The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1882-12-14
.CHAMP, VAUGHN.
The shocking sfsry Of Hi. Dissipnsiss and
Dowsssii-New n Wreck in tae Denver Peer
House.

A xelLknOwn gambler this morning paid a negro
a dollar to wash the filth from a who was form
ed and fitted by nature 10 adOrn almost any exalted
station in life. The wreck that in the justice
court unmindfnl. uEeoDsrions of what going on
around him, was Champion Vaughn, and a mau who
could not have dyed deeper into dissipation than he
did without reaehia. hell itecf. IL is strange
that such man shvnd be picked from the gutter
and sent To the alGIs house. Many man has been
hustled into the PaEpri's wagon by misfortune;
Vaughn entered Il unaided save 10y hisown passions.
lie Is the embodiment OF tbs very antith-sis of the
whom Hamlet lonserl to wear in his heart Of
hearts" Last night Vaughn went to the city Jail and
begged lodging. The iailuT pitied him and put him
in the clranest cell he had and unlocked the door
him this morning. Two hours later he was picked
ont of the gutter Police Magistrate Sopris ordered
that he be taken to the aims house hospital The
men who lifted this wreck of man into n convey
feared that all life would forsake the shell b,-
sore their destination was reached.
Vaughn las been brought to this straight by his
passions. Thrrc not grain Of morality to
leayen his animal disposition. lie knew restraint.
and stopped in his career only when hiss brute mt
turc. strong az II was, refnsed to carry him further
Vaughn comes of family. whose name is infuen-
tial and respected in Lcavenworih. Kansas, where
the pOor fellow who trrml,les the verge Of u
dshunorabie death, came into the world He is, or
rather WIS when he could he called man, endowed
with hig BRAIN perfect health. constitution of iron,
aud high animal spirits. lie given II fine educa-
tion which, with his natural talents. made him a
far above his i-llows. He iirst came to Dru-
yer in 1853. accompanying government exploring
party pspon,leut for an eastern paper lie re-
Kansas to enter the army. lie served with
distinction and is said that 10 have risen the rank
of general. Whether the title earned not
cHnnOt be stated. hut il is certain that there
never WAS man who claimed title who demanded
that ii should Ice always tackled to his name more
punrtilioasy than he did, II possible that his
life wroasht his ruin lie the very incaI nation of
\ reckless, adventurous officer He wOuld stop at
nothing, ami was always followed by.a crowd of adj
nrcrs who seemed to be fascinated by his dash aud
animal spirits. No could drink more. stand
carousns or fafgue. tell better story than
he could. Between the time the war ended aud that
at which Vaughn returned 10 Denver nothing is
known of his life. Dissipation had ALREADY begun
its inroahs ON his brain and constitution when he
Tribune. which WAS then owned by MIR. Henry e.
Brown. lie had some jonrnaliiiic ability hut he
lacked the moral force and Judgement TO succeed:
aud when he left the Tribune IL much of IA
wreck a newspaper Ms lie Is as a man now. That
was in lao. Since that time Vaughn has not earned
"A cent. except Wliat given him by the temper
ance people, whose cIuse he cxpOunded during the
Murphy crusade. lie bcdeckvd himself with blue
ribbons, painting tn his wasted framc terri
bic example of IutrmperanGc. Whether not he
was s:rcerc in his reform no one knows. At any
rate he continued to eat opium, and by its aid got
$ drunk whisky could make him. For the past
five years he has suhsstsd chiefly of the sporting
frlternaty. The gamblers and out-cast women. with
whom he was great iaNoritr, have opened their
purses al bis call. Ii is believed that he has been
m0re of Il morphine eater than drunkarul. When
lifted from the gutter to-day half filled bottle of
morphine found in his pocket. lie is thought to
he about forty hve years old and it is said that he
has wife in Milwaukee. There never q man
who deeper into the del tbs of vicious dssipa-
ton than this unfortunate Champion Vaughn has
gone.-Iearsr Times, Oct, l3.