is   no   hope   of   returning. 

Each  hair  on  his  sides  is  a  bristling  spear 
That  is  poisoned  with  lost  desires, 

That  rankles  and  burns  in  your  quivering  flesh 
That  is  seared  by  the  fiendish  fires. 

And  whether  you  know  it  or  not,  my  lad, 
You   may   never  dismount  from   Pain 

Till  for  every  mile  you  rode  the  first 
You    have    ridden    the    latter   twain. 


One  of  the  best  poems  in  the  book  is  en- 
titled "Growing  Old."  The  first  one  only  of 
its  five  eight-line  stanzas  is  herein  repro- 
duced : 

A  little  more  tired  at  the  close  of  day, 
A  little  less  anxious  to  have  our  way; 
A  little  less  ready  to  scold  and  blame, 
A  little  more  care  for  a  brother's  name; 
And  so  we  are  nearing  the  journey's  end, 
Where  Time  and  Eternity  meet  and  blend. 

Mr.  Wells'  poems  are  so  perfectly 
wrought  that  they  adapt  themselves  admir- 
ably to  music  and  vice  versa.  This  is 
especially  true  of  "Hagar's  Lament"  and  of 
"My  Pilot."  The  latter  poem  has  been  set 
to  good  music  and  is  for  sale  at  the  music 
stores  of  Sioux  Falls.  It  will  also  be  em- 


ROLLIN  J.  WELLS  275 

bodied  in  a  hymnal  soon  to  come  from  press. 
This  delicate  poem  follows: 

Why  should  I  wait  for  evening  star- 
Why  should   I   wait  to  cross  the  bar, 
And  Death's  dissolving  hand  to  trace 
The  outlines  of  my  Pilot's  face? 

Must  my  frail  barque  be  driven  and  tossed 
By  winds  and  waves — be  wrecked  and  lost 
Upon  life's  strange  and  storm-swept  sea 
Because  my  Pilot's  far  from  me? 

No,   not  alone  my  way   I  trace, 
Each  wave  gives  back  my  Pilot's  face; 
To  every  sin  and  fear  and  ill, 
To  every  storm  he  says,  "Be  Still!" 

I   need  no  longer  vex  my   soul 

With   longings  for  that  distant  goal; 

My  Pilot  sitteth  at  the  prow, 

And  Heaven's  within,  and  here,  and  now. 

A  clever  sketch  is  one  entitled  "Grand- 
pa." It  is  a  fitting  companion  piece  to  Bur- 
leigh's  "Grandma"  ("Dakota  Rhymes"). 
Speaking  of  the  children 

"As  lively  and  cute  as  fleas," 

Grandpa  is  made  to  exclaim : 

The  racket  they  raise  is  beyond  belief, 
As  they  charge  around  my  chair, 

Pretending  that  I  am  an  Indian  chief 
Or  perhaps  a  polar  bear. 

The  poet's  "Little  Old  High  Chair"  re- 
minds one  of  its  sister  poem  by  Daisy  Dean- 
Carr,  entitled  "Treasures."  In  it  Mr.  Wells 
says  in  part: 


WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

le  in  the  art:;.  ::  st^::d5.  s:   ipieer, 

.:h  dust   ::" 

And  it     r.\:;  the  marks  of  many  a  blow. 
Th;.v        5  given  it  years  and  ye  go; 

But  the  little  hands  thai  r:;.;ped  the  spo: 
-.T-.d  beat  upon  it  life'?    opening  tone, 
r.:.r  _- •    7       .:'.-.  :hf  years  :hat  have  come  since 

Ehen, 

For  some    ire   women   and    -:me  are  me::: 
.-_-.:  the  is   forgotten  by   .-.'.'..   ~.v.-e  me. 

But  I  climb  thr  si          full  of:  :     - 
The  :hildren  gathere     I     me  agrain. 
No  long  men — ^no  longr:    :   en. 

TMiile  the  poems  are  all  high  grade  and 
take  rank  with  :r.;.ny  of  the  best  ones  in  our 
nati  r.al  litera:.;rr.  yet  Qiose,  in  addition  to 
the  one-  :-r":ously  r/.fr.:ioned.  in  which  the 
dt-] ---  :  I  ring  and  finer  .-.  es  :  -  ...  athy 
may  be  found,  are:  "The  Two  Captains." 
"The  Husband's  Confession."  "A  Lone-  me 
Pla:r."  and  "A  Dream." 

Unlike  other  books  of  poems,  this  one 
has  a  preface  and  a  conclusion  <"Bene- 
dicit-r  ::  .:  ;.re  both  written  in  p:e:rv.  In 
the  prefa  x  the  author  says 

If  you  should  scan  tins   :.:.e  pai. 
-.     I    throw  Hie   book    iown   ir.   a   raj-r 
I'd  not  be  disappointed. 

If    you    should   skim   the    volume    through. 

.    sweai    .:  was   r.ot  worth  a  sou, 
I  :  not  be  disappointed. 

I:  •  -  -.  .: :  r.    :  =    rr.e  little  thir.s: 

7-    -  T .-. •. :     •-. uli  wake  a        -.  .?. 

!'i  r.ct  ;  ::r.t*d. 


ROLLIX  J.  WELLS  277 


And  if  your  cares  were  sung  away. 
And  you  were  stronger  for  the  day, 
I'd  not  be  disappointed. 

