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been Miss Lulu Reed, who was born in Missouri and died in Denver. Two children were born of this union, William and Kate. His second marriage united him with Mrs. Minnie (Powell) Oleson, who was born in London.
ILLIAM E. ROBERTS, chief of the fire department, is one of the old and trusted employes of the city of Denver, and his honorable and efficient service entitles him to the respect in which he is held. Under the administration of Governor Waite he was appointed chief of the department, but after serving one year to a day he was reduced to the rank of assistant-chief by the new board under Governor Mclntire. He continued in the subordinate rank until September 4, 1897, when he was appointed chief by the present board. The fire department is composed of fourteen companies, aggregating one hundred and twenty men, assigned to fourteen different fire houses, and equipped for service with three hook and ladders, seven engines and wagons, five hose wagons, one chemical engine and one water tower.
A Welshman by birth, Mr. Roberts was born in Wrexham, Denbighshire, North Wales, January 12, 1858 His father, Edward, and grandfather, David, were born in the same shire, where the latter followed farm pursuits and the former was employed as a stone carver and sculptor, but died when our subject was only two and one-half years of age. The wife and mother bore the maiden name of Jane Thomas, and was born on the island of Anglesea, which has been famous in history for its Druid priests. Her father, William Thomas, came from Anglesea to America about 1860 and settled in Emporia, Kan., but in 1867 removed to Denver, where he afterward resided. The Thomas family has given to Wales some of its greatest preachers and to the Presbyterian Church some of its world-famous divines. They have also been prominent as artisans, and it is said that for more than three hundred years successive generations have carried on business as stone cutters in the same yard. Mrs. Jane Roberts died at the age of thirty, leaving an only child, William E., then eleven years of age.
At the age of eleven our subject was apprenticed to the stone cutter's trade and remained with his master for about three years. In 1871 he came to America, reaching Chicago just before its disastrous fire in October. He was so young that people refused to employ him at first, but after the fire there was such a demand for labor that he found no difficulty in securing work, and for two and one-half years he worked at his trade in that city. In December, 1873, he came to Denver, where there were only about five stone cutters. He cut stone for the city hall and some of the large buildings here, including the first brown stone block, the McClinton building and the Central Presbyterian Church.
In 1876 Mr. Roberts joined Volunteer Fire Hook and Ladder Company No. 2, of which he was elected foreman in 1881 and with which he continued until its disbandment (sic) in 1883. In 1881 he was chosen assistant-chief of the fire department, in 1885 became a paid member of the department as a ladder man, three years later was transferred to captain of Steamer No. 1, in 1891 was transferred to be captain of Hook and Ladder Company No. 2, and later was made captain of Steamer No. 2. During the city hall war in 1894 he was discharged, but thirty days later, on the 17th of April, he was reinstated and afterward accepted the appointment of chief of the fire department. While he has been rather fortunate in his work as fireman, yet he has not been without his share of accidents. During a fire on Sixteenth street he fell in an elevator shaft and his right ankle was broken; again, in August, 1896, his horse ran away and he was thrown from the buggy, and his shoulder was broken.
Being a great reader, Mr. Roberts is well informed concerning all matters of public interest. He is a skillful amateur artist in crayon and pastel, and his work may be seen in the office and various parts of Denver. In this city he married Miss Sarah M. Wright, who was born in Birmingham, England, but at an early age accompanied her father, Edwin Wright, to America, settling in Denver, where he engaged in business. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts have three children, Victor Edwin, Maud and Grace Roberts.
The following letter from the president of the National Firemen's Association is indicative of the esteem in which he is held:
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. OMAHA, NEB., Sept. 10, 1898.
Hon. Ralph Talbott, President Fire Commissioners.
DEAR SIR:--We wish to thank the city of Denver for its kindness in sending its fire department to attend the National Firemen's tournament, held at Omaha Sept. 5 to 11, and wish to add that the chief and his men and their efficient work reflect credit upon the city of Denver. The exhibition given by your men in extinguishing the flames in the burning buildings, and their gentlemanly conduct, place the Denver department in the front rank as an active, efficient, first-class fire-fighting team. It is the unanimous verdict of all who had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Roberts that Denver made no mistake when she placed him at the head of her fire department. Yours very respectfully,
FRED A. WOOD,
President.
