San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-09-17

left here to visit other portions OF
the county, leaving his roll OF papers
with Mr.. Mitchell, and never return
ed. Mr.. Mitchell stated that he
heard that he had over taxed himself
in walking on hot day, and died
somewhere about Mountain City, just
where no could not remember He
referred us 10 w. w. Haupt Esq,
who, though not recollecting any.
thing OF tho matter himself, kindly
took an interest in obtaining the facts
OF his death, which no gives in the
following note, which we received
only q fow days since
Mr.. Washington died at Mr.. ]. u.
Barton on the day Of the second
over.Aow--the 10th of October, 1870,
He came 10 Mr.. BIS from Dripping
Springs and wanted to stay all night,
which he did. The next morning he
got up, went out and washed and
and went back in his room and was
heard to fall. He was assisted from
the floor to the bed, but never spoke
after any word that could be under
stood and died that evening.
Ira M. Breedloye, DR.. r. O. Man
love, who are now dead, also Mrs. II.
e. Barber of your town and Mr..
VIM. Mckinney, of Dupre were pres
ent. He had in his saddle.bags o
mattress needle, also razor, now in
possession of r. @. Barton of Man
chaca station also some letters, from
from which Mrs. Barber wrote to
daughter OF his in Virginia, but the
letter came back uncalled for. The
letters after several years were burn
ed. He had no money and was buried
by the countyin the Kyle graveyard.
For more particulars OF death in
ouire of Mrs. Barber and Mr.. Nc
Kinney.
Mr.. b. says IL may have been the
first overflow. fit was that occur
red on the 4th of July, 1869.
Respectfully.
w. w, HAUPT.
Mr.. Mitchell said that while Mr..
Washington was with him. he spoke
of extending his journey to Tuxpan.
Mexico, On hearing of his death,
Mr.. Mitchell thought of trying to
find his address in Virginia SO rs to
return the papers, but the subject
passed out of his memory. He left
the roll with Donaldson g. Co., last
spring. and we learned then that
Mai, Hutchison and Mr.. d, p. Bay
nolds, proposed to try and communi-
cate with the relatives or representa-"
tives of the deceased on the subject,
but are not advised as to whether
they did so.
Altogether it is O "strange event
full history" One cannot but wonder
that o man having such antecedents
should have chosen such mode Of
living in his latter days, for it could
scarcely have been necessity with
him. 1t may not be an unreasona-
BILE supposition, however, that hay
ing reared his family and being free
to do as he liked, he concluded to in
dulge an evidently natural love OF
travel. Another matter of wonder Is
that so far as appears, no inquiry
was ever made after him from his
home and friends, The fair inference
seems to be, that he failed to keep
them informed as to his movements
and the great probability is that they
have never to this day learned OF his
fate, We, however, intend sending
copies of this paper to other journals
of wide circulation in various sections
of the Union, which will no doubt
elicit notices from them, and some of
these notices can scarcely fail to
meet the eye of some surviving rela-
tive or friend of the deceased,
Not the least of the odd circum-
stances connected with this matter,
as it seems to us, is the fact that
more than forty years after we had
first read with so much interest the
proceedings of Congress copied on
our first page, we should have come
so close on the track, in these ends
of the earth, of the man who made
that historic presentation. 1t is not
a little pathetic to think of his plod-
ding on foot over this then wild re-
gion of magnificent distances" with
nothing but his roll of papers to pre-
vent his being stigmatised as a tramp,
where even these papers would be a
dead letter to the. no doubt, large