If  you  should  say  about  this  book, 

"The  world  will  pause  and  read  and  look,' 

I  would  be  disappointed. 


And  then,  in  concluding  the  volume,  he 
says : 

To  all  who  have  heard  the  music, 

That  comes  in  the  quiet  hour, 

And  brings  to  the  soul  in  waiting, 

A  message  of  light  and  power — 

As  a  breath  from  the  fragrant  forest 

Is  borne  o'er  the  tropic  sea — 

I  offer  this  little  garland 

That  has  blossomed  in  spite  of  me. 


J.  S.  HOAGLAND 

A  PRACTICAL  PREACHER 

To  be  pastor  for  seven  years,  of  one  of 
the  largest  congregations  of  any  denomina- 


280        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

tion  west  of  Chicago,  in  the  United  States, 
is  no  small  honor;  yet  that  has  been  the 
privilege  of  Dr.  John  S.  Hoagland,  pastor  of 
the  First  M.  E.  church  of  Mitchell,  South 
Dakota.  The  membership  of  his  church  at 
present  is  over  1,200. 

Then,  too,  to  be  pastor  of  a  church  in  a 
denominational  university  town — a  town  in 
which  the  church  and  the  university  belong 
to  the  same  denomination,  and  where  the 
congregation  at  church  is  largely  made  up  of 
aspiring  students  from  the  university — is  no 
small  responsibility.  These  are  the  condi- 
tions that  confront  Dr.  Hoagland,  at  Mitch- 
ell, the  home  of  Dakota  Wesleyan  University. 

His  strength  as  a  pastor  rests  largely 
in  his  originality,  the  depth  of  his  thought, 
the  breadth  of  his  illustrations,  and,  above 
all,  in  his  great  taste  and  uncommon  amount 
of  common  sense.  Then,  again,  he  is  a  com- 
panionable man — a  real,  congenial  fellow — 
one  whom  the  members  of  every  other  con- 
gregation as  well  as  his  own,  love  to  meet 
and  associate  with.  There  is  nothing  chesty 
about  him.  His  handshake  is  that  of  democ- 
racy, of  wholesomeness,  of  sympathy. 

PERSONAL 

Dr.  Hoagland  is  primarily  an  easterner, 
having  been  born  at  Mount  Herman,  New 
Jersey,  December  10,  1866.  Yet,  in  tern- 


J.  S.  HOAGLAND  281 

perament  and  sympathy,  he  is  essentially 
western.  Being  a  farmer's  son,  he  yet  has 
many  of  the  good  old  democratic  farmer 
ways  about  him. 

"Who  is  that  fellow  going  up  the  street 
yonder?"  asked  one  gentleman  of  another,  a 
few  years  since,  while  they  were  conversing 
on  the  streets  of  Mitchell. 

"That  is  Dr.  Hoagland,  the  new  pastor 
of  the  Methodist  church  here,"  responded  the 
interrogate. 

"Well,  sir,  he  has  a  typical  farmer's 
gait,  hasn't  he"  suggested  the  first. 

He  has  that  good,  wholesome  disposition 
characteristic  of  a  typical  farm  boy.  "Our 
country  boys  are  the  salt  of  the  earth!" 
shouted  an  old  sage  years  ago.  Yes;  for  in 
1912,  eighty-four  per  cent  of  the  various 
governors  in  the  United  States  had  come 
from  the  farm. 

His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the 
rural  schools  of  his  native  state.  Like  other 
red-blooded  boys,  who  had  read  and  studied 
our  earlier  histories  wherein  the  authors 
emphasized  military  achievements  and  mini- 
mized civil  accomplishments,  young  Hoag- 
land's  first  ambition  was  West  Point,  and 
then  a  military  career.  Fortunately,  he  got 
this  ideal  out  of  his  system  at  the  proper 
age,  and  entered,  instead,  the  New  Jersey 


282         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

state  normal  school,  from  which  he  graduated 
at  the  tender  age  of  eighteen. 

The  young  fellow  then  took  up  the  teach- 
ing profession,  and,  in  connection  with  his 
regular  work,  began  the  study  of  law.  At 
the  same  time  he  took  an  active  interest  in 
the  social  and  religious  affairs  of  the  com- 
munity. Being  a  forceful  public  speaker,  he 
soon  became  a  power  in  the  neighborhood. 
After  four  years  of  teaching,  he  was  asked 
by  his  presiding  elder  to  supply  the  pulpit  in 
a  nearby  church  for  one  summer.  He  ac- 
cepted the  call;  the  work  proved  congenial 
to  him,  and  so  he  decided  to  enter  the  minis- 
try. 

Knowing  as  every  boy  must  know,  or  if 
he  does  not  know,  will  have  to  learn  in  the 
hard  school  of  experience — that  every  man's 
success  in  life  is  proportioned  quite  largely 
by  his  preparation  to  succeed,  the  young 
pastor  decided  to  enter  De  Pauw  university 
at  Greencastle,  Indiana,  and  prepare  himself 
for  a  preacher — not  a  little  two-by-four  pas- 
tor of  a  backwoods  church,  but  for  the  minis- 
try on  a  big  scale.  This  was  right!  He 
"hitched  his  wagon  to  a  star."  Many  a  boy 
has  failed  because  of  the  lack  of  a  proper 
ideal. 

