The Van Buren press., 1869-12-07
Stranger Than Fiction.
ncs-Traesdy -on the Dattts-x -xfsld
ana into the Arms Of Death. q ESD


Homancs-Traesdy -on the Dattts-xisld
ana into the Asms Of Death. q ESD
A man died in Kansas City sevsnl
weeks ago whose life had been . weary
onc--and, maybe, harder than he could
bear--for 10 those who know him there
were . few hints of brief death struggle
that was not nstaraL 81 .ttl - t.ss
George r. was born in Kentucky
and came to Cooper County, Missouri at
the age of sixteen. This was in 1883,
Soon his parents died, and he wa len
alone and pcnnilesa. In 1856 be went to
Calfornis, entered the mines with the
ssst Of boy, workod hard, was success
ful, bought land near Sacramento City
and soon became rich and prosperous
man. In 1858 hc met the woman who,
through no fault ofhis, was 20 exert such
sad influence upon his after lie. This
woman was said 70 be bsaptifuk aceomy
plishsd, pure and loveablc. r. mst
her, was fascinated, proposed, and ast
result, m engagement followed. TAs
wedding day had been suggested u Il hAd
not been decided upon. aud for one brief
month the sun OF happiness shone out
solacingly before the clouds closed over
it forever.
Preceding tire wedding II beeame neg
essary FOR r. to return to the miues
to arrange some business there, claiming
his immediate attention. lie went, be-
came involved in quarrel with annan he
had never seen, was attacked, and, 10 save
his own life, killed his antagonist Tho
dead man was his intended . brother. lie
did not know it then, nor until his trial
was over, nor until after he went again
to Sacramento to see all that he had ever
| known or loved. t4 ses tsA :"
1t was not necessary 10 depict the In.
terview tue terrible remorse on one side,
the frenzied reproach and regrets on she
other. At last the sister grew frightfully
calm-so calm, indeed, that she told "
her brother; how he had left home at the
arst news Of tlic gold discovery; how he
had not written; how Wild stories had
come back OF his rscklcssness and histlis-
sipation; and at last the dreadful day
when he lay dead ct the feet other lover,
Rs grief was no less bitter than thst
Of the stricken sister, and so when she
said to him; II will love you till | die
but will never marry you on this earth
because my brothers blood II on ysur
hands" lie sold out everything hs
owned in California, and came bsek to
Missouri, first pledging to each ether that
they would correspond 40 regularly ~
the condition ofthe mails then psrmittsd.
She wrote epce and no moro. Ina
month following her first letter she, too,
bad gone to join her brother In the eter,
nal world. This second blow fell heavier
than the first, for tho poor man had some
hope while the woman lived. Now he
was alone forever. sa s.g lssg8. ssa
Presently the war came aud R. On,
listed In the Confederate army. In thc
hot charge made upon the Graveyard
Fort, at the battle OF Helena, Arkansas,
a minnie bullet passed through both OF
Re cheeks and cut his tongue evenly
off about midway its leugth. After that
he never spoke an Ineligible wori again,
Indeed, he cared very little to speak. III
subsequent battles he tried hard TO throw
his life away, and was notcd.in his CON-
mand for the most reckless audacity. At
Jenkins Ferry it seemed ~ il be would
get what he most desired, for he was bad
ly shot in the head, the skull being frac-
tured and the brain exposed. He reeov,
cred insomuch that the wound healed,
but the poor tried man had c0nvulsions
until he died. 1t is supposed that these
commissions impaired his mind to Ger.
tain extent, for he frequently declared he
saw the face Of the woman whom he once
loved-thc face OF the woman whose
memory had never left him during oil the
bittor and sorrowful yesrs of his life
Kansas City, NO., TiMSs.soe nnsf qg!a