The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1874-02-07

DIED. Mt his residence In this clty, on
Wednesday afternoon, January 2S, 1874, Coz.
John h. Banks, aged fifty-seven years; ior-
mcrly of Webbervillc, in this state, but Tor
several years past II most worthy citizen oil
this clty.-lGnlveston News.
When glancing at the above an
nouncement in the Galveston News
our heart was stricken beyond Ian
gllage to express. In 1887 we first me;
the young, handsome, refined ana
high-toned JOHN BAILN BANKS in
New Orleans, then on his first visit to
Texas, while we were returning home
from a visit to "the States" We
crossed the gulf together in the brig
Sam Houston, we having an uncle,
Major Jones Kerr, the first pioneer
of Western TeXas), an invalid sister
and young lady cousin, just from the
convent of Cape Girardeau, Missouri,
with us. The prolonged voyage on the
gulf, with succession Of tornadoes
and the unusual severity of the wealth.
er, were well calculated to draw out
the true nature of every one on board
the tempest tossed vessel. Among
others on board was the widow of
Bailey Hardeman, one of the cabinet
of President Burnet in 1886, and after
wards the wife of General William
p. commonly known as "old Golch')
Hardeman. Among the rest were
Houston and two others (whose names
are at this moment forgottenl, who
were murdered by Mexican bandits
year or two later. The trip to us is
memorable.
From that day to this John B. Banks
has pursued a course of life to win the
esteem of all within his vicinage. he
first established rancho i'll jack
son county--afterward removed to
Washington county, where he married
one of the loveliest women it has ever
been our pleasure to know, who still
survives. About 1851 he purchased
the land known as Webber's prairie,
below Austin, and in 1853 beat the
Hon. A. j. Hamilton for the Legisla-
ture, in contest which excited all
Texas at the time, and during which
we, from another section, did all in our
power to aid him.
Since the war he sold his fine planta-
ton in Webber's prairie (Webbcrville)
and dmoved to Galveston, where, on our
first return from exile in 1869, he was the
first man to take us by the hand and
offer us q home in his house, but hardly
had done so when Ex-Governor Lub-
book, the late Judge Leslie A. Thomp-
son and other old friends did the
same.
The early settlement Of Texas was
fraught with innumerable incidents
worthy of record in the highest 10
nance. The whole career of John b.
Banks, a modest and unassuming man,
teens with illustrations of this fact.
We have known of acts by him, when
there were no newspapers in the coun-
try, which, if performed in towns or
cities where papers were established
institutions, would have ranked him
with the first philanthropists of this or
any other country. Their value, to us,
was always heightened by the fact
that there was neither editor, reporter
or interviewer to emblazon his good
deeds in print.
Years after knowing him so well,
we made the acquaintance of his
mother and sisters in st. Louis, Mis-
souri,, and then realized from whence
his noble characteristics came. But
we must close. His widow, his daugh'
ters and sons have our sympathies in
their great loss on earth, with the CON
ISOLATION of our faith that so good Q
man, husband, father and citizen was
never denied admission to heaven.