It  was  now  1887.  Young  Hoagland  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  Five  solid  years  of 


J.  S.  HOAGLAND  283 

heavy  study  at  De  Pauw  brought  him  up  to 
1892 — the  year  of  his  graduation.  Walking 
out  of  that  sacred  institution,  at  twenty-six 
years  of  age,  with  a  Bachelor  of  Sacred  Theo- 
logy degree  under  one  arm  and  a  Bachelor 
of  Philosophy  degree  under  the  other,  he 
was  ready  and  eager  to  enter  his  new  field 
of  labor,  on  a  large  scale. 

HIS  PASTORATES 

Reverend  Hoagland,  upon  his  gradua- 
tion, promptly  joined  the  Northern  Indiana 
conference,  and  was  immediately  assigned  to 
duty  as  associate  pastor  of  the  Centenary  M. 
E.  church  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  which 
position  he  held  for  two  years.  He  was  then 
made  pastor  of  the  Maple  Avenue  church  in 
the  same  city,  for  two  years  longer. 

His  next  pastorate  was  at  Michigan 
City,  where  he  remained  for  three  years.  He 
was  then  called  back  to  Greencastle  and  made 
pastor  of  College  Avenue  church — the  church 
attended  by  the  faculty  and  students  general- 
ly of  DePauw  university.  Here  was  honor 
coupled  with  responsibility.  He  was  now  to 
preach  to  the  faculty  that  had  schooled  him. 
Faint  hearts  fall  by  the  wayside  in  the  pres- 
ence of  such  responsibilities.  John  Hoagland 
was  no  weakling.  He  was  not  afraid  of  these 
masters  of  learning,  nor  doubtful  of  himself. 
He  buckled  in;  and  so  full  did  he  fill  his  job 


284         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

that  he  held  it  for  ten  consecutive  years,  un- 
til he  voluntarily  resigned,  to  come  to  Mitch- 
ell, South  Dakota  in  the  spring  of  1909,  to 
succeed  Dr.  H.  S.  Wilkinson,  who  had  re- 
signed his  position  at  Mitchell  to  go  to  the 
coast.  He  has,  therefore,  during  his  twenty- 
three  years  in  the  ministry,  preached  regu- 
larly in  only  four  towns.  This  is  a  rather 
remarkable  record  within  itself. 

In  1904,  five  years  before  he  came  to 
Mitchell,  his  Alma  Mater,  De  Pauw  universi- 
ty, conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Divinity,  and  so  we  have  all  come  to  know 
him  as  Dr.  Hoagland. 

MRS.   HOAGLAND 

The  Bible  states,  "Let  every  man  take 
unto  himself  a  help-meet."  Dr.  Hoagland 
evidently  felt  that  as  an  exponent  of  the 
scriptures  he,  himself,  would  have  to  carry 
out  all  of  these  sacred  mandates ;  that  is,  he 
would  have  to  practice  as  well  as  preach; 
and  so,  away  back  in  1895,  while  he  was  still 
occupying  the  pulpit  at  Terre  Haute,  Indiana, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Alice 
Beckman,  instructor  in  English  in  the  state 
normal  school  at  that  place. 

Last  year  (1915),  being  the  twentieth 
anniversary  of  their  wedding,  a  few  even- 
ings ago  they  gave  a  reception  to  the  entire 
membership  of  their  large  congregation  at 


J.  S.  HOAGLAND  285 

Mitchell,  in  honor  of  the  event.  During  a 
happy  after-dinner  speech  on  this  occasion, 
Dr.  Hoagland  told  of  his  matrimonial  exper- 
iences. He  said :  "When  I  asked  Mrs.  Hoag- 
land  to  become  my  wife  she  was  getting 
$1,100  per  year  as  a  teacher  of  English,  and 
I  was  receiving  but  $800  per  year  as  a 
preacher.  It  took  a  lot  of  nerve  for  an  eight- 
hundred-dollar  man  to  ask  an  eleven-hun- 
dred-dollar lady  to  become  his  wife." 

Mrs.  Hoagland,  in  replying  in  her  usual 
tactful  manner,  said:  "It  took  still  more 
nerve  for  an  eleven-hundred-dollar  woman 
to  marry  an  eight-hundred-dollar  man,  but 
I  have  never  regretted  it;  and  I  was  never 
happier  in  my  life  than  I  am  tonight." 

Dr.  Hoagland,  continuing  his  speech, 
said :  "I  was  known  in  Indiana,  and  I  have 
become  known  in  South  Dakota,  as  'the 
preacher  with  a  good  wife.'  There  are 
plenty  of  women  in  the  world  from  which 
to  select  wives  (there  will  be  a  superabund- 
ance after  the  European  war.)  If  a  man 
fails  to  select  a  good  one  it  reflects  more  on 
him  than  it  does  on  her,  for  it  merely  proves 
that  he,  himself,  erred  in  judgment.  Dr. 
Hoagland  selected  wisely.  One  of  the  hard- 
est positions  in  the  whole  world  to  fill  tact- 
fully is  that  of  a  preacher's  wife.  Mrs. 
Hoagland  fills  her  trying  position  with  great 


286          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

charm  and  power.  She  is  a  popular  idol 
among  the  entire  membership  of  her  dis- 
tinguished husband's  church. 

One  son,  Henry,  a  junior  in  the  Mitchell 
High  School,  has  blessed  their  union. 