OHN J. HAGUS, who for years was a prominent business man of Colorado and is now living retired at No, 1959 Washington avenue, Denver, was born near Cologne, Prussia, September 25, 1838, the son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Lersch) Hagus. When he was ten years of age, in the spring of 1849, the family came to America, spending forty days on the ocean between Antwerp and New York; during that time they encountered many severe storms, one of which was especially dangerous, and the captain, who thought all was lost, had the passengers locked below, where they clustered together, all terribly frightened, and some weeping, while others prayed.
Landing in New York the family went from there to Galena, Ill., where they had friends. The father, who was a tailor by trade, followed his chosen occupation in Galena until 1877, when he came to Colorado. Here he spent the remainder of his days, passing away in July, 1891, at the age of eighty-three. The mother also died here in June, 1893, at the age of eighty-five. They were the parents of ten children, six of whom died in infancy, and four are still living, all in Colorado. Of these Andrew came to Colorado at the time of the gold excitement at Pike's Peak in 1859, and he is now living near Brighton, where he is a wealthy farmer and dairyman.
After receiving an excellent education in the German language, our subject entered the public school in Galena, where he was a pupil about three years. At the age of fifteen he began to clerk in a grocery, receiving a salary of $6 per month. In 1860 he followed his brother to Colorado, leaving a position that paid him $12 per month, board and lodging. His brother had spent the winter of 1859-60 as a miner in Russell Gulch, but in the spring he settled on a farm near Brighton, sixteen miles from Denver, and on that place our subject found him, upon driving across the plains with a company of emigrants. They spent six weeks on the way and frequently met Indians, but all showed a disposition to be friendly.
Upon arriving in the then state of Kansas he went over into the Blue River country and began mining, in which he engaged for four years, doing fairly well. In the fall of 1863 he came down from the mountains and took up a homestead near Brighton, on the Platte River, and began farming, which he followed until the fall of 1869.
Mr. Hagus then secured employment in a store, where he remained for ten years, his salary being $100 a month the last years. In 1870 he married Miss Mary H. Flucken, of Galena, Ill., whom he had met while visiting there. She was born in Germany and from there accompanied her parents to the United States, settling with them in Galena. In 1879 he removed to Leadville and embarked in the furniture business as a member of the firm of Pryor, Hagus & Cooper, remaining in the business for five years. In 1884 he sold out and returned to Denver, where, the following year, he started the Cooper-Hagus Furniture Company, a business that was conducted profitably until 1896, when he sold out and retired. His success illustrates the power of energy and determination of will. He began for himself when a boy, penniless, with no influence to assist him in getting a start, but with indefatigable perseverance he worked his way steadily forward until he became the possessor of a competency. In boyhood he assisted in the support of his parents, and when they became aged he and his brothers cared for them, providing them with every comfort that could bring happiness to their declining years. He and his wife became the parents of seven children, but two died in infancy. The others are: Mrs. Elizabeth M. Brandenburg, who
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lives in Eldora; Joseph C., a salesman in Brown Brothers' wholesale grocery house; Louis F., Charles H. and Emma M., who are pupils in the Denver schools.
In politics Mr. Hagus is independent. When in Leadville he was often urged to become a candidate for office, but always refused, not desiring to enter public life. In religion he was reared in the faith of the Roman Catholic Church. His money is largely invested in real estate in Denver and in mining interests throughout the state, from which investments he is in receipt of a fair remuneration.
VERY R. THOMPSON, contractor and builder, has his office and shop at No. 1539 Stout street, Denver, and for some years has carried on an extensive business in his line, taking contracts for the erection of business blocks and private residences. He is a descendant of Scotch ancestors, who were identified with the early history of South Carolina and took up arms in defense of the colonies during the war with England. His grandfather, Jeremiah Thompson, who was the son of a Revolutionary patriot, was born in South Carolina, and from there removed to Highland County, Ohio, where he engaged in farming. Later he went to Jefferson County, Iowa, and there died in 1875, at the age of seventy-five years.
Charles M. Thompson, our subject's father, was born in Highland County, Ohio, but spent his life principally in Iowa, where he cleared a farm in Jefferson County and engaged in agricultural pursuits for many years. He was one of the most honored men of his community, and his life of steadfast integrity won for him the confidence of all his associates. On the farm where so many useful years had been passed, he died, August 28, 1897, at the age of sixty-four. His wife was Sarah McGuire, a native of Indiana and the daughter of James McGuire, who removed from that state to Iowa and settled upon a farm there. She passed away at the age of forty-two years, leaving nine children, all of whom still survive.
