The Rock Island Argus., 1884-06-11
ABE BUFORD DEAD.
The Noted Kentuckian Takes Arms
Against Sea of Troubles,
And Ends Them for This world and
Himself-The Ready Revolver
Brings ObliVIOn-Sketch of
aRemark able Career.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind June l. The famous
Bnforgl family, of Kentucky, has furnished
another startling sensation, this time in the
suicide of Gen Abe Buford at Danville, a
town twenty miles west of here. Gen. Buford
has been an occasional attendant upon the
the races at t. at place, where the horse spirit
is largely predominant. He was guest
on these occasions of his nephew, Ben
jamin T. Buford, man Of some means.
Heretofore the generals visits have been
marked by great joviality, and he was q
welcome visitor on all hands This time,
however, it was noticed that he was despond.
ent, and he appeared gloomy and distressed.
This deepened percephbly after he had
read i'll Sunday paper an ar
ticle copied from Louisville pub
lication commenting ON the yolun-
tary return of bis brother. Tom
Buford, the slayer of Judge Elliott, of the
Kentucky court of appeals, financial and
physical wreck, to the Anchorage insane
hospital, in Kentucky. The article referred
to the decadence of the Buford family, and
also spose of the generals loss of fortune.
After breakfast he retired to his room,
whence soon came the report of a pistol
The general was found dead with a bullet
through his heart. Death was instantaneous.
The following letters were found, which ex-
plain the cause of the act:
B. T. BUFoRD-DEAR SIR: Be not af-
frig ghtened. l have no home to go to, and
prefer death to any further struggle with
life. My cross is too heavy; | can't keep it
out of the dust Send my body to my
hrofbaY~ T II pufor1 a,J
may God have mercy on my bewildered
soul. My troubles and those of my unfortun,
ate brother Tom have driven me mad
A. BUFORD.
Besides this letter, was the following scrib
bled on bit of paper:
My financial troubles have driven me tc
despair. Have lest my only chance to retrieve
my unfortunate brother and self, and the
future is too dark for me to struggle against
any further. l want my body sent TO Lex
ington, KY. My friends there will put il
away alongside of my dear wife and boy
Peace to all the world, and may God bav9
mercy on my troubled soul. A. BUFoRD.
Abraham Buford WINS born Jan. Is, 1890
in Woodford county, Kentucky. He was the
son of William Buford, native of CulpepeI
county, Virginia, who married Harriet
Walker Kirtley, member of this distin,
guished families of Crutcher and Kirtley, and
removed to this state in 1900, settling in
Woodford county. He was soon the most
famous raiser of blooded stock in the state
and won much reputation by paying $40, 00O
for the horse Medoc Mr.. William Buford
had family of twelve children, of whom
Abraham was the sixth. In his you'll
the latter received his early education from
Verple Payne, teacher of some note, and
then went to Center college. He subse
quently received an appointment to the
West Point academy, and graduated in lS4l
with such men as Gen. D. C. Buell., W. S
Hancock, e. B. Tower, H. @. Wright, A. R
Rowe, and Gen. Redman. He was assigned
to the cavalry as second lieutenant of dra
goons in May, 1912, and served on tn,
frontier under Capt Nathaniel Boone. Ii
1646 he became first lieutenant. He partici
| pated bravely in the Mexican war
and was breveted captain for ga
liant services at Buena Vista HI
became captain on July Is, 1858 TIL
next year be retired from service. Soon afte
he purchased his celebrated farm Bosqut
Bonita, in Woodford county, and took t
| raising blooded stock both horses and cattle
| When the civil war broke out he, wit
much reluctance to leave the union, cast hi
lot with the southern states, and in 1868 wa
commissioned brigadier general in the Cor
| federate army. His command covere
Bragg's retreat TO Knoxville. He was then
Loring's division till the spring of 1854, whel
he organized a new brigade, with the Third
Seventh and Eighth Kentucky cav
airy, and went to Forests con
mand He took part in the numeror
raids and engagements. In December, 1St
he was desperately wounded at Lindville an
could not rejoin his men for several months
On May 6, 1865, he surrendered at Gain
vile, Ala.
After the war he came back to his farm
!, where he raised some of the greatest hors
ever known to the turf or the stud, amor
them such animals as Grassland, Nellie Ora
Helena, Inquirer, Hollywood, Marion, We
sailles, McWhirter, and Goodnight Ge
Buford's connection with the turf is WE
remembered. He was one of ii
most upright of turfmen, and w
also noted for the intense enthusias
with which he greeted the victory
any of his horses Those who saw hi
weeping over McWhirter and hugging l.
VI
} while racing at the st. Louis track, W
never forget the incident. But the genera
good luck turned, and the misfortunes of /
family, chief among them the killing
Judge Elliott by Tom Buford, affected hi
. both mentally and pecuniarily. About thr
years ago the general was forced to sell
farm to satisfy his creditors. Since then
has been living most Of the time In Lou
VILE Of late he has been corresponds
for several sporting papers, The Turf, Re
i and Gun, and Dunton's Spirit of the Turf.
: When the Evangelist Barnes was here t
q general became a convert under his preac
ing, and the singular lectures which the &c
eral delivered, striving to reconcile Il
:, church and the turf, excited much commen
The ideagrew TO hobby with him, and he {
emplified it in every way, even having on
business letter-heads the motto: "A Libel
Church and an Honest Turf" He died
n member of the Episcopal church. He "
5 singularly mild and amiable in dispositio
: and of commanding physique.