MULTIPLIED  DUTIES 

In  addition  to  his  regular  pastoral 
duties,  Dr.  Hoagland  is  vice  president  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  Dakota  Wesleyan  uni- 
versity; president  of  the  state  Anti-Saloon 
League ;  member  of  the  board  of  the  national 
Anti-Saloon  league;  president  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  the  new  Methodist  hospital 
now  in  the  course  of  erection  in  Mitchell, 
and  a  member  of  the  national  association  of 
Social  Service.  It  is  little  wonder  with  all 
these  multiplied  anxieties  and  with  such  a 
large  church  membership  to  look  after,  that 
for  the  past  two  years  he  has  found  it  nec- 
essary to  have  an  associate  pastor. 

PLATFORM    POWER 

Dr.  Hoagland  is  in  great  demand  over 
the  state,  not  only  as  a  pulpit  orator  of  great 
power,  but  as  a  special  lecturer  for  the  anti- 
saloon  league,  Decoration  day  speaker  for 
the  old  soldiers  and  an  orator  on  commence- 
ment occasions.  Before  graduating  classes, 
some  men  use  a  vocal  shot  gun,  some  a  rifle, 
but  Dr.  Hoagland  brings  up  his  heavy  artil- 
lery and  uses  a  forty-two  centimeter  gun. 


J.   S.   HOAGLAND  287 

He  has  more  calls  for  commencement  ad- 
dresses before  high  school  and  college  classes, 
every  year,  than  he  can  fill. 

This  able  divine  puts  fire  into  his  ser- 
mons. (Some  preachers  should  reverse  this 
process.)  He  is  a  master  thinker — a  logi- 
cian, a  Bachelor  of  Philosophy — and  his  style 
is  wholly  original.  He  never  seeks  to  imi- 
tate ;  neither  does  he  warm  over  sermons 
outlined  by  some  one  else  at  so  much  per. 
Everything  about  the  man  denotes  his  own 
powerful  originality  and  strength  of  char- 
acter. His  sermons  are  not  confined  to  one 
line  He  generalizes — not  only  on  Biblical 
deductions,  but  on  civic  reform  and  social 
conditions.  A  congregation  of  over  1,400 
usually  assembles  each  Sunday  morning  to 
hear  his  able,  eloquent,  profound  morning 
sermon.  His  Sunday  evening  sermons  are  of 
an  entirely  different  character — less  formal, 
more  inspirational,  and  very  practical.  For- 
tunate, indeed,  is  any  community  with  a 
moral  leader  of  this  kind  in  its  midst.  That 
he  will  soon  rise  to  the  honored  position  of 
a  bishop  in  his  denomination  is  self-evident. 


OUR  VETERAN  ENGINEER 

By  Roy  W.  Markham,  in  the  Argus-Leader. 

After  forty-five  years  of  service  as  a 
locomotive  engineer,  forty-three  years  of 
which  were  spent  in  the  employ  of  the  Chica- 
go, St.  Paul,  Minneapolis,  and  Omaha  rail- 
road, William  T.  Doolittle,,  of  135  South 
Prairie  Avenue,  who  brought  the  first  pas- 
senger train  into  Sioux  Falls  in  1878,  was 


290         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

today  placed  on  the  retired  list  at  his  own 
request.  In  all  of  his  years  of  active  service, 
it  is  said  of  the  retiring  veteran  engineer 
that  he  never  had  an  accident  of  any  kind 
where  there  was  any  blame  attached  to  him 
and  that  he  was  never  the  object  of  dis- 
ciplinary measures.  During  his  many  years 
of  railroading,  Mr.  Doolittle  has  also  been 
the  recipient  of  high  honors  at  the  hands  of 
his  hundreds  of  friends  and  fellow  citizens, 
being  a  prominent  thirty-second  degree 
Mason,  a  past  potentate  of  El  Riad  temple  of 
the  Mystic  shrine,  a  past  grand  commander 
of  the  Knights  Templar  of  South  Dakota, 
and  a  former  mayor  of  Sioux  Falls,  as  well 
as  an  alderman  and  president  of  the  city 
council  under  the  old  municipal  government 
system  and  a  member  of  important  city  com- 
mittees. His  devotion  to  the  public  good 
stands  as  an  unquestioned  fact  of  his  career, 
whether  occupying  office  or  in  private  life. 
His  life  record  is  that  of  a  man  who  has  been 
fearless  in  conduct  and  stainless  in  reputa- 
tion. 

SKETCH   OF   HIS  LIFE 

Mr.  Doolittle  was  born  March  30,  1849, 
in  Loudonville,  Ohio,  and  the  ancestry  of  his 
family  can  be  traced  back  to  the  sixteenth 
century.  His  parents,  Lucius  and  Eleanor 
Doolittle,  removed  to  upper  Sandusky,  Ohio, 


WILLIAM  T.  DOOLITTLE  291 

in  1859  and  there  as  a  boy  he  attended  the 
public  schools  until  he  was  14  years  old.  His 
father  was  well  to  do  and  had  planned  a  good 
education  for  his  son,  but  when  the  Pitts- 
burg,  Fort  Wayne  and  Chicago  railroad,  the 
second  line  constructed  in  Ohio,  was  built 
through  Sandusky,  William  T.  Doolittle  was 
so  much  impressed  that  he  decided  to  be  a 
railroad  man  and,  much  against  the  wishes 
of  his  parents,  abandoned  the  schoolroom  to 
take  up  railroad  work.  He  went  to  Fort 
Wayne,  Indiana,  where  the  new  shops  of  the 
road  were  opened,  and  there  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  three  years. 