The fifth of these is Avery R., who was born near Fairfield, Iowa, in 1866, and received a common-school education in Jefferson County. He was handy with tools when a boy and could make anything that could be constructed from his limited appliances. He liked carpentering and naturally drifted into the occupation for his life-work. In 1886 he started out for himself, and for a year traveled through Kansas, following his trade in different parts of the state. The next year found him in Denver, where for six months he was employed with the Santa Fe Railroad Company, and afterward worked as a journeyman. In 1890 he began contracting for himself and has since done a large general jobbing and building business. As a carpenter he is accurate, careful and conscientious, carrying out the architects' plans with the utmost fidelity. He is a member of the Contractors and Builders' Association, and takes an interest in everything connected with his chosen occupation. Through his energy and judicious management he has accumulated some property which his present prosperous condition will enable him to increase and improve. His family consists of one son, Charles, born May 29, 1893, and his wife, who was Miss Ellen McKernan, is a native of West Virginia
ENRY E. HOKLAS is the junior member of the firm of Cochran & Hoklas, architects and builders, at No. 1811 Stout street, Denver. He was born in Bremen, Germany, June 4, 1848, and is a son of Henry and Margaret (Raby) Hoklas, natives respectively of Holstein and Bremen, and members of old German families. His father, who carried on a button factory in Bremen, emigrated to the United States in 1852 and settled in Peoria, Ill. where at first he was employed by a furniture house, and later engaged in the manufacture of cigar boxes. He died in 1895, at the age of seventy-two. His wife is also deceased.
Their only child, our subject, was reared in Peoria, where he attended the public schools. At the age of seventeen he began to learn the carpenter's trade, of which he soon acquired a comprehensive knowledge. In 1875 he removed to Iowa and settled near Corning, where he had a farm, and also engaged in building. From there in 1888 he removed to Hastings, Neb., where he worked at his trade as foreman in the building of the court house. After some two years, in 1890, he came to Denver, where he was employed as foreman in building. In 1895 he became a
538
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. member of the firm of Cochran & Hoklas, who take contracts for store and office work, furnish plans and specifications for buildings of all kinds and do carpenter work and jobbing, having their office and shop at No. 1811 Stout street.
By the marriage of Mr. Hoklas to Miss Lucy Brockett, of Peoria County, ill., two children were born, Wilbur and Wesley. Fraternally Mr. Hoklas is connected with the Woodmen of the World and the Ancient Order of United Workmen, in which he has been an officer. He is a stanch supporter of the silver cause, and in religion is connected with the Baptist Church.
RANCIS D. MEAD, a veteran of the Civil war and a resident of Denver, was born in Pittsfield, Berkshire County, Mass., in 1842, being the youngest of the eleven children of Darius L. and Artless (Comstock) Mead, natives respectively of New York state and Great Barrington, Mass. His father, who was the son of a physician, became a mechanic in early life and followed the trade at New Lebanon Springs, N. Y., and Pittsfield, Mass., the most of his life being spent in the latter place. He is said to have been one of the finest mechanics in the state.
Being handy with tools, at an early age our subject learned carpentering and under his father's instruction became an expert mechanic. In New London, Conn., he was a member of the Lincoln Wide-Awakes. He was at Norwich when the first shot was fired at Fort Sumter and at once he determined to enlist in the army. Going to Lebanon, he assisted in drilling a company, and soon afterward he enlisted from Hartford, as a member of Company D, Fourth Connecticut Infantry (later First Connecticut Heavy Artillery). He took part in the seven days' siege at Yorktown, during which his battery never lost a gun; also in the battle of Malvern Hill, after which he was ordered to Washington, D. C., from there to Fredericksburg, and participated in the hard fighting in front of Petersburg. At the expiration of his time, in 1864, he was mustered out at Hartford, Conn. April 7, 1865, he again enlisted, becoming a member of Company K, Sixth Regiment Hancock's Veterans, and was stationed at Washington and Harrisburg until he was honorably discharged, in June, 1866.
