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Show - WHY COLONEL HUDSON f BUILDING WIS NAMED Of course it wa? the spirit of personal per-sonal interest and commercial enter prise that prompted Mr. Fred J. Kiesel Kie-sel to scatter costly and imposing buildings over the city of Ogdcn, where his young day of life was spent, and where, by direct and thrifty meth ods, he amassed a large fortune which he now uses as a benediction to the hand of toil, and to lift the city that witnessed his triumphs into an envi able position beside her city cities and let the world look upon her and admire her. But the most gracious and beautiful thing about it all is in naming one Of his most imposing structures Id honor of a man unknown to this gen J emion, but who, while living, was f counted one of God's noblemen Mr. Kiesel needs no words of praise from any man's lips for the works of his hands are his monument, nor does Col. Hudson, for the dead do not feel, but to recite the story of Col. Hudson's Hud-son's life may be interesting to the inquirer who asks to know why Hud son aenue and the Col. Hudson build-1 build-1 ing were so named and it is a very great pleasure to the writer to tell it. Col, Hudson died at the Ogden Hot Springs after a short illness. I do not remember when our acquaintance began, at any rate it was many yearn before his death, and to the close ot his life he was one of the most in timate friends I ever had He was ' then engaged with the V. M. C Sylvia company in handling hides and wool in a small building where are now the stores of I. L. Clark and Sous, but did business at the same time with the F. J Kiesel Co. Col. Hudson was of the Chesterfield Chester-field type, attractive in personal ap pearance, quick and incisive in speech and when introduced to him you instantly in-stantly felt that you w:iuld like to know him better. We meet peopl2 every day with big hearts, others with masterful minds, and still others with winsome ways, but all these seemed Jb splendidly combined In the fine per sonality of Col. Hudson He had a good common school education, and his native Irish wit made him a priintj off-hand speaker. His gattling gun of repartee seemed always loaded and seldom missed its unfortunate target What Is now the Hudson avenue that is walled on either side with im posing buildings was bareh more thaii a row path, with Johnny Dee's livery stable between it and City hall, when the "Hot Air club" dubbed It HuJ eon avenue as a specimen of the club's wit But the most virile imagination never dreamed of its future import ance. The stable has disappeared and Mr. Dee has been gathered to his fathers, and now Mr Fred J. Kiesel honors himself by honoring him "who sleeps in silence and pathetic dust " by giving a beautiful building the colonel's name, and from his Valhalla whence he has gone his sympathetic spirit must view the scene with sat isfaction. When Mr, Kiesel became mayor in 18f0, Hudson avenue began to grow 'ruo importance and, with consent 01 the city council, he ordained that the r wakened street should be christened Hudson avenue and so recorded tor nl future time. Col. John E Hudson was a real 3oldler. He served with distinction :irougli four long heart-breaking years of the rebellion, but the storms of the bivouac and battle beat in vain against his invincible personality, and made it stronger by the stern ordeal on which it fed. He won his way from private ranks by sheer merit to the eagles on his shoulders that dis tinguiahed a full colonel. He had an awful contempt for the tin soldier who fell suddenly sick on the eve of battle, for the malingerer who unexpectedly un-expectedly discovered a sore toe on the march into the enemy's country, but who, after the war, adorns him self with the livery of the service yjf . he did not see, and charms the gape-Ing gape-Ing country side by lying like Sam fr Hill about his redoubtable prowess when fields run red with human gore Col Hudson had none of the impostor about him. and just self esteem tD be respected because he respected himself, and appraised others at their true value. In the back room of Peebles' drug store, now the Badcon pharmacy, i from time to time there gathered a few kindred souls to pass greetings and talk of current matters Some I Irreverent wretch named it the "Hot Air club," and the appellation was well deserved. The greatest questions ques-tions that ever disturbed the world were there discussed and settled for all time. At one evening session some three or four interurban trains were run from Ogden to Salt Lake long before Bamberger dreamed it possible. But as I remember the problem of vastest importance that took three or four sessions to settle was the impending trouble between our country and Great Britain, when, during Cleveland's administration Venezuela got mad at England and we didn't want the Monroe doctrine disturbed. After many heated dls-tgt dls-tgt cusslons we hunted up our dread- y-, naughts and set them against thOSC cif Old Albion and Dr Carnahan, and 41 Col. Hudson finally decided that wi- had whipped England to a frazzU-and frazzU-and she has never recovered to thr: ; av- As soon as the carpenters are awav from the lobby of the Col. Hudson building, his portrait will there stard to greet the thousands that will crowd the willing doors of that odi-fio odi-fio I was away from home on vacate va-cate at the time of Col. Hudson's death, but a telegram brought me ba.ck to regretfully help boar him from the Catholic church, then near tho corner of Lincoln avenue, where he worshipped, to his last resting place I have presumed on the reader's indulgence to here repeat what I then Inscribed to the memory of him 1 should greet no more in this world Sweet be thy sleep and soft tby dreamless be-d, IO'erarched of skies made glad by sunny June; These be affection's tears sincere we shed For thee whose day is rounded out at jj noon The mailed hand that curbed the jL charger's fire. The vIce that rang across the battlefield-No more the faltering troop with nerve Inspire, Thyself no more a country's manly shield. t In private life, or place of public trust. Or pressing dauntless to the battle's van, The world takes note and to thy fame Is Just, And o'er thee writes: "Here lies a sterling man." To thy dead heart, dear friend, 1 lay my own And seek, though vainly, for the old refrain; And ne'er thy like will know our clan again While glow the skies in summer's ar dent breath, And field and wood in bud ana bloom are dress d, We give thee to the pitying care of death And Him, "who giveth His beloved rest." (Signed) A. S. CONDON. |