When  a  youth  of  seventeen  he  went 
upon  the  road  as  a  fireman,  and  after  serv- 
ing two  years  in  that  capacity,  was  pro- 
moted to  the  position  of  engineer  of  a  freight 
train.  A  year  later  he  was  given  a  pas- 
senger run,  which  he  held  for  two  years  and 
when  the  engineers  of  the  line  went  upon  a 
strike  he  removed  westward  to  Sioux  City, 
Iowa,  in  March,  1873.  Sioux  City  then  was 
a  town  of  about  3,000  population  and  it  was 
a  short  time  before  that  the  Sioux  City 
Journal  had  been  bought  by  the  Perkins 
Brothers  for  $2,500,  a  property  now  worth 
in  the  neighborhood  of  a  half  million  dollars. 

At  that  time,  Mr.  Doolittle  entered  the 
employment  of  the  Chicago,  Saint  Paul,  Min- 


292        WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

neapolis  and  Omaha  railroad,  with  which  he 
continued  on  the  run  from  Sioux  City  to  St. 
James,  Minnesota,  until  1878.  In  that  year 
was  built  the  first  road  that  ever  entered 
Sioux  Falls  and  Mr.  Doolittle  ran  the  first 
train  into  the  city.  With  the  exception  of 
one  year,  when  he  was  instructor  for  the 
road,  he  has  remained  upon  this  run  continu- 
ously since,  covering  a  period  of  thirty-eight 
years,  but  has  been  with  the  company  forty- 
three  years. 

ORGANIZED  ENGINEERS  IN   NORTHWEST 

Mr.  Doolittle  is  a  member  of  the 
Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers,  an 
organization  with  72,000  members.  He  or- 
ganized the  first  division  of  the  order  in  the 
northwest  at  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  in  1876.  The 
grand  international  division  of  the  order 
presented  him  on  August  16,  1913,  with  a 
medal  for  faithful  service  in  the  order  and 
made  him  an  honorary  member  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  for  life.  Of  the  seven  thousand  em- 
ployees of  the  Omaha  road  he  has  the  honor 
of  being  number  one  on  their  list.  In  fact, 
there  is  no  other  one  of  the  seven  thousand 
employees  on  the  two  thousand  miles  of  road 
who  was  with  the  company  when  Mr.  Doo- 
little joined  them.  This  road  has  a  veterans' 
association  and  Mr.  Doolittle  is  one  of  the 
162  who  have  been  with  the  company  for 


WILLIAM  T.  DOOLITTLE  293 

more  than  thirty  years  and  is  thus  entitled 
to  membership  in  and  is  a  member  of  the  as- 
sociation. 

HIS  RAILROAD  EXPERIENCES 

Mr.  Doolittle  has  been  in  only  one  rail- 
road wreck  and  that  was  when  they  were 
running  a  doubleheader  through  a  blinding 
snowstorm.  The  front  engine  broke  down 
and,  leaving  the  rails,  pulled  him  with  it. 

In  recalling  that  experience,  Mr.  Doo- 
little said,  in  a  recent  interview  with  the 
Argus-Leader,  "The  winter  had  been  severe 
and  the  cuts  were  filled  with  snow.  On  the 
day  of  the  accident,  the  thermometer  was  35 
degrees  below  zero  and  a  blizzard  was  rag- 
ing. At  Luverne,  Minn.,  we  took  on  a 
double-header.  Near  Trent  the  snow  plow 
on  the  leading  engine  broke  down,  throwing 
that  engine  off  the  track.  That  also  threw 
the  engine  I  was  on  off  the  track  and  it  rolled 
down  the  bank.  I  lay  beneath  the  engine  an 
hour  and  a  half  before  it  was  possible  to  get 
aid/' 

The  conductor  had  wired  the  office  at 
St.  Paul  that  Mr.  Doolittle  had  been  killed. 
When  the  wrecking  train  arrived,  someone 
looked  between  the  driving  wheels  and  dis- 
covered his  body  packed  in  below  the  en- 
gine. Then,  after  an  hour  and  a  half  of 
digging,  they  rescued  him.  He  was  severely 


294         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

injured  and  it  was  ten  days  before  he  could 
be  brought  to  his  home  at  Sioux  Falls,  where 
he  was  laid  up  for  several  months.  The  fire- 
man with  Mr.  Doolittle  was  so  badly  injured 
that  he  died.  The  rescuing  party  found  on 
investigation  that  Engineer  Doolittle  had 
done  everything  possible  to  stop  the  train 
when  he  discovered  the  engine  was  off  the 
track,  for  they  found  the  locomotive  with 
the  emergency  brake  applied  and  the  engine 
reversed. 

DOOLITTLE    SAVED    SIOUX    FALLS 

In  1879  Engineer  Doolittle  figured  in 
an  incident  which  saved  Sioux  Falls  to  the 
early  settlers  and  is  not  generally  known 
among  the  later  generations. 

R.  F.  Pettigrew,  later  a  United  States 
senator  and  still  a  resident  of  Sioux  Falls 
where  he  was  at  that  time  a  practicing  at- 
torney, boarded  the  train  in  Minneapolis 
with  a  deed  that  would  clear  up  the  title 
to  what  is  now  the  town  site  of  Sioux  Falls. 
The  title,  heretofore,  had  been  clouded,  as 
the  only  title  was  an  Indian  script. 

