Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-09-13

naackay and several others known 10 the
"oIiu as money and commerce kInvs Al
~, ne wound up his reel Of Storytelling
anu giving me a pressing invitation ~
yylne out 70 his place on the following
tuesday, he srotted on an Indian lone tnr
MS nome. wondered why he did moi
oilng saddle-horse, but attributed ~
absence to his eccentricity. went hact
70 my Ofilce fun OF the thought Of ,lsIt
ana procured man TO relieve me for a
rev days On Tuesday morning 1 awoke
early, as ! expected my relief on the 4
O'Clock train. | slept In the depot ana
as turned out OF my cot | saw piece Of
paper sticking under the door. II was
not there when retired. l picked Il mn.
ana In an almost illegible scrawl, | read
Please don't come TO dav. NV Dauter IA.
got the smallpox. Your true friend, ''''
LoMAx.
DEATH or LOalAx.
never saw Jack again, but ten wears
from that time | accepted an Invitation
IRON MI Charles S. Fee, general passen.
ger agent OF the Northern Pacific road. 10
take trip over the road and write some
letters on the trip. | stopped OF at Mat.
icy Tor one train, where | found a very
gratifying change from what Il was when
was station agent there. Then there
was depot and section house one mile
away now churches, schools, stores and
pretty cottages were seen on all sides.
Inc notel-keeper, whose heart was as bic
as Bristol barrel, hitchod up a fast nag
70 blackboard and took me for drive,
While Eliminating over the changes of ten
years, thought of Lying Jack flashed
through my mind. "Did you ever hear OF
man called Lying Jackgn / asked,
"Should say had" he replied. apn
drive you out to his grave. He's dead
you know"
didn't know II, and, to tell the truth.
was surprised to hear II, for called to
mind the old saw, "the good die young, -
and from the load of iniqmty Jack had
heaped on his shoulders, | thought he
ought to live to ripe old age. A half.
hours drive brought us TO "shakeu
house almost ready to fall to pieces
This is Jacks home, and he lies buried
IN the middle of the floori you can see the
mound and headstone through the door"
said my guide.
Sc could. A mound Of earth with
board headstone. We entered the hut.
Shades Of orty-thousand-acre farm,
where did Jack entertain his distinguished
guestsI Where did the California heiress
while away the tedium Of farm visit?
Alas, poor jack On the board was an
inscription which read: "John Sanford
Chetwynder. Born IN oxford, England
Died In Matley, Minnesota, December,
1879" This was all.
"TheY found him frozen after fearful
blizzard He was probably dead several
days before he was discovered.
LFE's ROMANCE.
ain an old candle box we found pack.
age Of letters that gave us his name and
birthplace; also picture on porcelain Of
a handsome woman. This was all and we
buried them with him. The day before
the blizzard he was in town telliDg about
a man who visited him and informed him
that he was heir to untold wealth In Eng
land. Itmay be true and 1t may not.
and the postmaster have written to
England and expect an answer sometime,
though it has been years coming"
Last October passed through Matley
again and was fortunate enough to espy
my hotel friend on the platform. Refresh
ing his memory asked If he had heard
from Lying Jacks people. He replied,
"Nary word"
John Sanford Chetwynder, John Lomax
or Lying Jack went to his death with a
romance, and believe an eventful his
tory locked in his frozen breast. He was
a man who had voluntarily ostracised him
self from the world, and existing on game
and what he could buy with the products
of his traps. A harmless hermit, who
believed in his own lies as religiously as
he did the secrets OF his life forever kept
sealed within his breast. FEN.