After the close of the war Mr. Mead followed his trade in Pittsfield, Northampton, Portland (Me.), Sparta (Wis.) and then went to Minneapolis and from there to Lansing, Mich., where he had charge of a furniture factory. Next he engaged in jobbing in Omaha. He first visited Denver in 1879, but did not locate here permanently until 1889, when he came from California and settled in this city. For four years he worked in the employ of McPhee & McGinnity, and since then has been in business for himself as a cabinetmaker and carpenter. He was married in Harrisburg, Pa., in 1865 to a daughter of Rev. George Kurtzman, a minister in the German Reformed denomination. Three children have been born to his marriage, namely: Florence, wife of William I. Laird, who is traveling freight agent for the Maple Leaf Railroad in Chicago; Guy, a bookkeeper and stenographer in Denver; and Grace, wife of Edward N. Bullock, D. D. S. In politics he adheres to Republican principles. With other old soldiers he takes an interest in Grand Army matters, his membership being in the Lincoln Post No. 4 of Denver.
LAYTON T. COCHRAN, senior member of the firm of Cochran & Hoklas, of Denver, was born in Oxford County, Ontario, Canada, in 1844, and is the fourth of the seven children of William P. and Margaret (Rupert) Cochran, natives respectively of Scotland and Nova Scotia. His father, who came to this country, engaged in farming in Ontario until his death at seventy-nine years; his wife was also seventy-nine at the time of her death.
At the age of fifteen our subject began to learn the carpenter's trade. In 1864 he came to the States, spending four months in Buffalo, nine months in Toledo, and then going to Chicago, where he engaged in building until June, 1872. At that time he came to Denver, where he has since resided. At first he devoted himself entirely to carpentering, but since 1893 he has taken contracts, and has also designed his own plans. He is an industrious, painstaking man, and makes every effort to please those for whom he has contracts. While he has met with business reverses, he has never become discouraged, but has worked with a perseverance and determination that almost invariably win success.
In Chicago Mr. Cochran married Miss Belle
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 539
Fry, who was born in Bath, Canada, and died in Colorado. The only child of this union is Mrs. Belle Vale, of Waterloo, Iowa. His second marriage took place in Canada and united him with Miss Emily M. Armstrong, who was born there and died in Denver, leaving an only son, Crandall A. In religious connections Mr. Cochran is a member of the First Baptist Church. Fraternally he is connected with the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and in politics adheres to the doctrines of the silver Republican organization. By his present wife, who was Charlotte M. Miles, of Canada, he has one child, Eleanor.
EWTON ALDEN BOLLES AND NETTlE HUBBARD BOLLES. In 1897 the Western Institute of Osteopathy was founded at Denver by Mr. and Mrs. Bolles, under charter from the state government, and it is now the only school recognized by the American School of Osteopathy. The school is located at No. 832 East Colfax avenue, where a two years' course of instruction will be given similar to that in the parent school at Kirksville, Mo. Of the institute Mrs. Bolles is president and Mr. Bolles secretary and treasurer. Both are members of the American Association for the advancement of Osteopathy, in which she has served as vice-president.
Up to a comparatively recent date very little was known concerning osteopathy. It is a system of treating disease without drugs, by skillfully tracing out and readjusting mechanical disorders that interfere with the natural functions of the body. It is the claim of those who advocate this course of treatment that when all obstruction to the free circulation of the fluids of the body is detected and removed, the system can then regain its normal condition. The touch is educated to such a degree that practitioners of this system can detect the least deviation from normal in any part of the body. The science was originated and developed by Dr. Andrew T. Still, of Kirksville, Mo., formerly a physician of the old school, who for nearly twenty-five years worked upon the principles of the system that now constitute the science of osteopathy.
The subject of this sketch is of English descent. Three brothers crossed the ocean in 1800 from England, two of whom settled in the north and one went south. Alden Bolles, who was the son of a Revolutionary soldier, was born in Massachusetts. His wife was Dorcas Munger, a native of Saratoga County, N. Y. Of their ten children, William Alden Bolles was the youngest. He was born in Milton, N. Y., July 7, 1831, and at the age of eighteen began teaching, which he made his life occupation.