Mr.  Pettigrew  saw  a  Minneapolis  at- 
torney board  the  same  train  and  knew  that 
he  had  a  quit  claim  deed  to  this  property. 
If  he  reached  the  court  house  in  Sioux  Falls 
first  and  recorded  the  deed  it  would  give 
him  a  title  to  the  property  on  which  the  Sioux 


WILLIAM  T.  DOOLITTLE  295 

Falls  people  had  built  their  homes.  If  Mr. 
Pettigrew  recorded  his  deed  first  the  homes 
of  the  people  would  be  saved  to  them.  He 
stepped  into  a  telegraph  office  on  the  way 
only  to  learn  that  the  other  attorney  had 
wired  first  for  a  cab  to  meet  him  at  the  train. 
Greatly  worried,  he  walked  up  to  the  engine 
on  which  was  his  friend,  William  T.  Doo- 
little,  and  told  him  of  the  situation.  Mr. 
Doolittle  then  instructed  Mr.  Pettigrew  to 
come  and  get  on  the  engine  on  the  first  sta- 
tion out  of  Sioux  Falls,  which  he  did,  not 
saying  a  word  to  the  conductor  or  anyone. 
A  few  miles  out  of  Sioux  Falls,  Mr.  Doolittle 
stopped  his  train,  uncoupled  his  engine  and 
made  the  run  in,  getting  Mr.  Pettigrew  there 
first  to  record  the  deed  and  thereby  saving 
the  homes  of  the  people.  He  was  called  into 
the  office  of  one  of  the  railroad  officials  who 
told  him  that  the  attorney  had  started  suit 
against  the  railroad  for  fifty  thousand  dollars 
and  that  his  dismissal  was  demanded.  He 
replied :  "If  my  dismissal  will  appease  the 
wrath  of  this  gentleman,  it  is  of  small 
matter."  He  was  not  dismissed. 

IN  POSITIONS  OF  PUBLIC  TRUST 

Mr.  Doolittle  has  ever  had  the  interests 
of  Sioux  Falls  at  heart  and  a  recognition  of 
that  fact  has  led  to  his  selection  for  various 
positions  of  public  trust.  He  was  elected 


296         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

alderman  of  the  first  ward  in  1898,  acting 
as  president  of  the  city  council  in  1897.  He 
was  on  the  committee  with  C.  A.  Jewett  and 
J.  W.  Tuthill  to  build  the  new  waterworks 
plant  for  the  city  of  Sioux  Falls  and  the  work 
was  completed  at  a  figure  less  than  the  esti- 
mated cost.  This  was  one  job  entirely  free 
from  any  suspicion  of  graft.  On  April  21, 
1908,  Mr.  Doolittle  was  elected  mayor  and 
it  is  generally  admitted  that  he  gave  the  city 
the  cleanest  administration  that  it  has  ever 
had.  The  opposition  tried  to  unearth  some 
skeleton  in  his  private  or  public  life  that 
would  be  to  his  discredit,  but  the  only  thing 
that  they  could  find  was  the  story  that  he 
did  not  obey  the  orders  of  the  railroad  com- 
pany when  he  uncoupled  his  engine  and 
brought  Mr.  Pettigrew  to  Sioux  Falls — an 
act  which  won  for  him  the  gratitude  of  the 
residents  of  the  town.  As  the  chief  execu- 
tive of  the  city  he  stood  constantly  for  re- 
form and  progress,  working  untiringly  for 
the  interests  of  the  people. 

On  the  26th  of  December,  1873,  Mr. 
Doolittle  was  married  to  Miss  Catherine 
Strock  and  they  became  the  parents  of  three 
children :  Jessie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three 
years ;  Walter  S. ;  and  Grace.  Walter  S.,  now 
an  engineer  on  the  Omaha  road,  wedded 
Marie  Freeble,  of  Sioux  Falls,  and  they  have 


WILLIAM  T.  DOOLITTLE  297 

five  children,  Eden  K.,  Eunice,  Norman, 
Theodore  Frederick  and  Richard.  Walter  F. 
Doolittle  served  in  the  Spanish  American 
war,  going  out  as  a  private  in  Company  B, 
but  at  the  end  of  the  war  had  risen  to  the 
rank  of  first  lieutenant.  The  daughter, 
Grace,  is  the  wife  of  Neil  D.  Graham,  a  com- 
mercial traveler  living  in  Sioux  Falls,  and 
they  have  one  child,  Janet  Catherine. 


FRANK  McNULTY 

OUR   TEACHER-LAWYER 

Where  are  our  experienced  teachers? 
Echo  answers:  "In  other  professions,  where 
the  salary  is  larger,  the  opportunities 
greater,  and  where  they  do  not  need  to  seek 
employment  at  the  end  of  each  nine  months." 

Just  so  with  Frank  McNulty,  the  new- 
ly-appointed judge  of  the  fifth  judicial  cir- 


300         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

cult.  He  was  born  in  St.  Paul,  Minnesota, 
December  1,  1873 ;  was  educated  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Minnesota,  and  at  Valpariso  Uni- 
versity. 

