Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 88, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 April 1914 — M’KINLEY’S SHINNY PARTNER [ARTICLE]

M’KINLEY’S SHINNY PARTNER

Incident In President’s Life Recalled by Chum, Former Member of Congress. “William McKinley was a school teacher, a toll bridge tender and one of the best shinny players In Ohio when he and I were boys together at Niles,” said Samuel McMillan, former member of congress, at the New Willard, according to the Washington Post “Major McKinley’s work as a school ■teacher and toll gate tender were gratuitous, however,” continued Mr. McMillan, “for-he taught school for Brose Robinson when Brose was physically incapacitated, and he and I tended toll for ‘Mother’ Mcßeady at the bridge between Nllestcwn and Mineral Ridge, the old lady being unable to perform the work. McKinley as a' boy was somewhat above us fellows and when we played shinny—we never heard of golf in those days—he insisted on some of the boys looking after a ferocious bull and keeping him in a corner on John Battles’ farm before he got mixed up in a game. “I shall never forget an Incident showing McKinley’s character. Following a heavy rain the creek at Niles got out of bounds, and all the earthly possessions of Evan Evans went into the stream. I decided to swim the stream and rescue a barrel of flour and other possessions belonglng to Evans, but McKinley objected. " 'Sam,* he said to me, ‘risk your life to save a life or a principle, but never put In jeopardy what God gave you, to save property.”’ Mr. McMillan said that Brose Robinson, who presided at the Niles school, where he and Major McKinley received their early education, is still alive, and is identified with the Rockefeller interests at Cleveland.