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Show iNOAiiixo OFTHE CONVENTION. Biographical Sketches of Bryan and Stevenson. WashiEgton, Wefcster, Clay, JelTerEon, Eenton, Jackson, Lincoln, Douglas. Gladstone and one of Krs. Bryan's father. Sketches of difCe.ent kiada adorn the walls. Ad'ai Ewing S:evenso3, the Democratic Demo-cratic nominee for vice president, wis born in Christ'an county, Kentucky, Cct. 23, 1835. In 1852 he removed with his parents to Blcomington, 111. . Here he attended the pubMc schools. Hii education was finiched at Center College, Col-lege, Danvl"le, Ky., and at the Illinois Wesleyan University. He stuc'ied law and was admitted to the bar in 1857. In 1864 he was chosen prosecutinrj attorney for the twenty-third judicial distiiet. He was elected to congress as a currency reformer in lS74,and wai re-elected to the forty-sixth congress. He served as first assistant postmaster-general postmaster-general during Mr. Cleveland's . first term, and was elected vice president of the United State3 in 1892. He is a man of affairs, and aIo an excellent campaigner. As presiding officer of the United States sanate he gained th3 friendship of all. the members Irrespective Irre-spective of party He was among Mr. Bryan's most ardent supporters-, la 1896. . .,. ... ., . ... .,; Jp-WBIOK aWs X&TC&N Ifclr V? 3l.0WD 5n;VEr!5qHT , William Jennings Bryan's father, Silas L. Bryan, was born in Culpepper county, Virginia, at the base of the Blue Ridge mountains. He went to Illinois when a youth of : 18, settling finally at Salem, on the edge of Egypt. Here he made a permanent home; became be-came distinguished in public life, married mar-ried and reared a family, of whom William JfAmings Bryan was the fourth out of nine sons and daughters. daugh-ters. In 1852 Silas Bryan married Mariah E. Jennings, who was born in Marion county, near Salem, in 1S34. Judge Bryan's young bride was from tL distinguished family In Marion coun- merchant -: They wore married; Octo-, Octo-, ber 4.' 1884. Mr. Bryan was;21 Vhen he graduated from the Ilnrtois college' at Jacksonville. He entered the law ofilttj of Wiluaui Springer for a snort time, and then, went to Chicago ior a two years' course at the Union College Col-lege of Law. This was in 1881, arid during the next two years he was in the oflice of the late Senator Lyman Trumbull, besides attending law classes. At the end of his Chicago course Mr. Bryan returned to Jacksonville Jackson-ville and began 'practicing law with moderate success. He stayed at JacK-sonville JacK-sonville until October, 1887,-when he removed to Lincoln, Neb., his present home. Some legal matters in Nebraska Ne-braska had required Mr. Bryan's personal per-sonal attention. At his first visit to the state capital he was so pleased with the place that he made up his mind to remain there. He opened -a law office in partnership with A: R. Talbot, who was a classmate of Mr. Bryan's in the law school. From the outset of his Nebraska career ca-reer Mr. Bryan took part in politics. In 1890 he was elected to congress from the first Nebraska district over W. J. Connell of Omaha. Mr. Bryan's political career really began with his nomination for congress. His success was rewarded at Washington, where Speaker Crisp gave him a place on the ways and means committee. Mr. B Bryan's first speech in congress was delivered March 12, 1S92. At the next congressional session Mr. Bryan was reappointed on tne ways and means committee, and rendered ren-dered much service in subsequent legr islation. . Early in 1894 he wrote a letter de- S - if I lb-,----' 1 vt MRS. W. J. BRYAN. . ty. The house where William Jennings Jen-nings Bryan was born March 19, 1860, Is on Broadway, Salem. The house was originally built of logs, hewn oy the elder Bryan's own hands. A few years later he began work on a substantial sub-stantial brick farmhouse about a mile east of Salem. This was the pride of Judge Bryan's life. Surrounded by 600 acres of splendid land, the brick mansica stands 500 feet back from the road and is approached by a private pri-vate driveway, lined with six rows of maples. Judge Bryan set apart a space for a deer park and at the time of his death had a fine herd. It was on this farm that young "Billy" Bryan spent the years of. his boyhood. He has little early recollection recol-lection of the house in which he wa born, having left there when about 5 years old and moved to the farm. His chief sport when a boy was rabbit hunting and jumping. He is said to be still fond of both. After his graduation grad-uation he won a prize for a standing Jump, covering 12 feet 4 inches. During vacation season young Bryan used to return to the old farm and I iwork with his father and hired help Jn the fields or around the big barn. Some seasons he "hired out" to neighboring neigh-boring farmers, and earned spending BRYAN'S LINCOLN RESIDENCE dining to again become a candidate for congressional honors. By this time he had become the recognized leader of the Nebraska Democracy. At the state convention, which met Sept. 23. 1S94, Dr. Edwards of Lincoln placed Mr. Bryan in nomination for United States senator. Delegates from v-f .9'- -every section of the state seconded the nomination, and on the roll-call it was made unanimous. He was beaten in the legislature by Senator Thurston. Thurs-ton. Four years ago he became a figure of national prominence at the Democratic Demo-cratic national convention at Chicago, which nominated him for president of the United States. The stampede in favor of Mr. Bryan for the presidential nomination followed what was considered con-sidered the greatest speech of his political career. The remarkable canvass can-vass that followed Mr. Bryan's nomination nom-ination in 1896 is still fresh in the public mind. In the stirring days of the Spanish-American Spanish-American war two years ago Mr. Bryan Bry-an raised a regiment from his own state and was commissioned colonel. He served with his regiment In. tne south until the close of hostilities. The Bryans live in a handsome house in one of the prettiest parts of Lincoln. Their children are Ruth, age 14; William J., Jr., age 10, and' Grace, age g. The study, in which both Colonel and Mrs. Bryan have desks. Is filled with books, stationery and souvenirs of various campaigns. In the room are busts or portraits ol MRS. A. E. STEVENSON, tnoney, which came handy at college. During his junior year he met Miss Mary E. Baird, a junior In the female academy at the same place. They became be-came engaged that year. Miss. Baird graduated the day before Mr. Bryan, es valedictorian of her class of eight, while he was the valedictorian of his lass of fifteen. She was born in Perry, 111., where her father was a |