Judge  McNulty  was  formerly  principal 
of  schools  at  the  little  town  of  Wilmot  in  the 
southern  part  of  Roberts  county.  Then  he 
was  elected  superintendent  of  Roberts  county 
and  served  in  this  capacity  1897-1900,  in- 
clusive. The  last  year  of  his  supervision  he 
was  secretary  of  the  republican  state  central 
committee.  This  position  associated  him 
very  closely  with  the  mighty  Kittredge,  and 
imbued  his  young  mind  with  the  possibili- 
ties in  the  field  of  law  and  of  politics. 

At  the  expiration  of  his  two  terms  in 
office,  like  practically  all  other  teachers  who 
find  their  way  into  the  office  of  county  super- 
intendent and  thereby  come  in  touch  with  a 
larger  and  more  open  life,  he  saw  the  jump- 
ing off  place,  and  in  order  to  gratify  his 
newly-formed  desires,  he  went  to  the  Uni- 
versity of  Minnesota  and  took  his  law  course. 
Returning  to  Roberts  county,  he  was  elected 
states  attorney  and  served  with  distinction 
in  this  position  for  four  years,  1905-1908. 

Judge  McNulty  is  one  of  the  best  po- 
litical campaigners  in  the  state.  On  the 
stump  he  is  a  genuine  young  Demosthenes, 
In  1906,  he  was  selected  as  chairman  of  the 


FRANK  McNULTY  301 

last  republican  state  convention  held  at  Sioux 
Falls.  It  was  a  trying  position.  The  repub- 
lican party,  divided  against  itself,  was  will- 
ing to  adopt  any  kind  of  tactics  to  defeat 
itself.  The  rulings  of  the  chair  (McNulty's) 
were  appealed  to  the  convention  time  and 
again,  but  the  chair  was  always  sustained. 
McNulty,  the  young  lawyer  who  was  presid- 
ing, was  chosen  by  the  insurgent  crowd,  who 
were  greatly  in  the  majority,  and  in  the 
heated  factional  fight  that  was  seething  on 
the  floor  of  the  convention  like  a  prospective 
eruption  of  Vesuvius,  he  was  sure  of  being 
sustained — no  matter  what  his  rulings  might 
be.  But  let  it  be  said  that  although  his 
decisions  on  parliamentary  usages  came  like 
a  flash  from  the  chair,  they  were  sane  and 
showed  his  keenness  of  intellect,  and  his 
ability  to  "hold  his  head"  and  meet  emerg- 
encies with  astonishing  rapidity. 

The  traits  exhibited  by  him  as  presiding 
officer  of  a  turbulent  political  convention, 
are  the  identical  traits  which  are  needed  to 
make  a  great  judge.  It  requires  a  much 
keener  and  more  rapidly  moving  mind — one 
susceptible  of  classifying  facts  and  formu- 
lating concepts — to  act  as  circuit  judge  than 
it  does  to  serve  on  the  supreme  bench.  In 
the  latter  position  a  judge  takes  his  technical 


302          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

points  of  law  under  the  most  deliberate  ad- 
visement. Not  so  with  a  circuit  judge.  In 
common  vernacular,  he  has  got  to  be  right 
there  with  the  goods  on  the  spur  of  the  mo- 
ment. There  is  no  waiting  for  after-thought. 
A  shrewd  lawyer,  with  his  client's  interests 
at  heart  and  his  own  reputation  at  stake,  has 
challenged  a  question  put  to  the  witness. 
There  are  no  "ifs"  or  "ands."  The  judge 
must  decide  with  suddenness  and  precision 
whether  or  not  the  witness  shall  or  must 
reply.  On  his  decision  the  fate  of  a  life  may 
depend.  It  requires  a  wonderful  mind: 
Judge  McNulty  has  it. 

When  Judge  McCoy  was  promoted  to 
the  supreme  bench,  the  governor  and  his  ad- 
visers began  to  scan  the  circuit  to  find  a 
young  lawyer  with  scholastic  preparation, 
decision,  judgment  and  courage,  to  take  his 
place.  Through  the  ranks  of  the  republican 
party  one  name  was  whispered  above  the 
others — it  was  the  name  of  Frank  McNulty 
of  Sisseton — our  young  teacher-lawyer. 

In  his  selection  the  governor  made  no 
mistake.  We  are  proud  to  see  a  school  man 
rewarded — even  if  he  is  compelled  to  seek 
the  recognition  in  a  new  profession.  Judge 
Fuller  of  the  supreme  bench  (deceased)  was 
also  an  old  teacher  and  county  superinten- 
dent. Judge  Whiting,  now  on  the  bench,  was 


FRANK  McNULTY  303 

formerly  a  teacher.  These  men,  when  they 
reached  a  ripened  manhood,  saw  that  the  law 
furnished  much  greater  opportunities  than 
the  teaching  profession,  and  so  they 
swapped.  Had  McNulty  remained  in  the 
teaching  world,  he  would  never  have  been 
heard  of  outside  of  some  small  locality.  In 
the  legal  profession  but  four  years  and  a 
few  months,  and  we  behold  him  on  the  cir- 
cuit bench — sending  sinners  to  the  peniten- 
tiary. 

And  yet  there  are  some  people  who  will 
criticise  us  for  showing  up  to  our  teachers 
from  actual  facts  the  comparative  advantages 
in  other  fields. 

Where  are  our  teachers?  Ask  the  legal 
profession  to  unfold  its  records.  In  addition 
to  those  previously  mentioned,  add  the  name 
of  Abner  E.  Hitchcock,  mayor  of  Mitchell, 
and  a  former  principal  of  schools  in  an  Iowa 
town.  Yes !  don't  stop  !  Add  the  names  of 
one-third  of  the  successful  lawyers  of  the 
state. 

