The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1882-02-16
"a White B1ack Man

"a White Black Man.
Finder this Iira,,ine PRINTS, of tie Atehison
,,1cu,ios. writes an article very complimentary
10 onr old friend, David Ware, janitoF oil 'he
s,,tc Hnus.. az Topeka. We have always con-
s,,,ered Dave under our special protection. l"
an aeouaintanee of twenty years. there mas oeen
. ,iiFFercuce between only once, and tha' was
.;,onf the pittance of an extra five rents. bu'
w. have never laid ihis up against Dave. we
make it A point never 10 forget this circumstance
.;,,nIv 10 show that we do not allow triies 10
mar a long friendship. But we aFc "hhuerhs
,run, the point What we started out to do was
20 endorse Prrniis' estimate Of Dawes honesty
,nd IA illustrate it by little rrniniseenee
Oar first introduction TO Topeka was one fear
fully cold evening in the early part Of January,
I.i2 after long days stage ride froin Atehison,
in company with Bro. Higgins, Of fPottawatome,
who. on the way. empiied our bottle OF choice
brandy that John Nor,nil- had given us, at the
old Massasoit House, 10 warm Us mp on the way.
The State officers then occupied the old Rifchie
RIock DutiOn, who was acting State treasurer,
had fixed MP prominent and snug ropnI in the
second story of that building, for the accoEnmo-
dation Of four Of H.. Tnis room was located over
the room occupied by the Auditor and Treasurer
of State. between the rooms of the Governor and
the Secretary Of State, and under the old Tribune
ogsce. This is net necessary to the story, but We
mention 1t l,ecau>e il occurs 10 our mind. Tins
room was dedicated TO the use Of ourself and
poor Joel Kelsey, Of Hiawatha, Judge kingman
and bunker preacher from Hiawaiha. named
Barnett Dntton also informed the party that
81 To nutr
room, and TO washing, if we wished: that
he was employed about the State offices, and was
Trustworthy. That eolored man appeared early
next morning, to sweep the room and make the
beds. il was David Ware, who began his servi-
ces in the State Offices with the commencement
of the State Government.
There had been, for the year during which
Kansas had been State. no money in the State
Treasury. All officers had been paid in scrip,
which they were compelled TO sell 10 specnlatOrs
at ruinous discount. But at the date of cur
story, tie Treasury was flush, for the first time.
The money had arrived for which the State
bonds had been sold. for which transaction poor
Auditor Iiillyer and Secretary Robinson were
iInpeached, and an attempt was made to imPeaeh
Governor Robinson, but failed. This money was
all Greenbacks o; the first issue, known as ''de-
mand notes." payable on demand, In gold. One
Of the first acts OF the Legislature was as usual,
to appropriate money for the services OF the
members, and for State officers. Judge kingman
was among the first to draw the amount due him,
amounting, we believe. to some $500 or SlSOO.
The Judge was poor and needy, aud was mighty
proud of that money. II WAS perhaps the largest
l.. LII -, I.b bal in Eat,-
sa,. lie counted over and over and smellcd of it,
(for the ink was fresh and sticky, and gave forth
pleasant odor.) He calculated how he would
pay debts with it, and jofed about what a sur
prise il wonld be to Barnett and others at Hia-
watha, who had loaned him money and given
him credit, never expecting 10 get a cent of If.
We room-mates twitted him good deal over his
boyish clation. and told him somebody would
rob him yet, if he did not look sharp. At bed
time, lie wrapped his pile of grecnbacks in pa
per, and placed it securely under his pillow.
Next morning. three of us got out before the
Judge, and went down to Stewards, (tho old
Topeka House, for breakfast. few minutes
after we were seated, the Judge came in, and
took seat on the opposite side Of the table.
Presently his treasure occurred TO us, and we
observed to him: Judge. Of course You did not
forget your packaGe'-supposing he had it snug-
ly in his pocket. Without answering word, he
dropped his knife and fork, and bulged Gnt Of
the diniug-ro Then We knew that he had
slept off all remembrance of his money, and had
left it under his pillow. The rest of the story
the Judge fold, afterwards. lie hasiened to the
room at full speed, and there found Dave, whu
had already made the bed, and was sweeping.
Not wishing to show his anxioty, he assumed ali
unconcerned air, and went TO lighting his pipe.
Presently Dave spoke up-(in those days, he al
ways called the Judge .'Mr. Kingdom y" Mr.
Kingdom, them's mighty quare kind Of kyaTls
you keep under your pillor. Do You always
sleep with them things under your head: lIa,
he, he!'' This was opportunity for the Judge
to express his surprise at having forgotten the
package, and to go and get it. Bat his anxiety
was now as great TO know whether the money
was all there; but TO proceed TO count it before
Dave, would show that he distTusted him, and
would hurt his feelings. He waited until proper
time, when he counted it. and found every dollar
there.
The temptation to run in side "reminiscences
has spun out this story longer than we intended I;
but many a man, white or black, in the same
situation as Dave was, would have slid the mon
ey away, and left the bed unmade; and then
there would have been nothing TO prove that the
theft was not committed by some prowler about
the bulding-as persons were constantly circu-
lating through all parts of it.