Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 94, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 August 1899 — A Man Who Whipped Bryan. [ARTICLE]

A Man Who Whipped Bryan.

J. R. Willis, of the noted dredging firm of J. Wills & Son was in town Wednesday and Thursday on matters connected with the Stump Slough ditch which his firm has Completed. He is one of the sons of the firm and an athletic and in telligent young man. He is from Illinois and attended the Illinoi s University at Jacksonville at the same time that Wm J. Bryan, the silver orator and democratic candidate was also a student there. Mr. Wills was a conceited sophomore the year Bryan was a stern and sedate senior. Wills was the leading athlete of his class and Bryan held the same position in his Now it fell out one day that the two classes got into a regular class fight and as a natural consequenoe young Wills was selected to face bruiser Bryan and he did so to such good purpose that the future presidential candidate was put out of the fight in time for Wills to thrash another senior before the battle ended.