Where  are  our  teachers?  Ask  the 
ministry  to  open  its  books.  A  young  fellow 
was  attending  school  at  Dakota  Wesleyan 
university.  He  was  brilliant,  to  be  sure.  He 
won  the  state  oratorical  contest  and  gave  the 
Chalcedony  slab  to  his  alma  mater.  After 
his  graduation,  the  board  of  education  in  the 


304         WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

city  of  Mitchell  elected  him  principal  of  their 
high  school.  In  two  years  he  resigned  to 
enter  the  minisiry  and  today  Arthur  Shep- 
herd is  a  shining  light  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  Another  young  fellow  mar- 
ried his  Latin  teacher  at  Cornell  college, 
taught  school  briefly,  gave  it  up  for  the 
ministry  and  today  Elder  Dobson,  formerly 
of  Mitchell,  but  now  of  Mt.  Vernon,  Iowa, 
astounds  a  state  with  his  eloquence  and  in- 
fluence. Halt !  the  record  is  too  lengthy  for 
perusal.  Call  the  roll !  Seventy-two  per  cent 
of  the  ministers  of  our  state  at  some  time 
taught  school. 

Where  are  our  teachers  ?  Ask  the  Bank- 
ers' association.  Place  at  the  head  of  the 
list  0.  L.  Branson,  of  Mitchell,  president  of 
the  First  National  bank  of  that  place,  an 
old  normal  school  teacher.  Turn  over  a  page. 
There  you  will  see  the  name  of  Colonel  J.  H. 
Holmes  of  Aberdeen,  president  of  a  newly- 
organized  bank  in  that  city,  and  a  former 
normal  school  teacher.  Go  through  the  list 
to  your  heart's  content  and  see  what  the 
teachers'  profession  has  given  to  the  bank- 
ers' career. 

Where  are  our  teachers?  Let  the  in- 
surance companies  be  investigated  once 
more !  We  see  the  brilliant  Charley  Holmes, 
principal  at  Howard,  then  at  Sioux  Falls, 


FRANK  McNULTY  305 

• 

then  writing  life  insurance,  and  today,  with 
peace  of  mind  and  heart  he  sits  in  his  com- 
fortable chair  in  his  private  office  in  the 
New  York  Mutual  company's  magnificent 
structure  in  Sioux  Falls,  as  their  state 
manager,  and  draws  the  princely  salary  of 
$7,000  per  year.  (Our  normal  school  presi- 
dents receive  less  than  half  this  amount.) 

Don't  stop!  Call  up  the  record  of 
William  P.  Dunlevy,  a  Harvard  man;  city 
superintendent  at  Pierre,  then  at  Aberdeen; 
next  year  to  take  up  insurance.  A  half 
dozen  other  prominent  educators  might  be 
mentioned  in  the  same  category. 

Where    are    our    teachers?       Ask     the 

medical  profession!  Heavens!  They,  too 
have  impoverished  our  ranks.  Begin  with 
Dr.  Rock  of  Aberdeen,  formerly  city  super- 
intendent at  Webster,  this  state,  drawing  a 
piccininsh  little  starvation  salary — today 
head  of  the  medical  profession  in  this  state — 
doing  more  surgery  than  any  other  man  in 
South  Dakota,  with  an  income  away  up  in 
the  thousands. 

And  so  on  down  the  list.  Two  hundred 
more  might  be  mentioned. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  teachers' 
profession  is  simply  being  used  as  a  stepping 
stone  to  all  other  professions,  trades  and  oc- 
cupations. Why?  Simply  because  any  other 


30G          WHO'S  WHO  IN  SOUTH  DAKOTA 

field  offers  greater  opportunities.  It  is  so 
with  both  sexes.  Telephone  exchange  offices 
all  over  the  state  are  filled  with  nervous 
little  schoolma'ams-.  At  $25  per  month  for 
twelve  months  in  the  year — year  in  and  year 
out — they  can  save  much  more  money  than 
they  can  in  the  teaching  business,  and  escape 
spanking  other  people's  children  and  taking 
those  barbarous  examinations. 

We  regret  that  this  little  seance  on  com- 
parative opportunities  and  swapping  pro- 
fessions got  hitched  on  to  the  life  of  Judge 
McNulty,  but  he  made  such  an  ideal  char- 
acter with  which  to  introduce  it,  and  his  own 
life  made  such  exemplification  of  the  prin- 
ciple under  discussion,  that  we  just  simply 
could  not  resist  the  temptation. 

Reverting  to  our  original  topic,  we  glory 
in  the  wisdom  of  the  judge.  We  would  not 
admonish  others  to  attempt  to  follow  in  his 
steps — not  all  have  the  same  native  ability. 
But  in  the  years  to  come  we  shall  watch  his 
career  with  eager  expectations,  and  if  the 
supreme  bench  fails  to  reward  his  after 
years,  we  miss  our  guess  entirely. 

This  being  one  of  the  first  of  this  series  of 
articles  to  have  been  published,  several  changes  have 
since  taken  place  among  those  alluded  to  in  it. 
Judge  McNulty,  himself,  has  since  resigned  to  enter 
the  practice  of  law  where  the  remuneration  is  much 
greater  than  on  the  bench.