In Louisville Professor Bolles married Mattie A. Lewton, who was born in New Albany, Ind., and was a teacher in the Louisville schools. Her father, James Lewton, was born in Bristol, England, and married Cynthia Parker, of York State, by whom he had ten children, six still living. Professor and Mrs. Bolles had nine children, and of these six attained maturity, viz.: Newton Alden, J. Lewton, Clarence William, Nettie B., Arthur Elliott and Mary E.
While his parents resided in Lexington, Ky., the subject of this sketch was born, May 20, 1859. He accompanied his parents in their various removals. In the fall of 1876 he entered the University of Kansas, where he studied for two years, after which he taught for three years. In the spring of 1881 he went to New Mexico and traveled through that state, also visited Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Montana and Old Mexico, spending four years in prospecting, mining and assaying. The largest mine in which he was employed was that owned by Senator Tabor, at Chihuahua, Mexico. In 1896 he entered the American School of Osteopathy at Kirksville, Mo., from which he graduated in the spring of 1898, with the degree of D. O. Politically he is a Republican and fraternally is connected with the Knights of Pythias.
At Olathe, Kan., December 7, 1887, Mr. Bolles married Miss Nettie Hubbard, who was born in Marion, Douglas County, Kan. Her father, David Hubbard, a pioneer of Lawrence, Kan., and during the war, when Quantrell made his raid on Lawrence, was wounded by a bullet that passed through his lungs. He recovered from the wound, largely through the treatment of Dr. Still, who was then living in Douglas County. He now resides at Olathe. The Hubbard family is of English descent and remote Norman extraction, the ancestors having crossed the channel with William the Conqueror. The mother of Mrs. Bolles was Martha J. Merrill, daughter of Sherburne Merrill, of New Hampshire. She is still living, as are five of her seven
540
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. children. In 1878, when a young girl, Mrs. Bolles spent some mouths in travel through France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. She graduated from the University of Kansas in 1885 with the degrees of B. S. and B. P. and later took the Chautauqua course of study. In the fall of 1892 she entered the American School of Osteopathy and was a member of Dr. Still's first graduating class, receiving the degree of D. O. in 1894. During the last year of her college course, 1893-94, she taught anatomy in the school, and also taught one year after graduating. In the fall of 1895 she located in Denver. She is a member of the college fraternity of Phi Beta Phi and belongs to the Woman's Club of Denver. In religious connections both she and her husband are identified with the Plymouth Congregational Church. Fraternally she is a member of the Eastern Star.
DWIN H. PARK, attorney-at-law, with office at No. 711 Ernest and Cranmer building, Denver, was born in Waukesha, Wis., September 23, 1864, and is son of John W. and Sarah L. (Thomas) Park. His father, who was a farmer near Waukesha, was born in Weston, Vt., and there grew to manhood upon a farm, receiving an excellent academic education, after which for several years he engaged in teaching in country and village schools. About 1850 he re-moved to Wisconsin and there carried on farm pursuits. After going west he met Miss Thomas, a native of Vermont, who had removed to Wisconsin in 1837. They were married and soon afterward went to Minnesota, where he laid out and named the town of Owatonna. However, after a few years he sold out and returned to Wisconsin, settling in the town of Vernon, Waukesha County. In early life he had been educated for civil engineering, in which line, as well as in surveying, he did considerable work during the early days of Wisconsin. He passed away in Waukesha County in August, 1879, at about fifty years of age, leaving a wife and six children.
The boyhood days of our subject's life were spent on the home farm near Waukesha. After completing the public-school studies, he entered Rochester Seminary, in Racine County, where he prepared for college. In the fall of 1882 he entered the University of Wisconsin, from which he graduated in 1886, with special honors. Afterward he taught for one year in a graded school as its principal, but did not find the occupation congenial, and so turned his attention to the study of the law. Later he took the regular course in the law department of the state university, from which he graduated in 1889. Soon afterward he came to Denver, where he was attorney for the Jarvis-Conklin Mortgage Trust Company for one year, and then opened an office for himself in the Good block. In 1892 he opened an office in the Ernest and Cranmer building. He has been identified with many important cases which attracted more than local attention. In the famous case of Trimble vs. People he was attorney for the plaintiff and succeeded in retaining Mr. Trimble as a member of the fire and police board. His specialty is mining law, in which he has been eminently successful, and he is now engaged in the prosecution of mining cases that involve vast interests.
