Show I J1jJSJSJIJIJf lJlJJll flum JOCJtLtjj jI4lfjMAN I 1ffjjINIl 11lJJ Ghosi Hr ERRY SIMPSON tho s o c k I e s a statesman of Medicine Lodge Is dead After a year of physIcals physical-s u rr 0 rl n g this unique character In American poll tics ono of the most Interesting figures that ever occupied a scat In tho national Congress Con-gress passed away at Wichita Knn his wife tnd son sitting at hIs deathbed Illness In tho form of a valvular affection of the heart attacked at-tacked him first In New Mcnlco where he was engaged en-gaged In the promotion of Irrigation schemes Six months ago a Chicago specialist pronounced his case hopeless hope-less and for ten days prior to his death life had been sustained only through the power of a rugged will Jeremiah Socrates Simpson was the name presented him by his parents In New Brunswick where he was born March 31 1842 But to those who came in contact with him In the days of his political fame he was known and will bo remembered as plain Jerry while the great masses who form their conception of men In public pub-lic life at long range who judge characters by the Idiosyncrasies that are exploited by the oddities and episodes epi-sodes of a career that attract human hu-man Interest rather than by tho basic elements that go to ranko up tho real man knew him only as Sockless Jerry One of his first efforts after ho had bocomo well enough acquainted with the ways of Congress to address tho chair was to offer ocular as well as oracular evidence that tho Backless story was a myth He did It so entertainingly enter-tainingly albeit without effect on the public that ho at once was placed on the Hat of representatives In tho House who were worth listening to Politically Jerry Simpson was a product of the Populist uprising that began In tho West In 1890 Previous to his election to congress In 1890 Jerry had been a Republican and a Qreenbacker In private life he was at that time a farmer God Almighty sent our family hard knocks In bunches said Mr Simpson ono time In speaking of tho poverty of his youth At tho ago of 14 tarry started In asa as-a cabin boy on thu lakes and for twentythree years ho followed tho life of a sailor on boats plying between be-tween Chicago and the upper ports with a brief Intermission following his enlistment In the army in 1SC1 where ho served only a few months After some years as a sailor Capt Simpson thought a life on land was preferable to a roving career on tho waves Ho had pui chased a farm In Indiana with his savings but after running that for a brief time he moved mov-ed to Kansas whore ho preempted ICO acres buying In addition an entire en-tire section In Barber county In the late 80s he gave up farming owing to the 111 health of his wife and moved mov-ed to Medicine Lodge where they elected him marshal and where he distinguished himself by stopping absolutely ab-solutely the sale of liquor At Medicine Lodgu opportunity found him when the Kansas Farmers Alliance sprang up as the forerunner of tho Populist movement Tho farmers farm-ers of tho seventh district concentrated concen-trated on him for congressman and tho allurements of official life was tendered to him on a silver platter Tho Bookless episode occurred at Sterling while Jerry was making his campaign He was making a speech to a composite audience largely made up of alliance men some Republicans and a few Democrats Jerrys personal per-sonal appearance was far from what the appellation of sock loss statesman states-man would naturally suggest to ono unacquainted with the man Although uncouth In speech he looked more like a prosperous country banker than n rough weatherbeaten mortgage plastered old farmer So when ho touched up the corpulent aristocrats the incongruity of this welldressed man calling them silk stockings mortgage sharks and the like seem ed altogether preposterous A horny handed old farmer who hadnt Joined the alliance at this juncture called out Pears to me Jerry that you uns wear silk stock Ins too Quick as a wink Jerry pulled up his trousers hn My frlenrt them aro all the stockings I ever woro If you don t see them from where you are come over and touch them And Ihe phYc Jerry showed a bare leg half 1 ton caD his knee He did hate on 1 Utter I socks but they scarcely sho a H eAd tho tops of hIs big shoes deceived 80 ta Vllal everybody Q tho audience shouted out T joIclng ho aint got any and JerrVsil1 th I n klD famo had dawned From fb et P has th etUelght on Jerry wass Called the Uelght wi statesmen This nlcknarne ot 1 tio bra all over the seventh know It wild prairie fire and district Jerry I k Ud thi smart to deny tho report 5 I cAn pIn Juncture deluge ijlnns Few men In Kansas over had phantoi personal following that Jerry SI WW attracted In the seenth or pels trlct For a few days foliowln jest mi election tho result of rumor i pretty circulation and when It was rePl Uons ono day that Simpson had been known CI ed out tho farmers mounted inert I i i horses shoulderel their guns Ind Sup aded tho district threatening a I to see to maintain their later supremacy AI I give returns came In Slmpioni ionna Jorlty assumed such proportion I tnree tho casus belli was happily rClQ ol Esl His majority turned out to tell I out of a total vote of 57732 Washington was pleasantly IPu ed with the advent of tho 6Qci statesman Although ho never had forensic experience further ii Artie ArtieM that afforded by the lodgeroomil M tho alliance In Kansas Jerry Sta C did not hesitate to cross swords IS the most noted debaters In the Hoa In repartee he showed hlmsell It I quick as chain lightning and the I and e casm of Tom Reed frequently nothi met by a shaft from tho protoci the dl Kansas unrest that sent floor ever galleries Into spasms of delight I teen laughter Reed winced somet I Jack but ho paid Sockless Jerry the I artlc spoct he gave to all foemen o Itmt of his steel regardless of ersc loth oddities On As a representative Mr Slap I drop was an Inveterate talker on everj IbotU portont question that came up I tho 0 < speeches had tho merit of slnti dred and force and his fund of stories i ling t which he Illustrated his argum Coll make phei i use I and SUSI i the mar thai I Inn flan StAn St-An The Late Jerry Simpson brought him Into prominence as of of tho most Interesting talkers In House F nM The same crudities of speech nowl characterized the statesman en caIn stump marked his oratory ca-In Ci caIn In-gress Ho had a penchant for alb adl Ing singular verbs to plural nouns aiPi vice versa and Indulged In nr pic rhetorical gaucheries but these au Pici woro overlooked to a large exte cib The official stenographers made tl br speeches read nil right In the Reccr thl and n charitable House hail sometw sit besides breaks to think about pI tho undeniable logic of tho arguon I and tho forceful manner of preset1 dl tlon N After serving two terms In Conpt In during the Crisp regime Mr Stei CJ returned In 1897 and with Ree I the chair ho had even more ion I before Many a time Reed writ under his onslaughts as ho lea c p Democratic Insurgents against II rulings of tho chair 1 Mr Simpson was defeated for election in 1898 and henceforti d chewed populism to tho extent ol F ting Into big projects In New where there was a chance to b u lid a fortune Jerry Simpson pop Ulll 1 at its best for that matter ml protests a a loat a of the kind that < tho luxuries of life He oatlj joint in Washiw the bicycle colony ani the fa d < when wheeling was astounded the nntlves with me > brt II n chen and naming hosiery al rode Had ho been in WaBhlngto lIod4 a later day ho undoubtedly of an autolll have been tho owner aCblcut blleSumner M Curtis In Cblcut RecordHerald |