In Denver, December 31, 1891, Mr. Park married Carrie L. Old, who was born in Omaha, Neb., a daughter of Prof. R. Orchard Old; she was reared in Bath, England, received an excellent education, and is a lady of many accomplishments and charming disposition. Their only child is R. Orchard, born in Nebraska City in 1893.
Though reared a Republican, Mr. Park became an adherent of the People's party. He was a candidate for city attorney of Denver, but was defeated. In 1896 he stumped Nebraska in Bryan's behalf and at other times he has done much to advance the interests of his party. He became a Master Mason in Waterford Lodge No. 96 (Wisconsin) and was demitted to Union Lodge No, 7, of Denver.
ERRY A. CLAY, formerly under-sheriff and for five months acting sheriff of Arapahoe County, was well qualified by nature for the positions he has held, being the possessor of ability and courage not unlike that displayed by his relative, the illustrious Commodore Perry, the hero of Lake Erie. He is of English descent, but his forefathers have been identified with American history since an early period in the settlement of this country, and his grandfather and great-grandfather were patriotic soldiers, the
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one in the war of 1812, the other in the Revolution. The grandfather, who was born in Vermont, engaged in farming throughout his active life; when eighty-seven years of age he was accidentally killed. His wife, who was a Miss Perry, died at the age of one hundred and two years.
The father of our subject, Daniel Theodore Clay, was born in Rutland, Vt., in 1817, and in early days removed to Wisconsin, where he became a pioneer minister in the Baptist Church and established a number of congregations. After seventeen years in Wisconsin he moved to Cobden, Ill., where he continued in the ministry until his death, in 1878, at the age of sixty-four. His wife, who was Olivia Maria Beardsley, was born in St. Clair, Mich., and now makes her home in Denver. Her father, Melvin Beardsley, who was descended from English ancestors that settled in Connecticut and took part in the Revolution, was a native of the Nutmeg state, but removed to Batavia, N. Y., from there to St. Clair County, Mich., and thence to Baraboo, Sauk County, Wis., where he was proprietor of a store. When eighty-six years of age a severe fall resulted in his death.
The subject of this sketch is one of a family of four sons and two daughters, of whom two of the sons are deceased. Harvey, the eldest brother, was a member of a Wisconsin regiment during the Civil war, was wounded in the battle of Antietam, losing his right arm at the shoulder joint. The record in the pension office shows that, of all who received similar wounds in the war, he is the sole survivor. His home is in Fitzgerald, Ga. The second son, Orley T., died in Illinois when thirty years of age. Mrs. Lizzie D. Finley is the manager of the Western Union telegraph office in Canon City, Colo. Perry A. is next in order of birth. Melvin died at the age of eight years. Mrs. Laura Morgan lives in Denver.
In Kilbourn City, Wis., where he was born June 4, 1859, our subject spent only his infant days. He was six when the family removed to Cobden, Ill., and his education was obtained in the district schools there and the State Normal University at Carbondale, from which he graduated in 1875. Afterward he taught for two years at Makanda, Ill., and then learned telegraphy in the Illinois Central depot. He was with the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern road and the Western Union Telegraph Company at St. Louis until 1882, when he came to Colorado. He was with the Union Pacific on the Kansas Pacific division in Colorado and later with the Denver & Rio Grande road until 1889 when he was appointed an officer on the police force, and after patrolling a beat for nine months, he was made sergeant and then promoted to the rank of captain, which was virtually the office of assistant chief. In 1894, through an attempt to make a political machine of the police department, the question arose whether or not the so-called metropolitan system meant anything. Chief-of-Police John F. Stone and Captain Clay contended that removals could not be made for political reasons, and acting under the advice of able council and the main portion of the business community of Denver, organized the police department, and held the city hall against the state militia. When the matter finally reached the supreme court, a decision was rendered against them, and Chief Stone, Captain Clay and fifty-six subordinate officers retired voluntarily from the city service.
During the next two years Mr. Clay and Mr. Stone carried on a paper called the Patriot, in the interests of the Republican party. Mr. Clay is an adherent of that party, but a strong supporter of its silver wing. In January, 1896, he was appointed under-sheriff by Mr. Webb and two years later he was again appointed to the position, which is practically that of acting sheriff. In 1896 he went to Europe in search of the defaulting clerk of the district court of Arapahoe, whom he arrested in Southampton and brought back to Denver, after an absence of only forty-four days. In May, 1898, Sheriff Webb died. The last paper which he dictated and signed three days before his death was as follows: "To the Honorable Board of County Commissioners of Arapahoe County, Colo.: Gentlemen: I am now lying seriously sick. I respectfully request your honorable body, in the event of my death, to appoint Perry A. Clay sheriff. He has been a most faithful friend to me, and as under-sheriff has proven himself to be a most able and efficient officer, and is thoroughly familiar with the duties pertaining to the office of sheriff.
"Very respectfully, "E. H. WEBB."
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. The various Grand Army posts of the city passed resolutions requesting this appointment, and lawyers and business men joined fraternal societies in the same request; but the county board selected another man. Mr. Clay did not wait for something to turn up. The next day he bought a half interest in The Denver Examiner, "the live weekly of the west."
Fraternally Mr. Clay is connected with Denver Lodge No. 17, B. P. O. E., and Temple Lodge No. 84, A. F. & A. M. His marriage in 1883 united him with Miss Annie M. Smith, who was born in Jefferson City, Mo., the daughter of John Smith, of that place. They have two children, Horace Greeley and Archibald. In person Mr. Clay is six feet one inch in height and weighs two hundred and ten pounds. His countenance expresses honor and honesty, thus reflecting the true history of his life. He is no sycophant or worshiper of power. He is consistently temperate and moral. He is tolerant and generous to a fault. He is a speaker and writer of no mean ability. In December, 1892, he delivered a general eulogy at the Elks' annual memorial service, which was reproduced in over thirty of the great metropolitan papers and magazines of the United States. He has written verse which the Harper publications have considered acceptable. He possesses no small or petty larceny traits of character, nor is he "mealy-mouthed;" men and things are called by their right names by Perry A. Clay.
AMUEL CRAFT, who has engaged in contracting and building in Denver since 1888, and is a member of the firm of Craft & Gilmore, was born in Boston, Mass., November 24, 1860, and was the fifth among ten children, all but two of whom are still living. He is the son of Reuben and Esther (Bailey) Craft, natives respectively of St. Johns, N. B., and Maine, both now deceased. His paternal grandfather, Samuel Craft, was born in New Brunswick, of Scotch descent, and was a carpenter by occupation; the maternal grandfather, Edmund Bailey, was a farmer in Maine.
Having learned the carpenter's trade in Boston, in September, 1875, our subject went to Minneapolis, where in time he became foreman for a firm of large contractors. In 1886 he began as a contractor there, but two years later removed to Denver, where he now owns residence and business property. In January, 1897, he formed the firm of Craft & Gilmore, which is doing a good business in the city and vicinity. He is a member of the Carpenters and Builders' Association and takes an interest in everything pertaining to his chosen work in life. Politically he adheres to the principles of the Republican party, but has never desired to identify himself with public affairs, preferring to devote himself to private business matters. Fraternally he is a member of Colorado Lodge No. 1, K. of P., in which he is past chancellor, and also belongs to the Uniform Rank No. 17. While in Minneapolis he was married, his wife being Martha Giemer, a native of that city.
EORGE W. WILDER. The history of the Wilder family in America has about it an element of romance. Edward Marlow Wilder, Earl of Sheffield, was an officer in the Queen's army and received a wound in the battle of Waterloo, from the effects of which he died. By his marriage to a daughter of Sir Arthur Stuart, member of the Scotch house of Hanover, he had an only son, James, who ran away from home at the age of thirteen years and was therefore disinherited, the Earl's personal property being willed to his son's oldest son. James refused to receive anything whatever from the estate. He came to America, settled in Portland, Me., and studied law there and in Boston, afterward engaging in the profession. In time he rose to be judge of the supreme court of Massachusetts and while holding that office he died, at the age of sixty-eight years. Fraternally he was a thirty-third degree Mason. He married Mary Morris, who was born in Massachusetts and died there. They became the parents of twelve children, all of whom are living, George W., our subject, being the only son and the youngest child. One of his sisters, Ruth, is a missionary in India.
The primary education of our subject was obtained in Dartmouth school, Boston. At the age of nine he went to Nova Scotia, where he remained for three years, and then returned to Boston. When thirteen he enlisted in the United States navy and through successive promotions rose to be mate, serving on the steamers "Wyo-
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