Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-01-04
WICHITA'S MILLIONAIRE.
How He Came, How He Lived and How He
Died.

sailing down our sunlit valley and into
Wichita a caravan OF canvas-covered
wagons, composed of nondescript vehicles,
drawn by ill-favored mules, scraggY po-
MES and unmatched horses of various de
grees and breeds, including pair of Grip
pied grays and bob-tailed bay, in the
latter's lineage there being seemingly but
the fewest links between him and his pro-
genator turned out of the ark to grass by
old Noah. Across the ends and on the
respective sides of each swaying, creaking
vehicle was painted in bold, black letters:
'DR. H. o. BURLEIGH, ECLECTIC, ELEC-
TRIO AND MAGNETIC PHYSICIAN" The
proprietor or captain Of this strange turn
out without ado the very next day bought
fine parcel of land adjoining the cor
porate limits of the city on the north, cor
rallied his chaises, diligences and other
four-wheeled wains, and became a neigh
Dor of the writer. and was buried last
Sunday. He has been all eight years study,
a never ending source of interest and of
curiosity, of annoyance and amusement,
day and night, winter and summer, al
most a decade, clean through. We have
written many obituaries, but we can't
write his. Peace to his ashes
As remarked, Dr. H. o. Burleigh I'M
hitched his assorted animals, reefed his
canvass, close down about the ends Of his
mysterious wagons and settled down,
right there, and then. as it were, became
one of us. The Transfers, unaccountably
one by one, as the days slipped by, disap-
peared, and the contents of the trucks and
pcrambulators were in the course of
weeks and months, transferred to barn on
the premises, including everything and all
save a Young and sweet-faced woman who
afterwards turned out to be the doctors
latest bride, together with one other lady
not older than herself, who afterwards
proved to be young widow, the new
brides step daughter-an heir of the doc
tors. These were domiciled in the house
Thereupon opened ND an amending chap
ter of absorbing details, of which the
world must die in Ignorance, unless we
should conclude to write a book some
time.
succeeding summer suns and winter
winds proved too much for them. They
alternately sweiled and shrunk, swayed
and Topped, until in the course of years
they have been lost sight of. Whether
they utterly collapsed, sank into the earth.
or by piece meals blew away. we never
did definitely determine OF all that in
congruous circus, which like the ancient
mariners albatross to the ship, clings to
the retina Of our mental vision, there now
remains only and alone the bob tailed
bay, or as our youngest hopeful puts it,
DIR. Burleigh's winter horse" having
reference, we suppose, to his ex-
tremely abbreviated fly manipulator.
Yet, the doctor in his everyday overalls
afforded striking contrast to his youth
full bride, that is as he ordinarily appeared
slashing around about through the tall
weeds surrounding his homestead in full
chase with his numeI Gus dogs after his
mules or hogs. 1t was different when he
occasionlly and suddenly, in response to
a professional CALL dressed up in his broad
cloth and topped out with his shiny plug
hat. At such times he appeared straight, |
ignified-graceful.B But underall and every
varying circumstance he was lively. He
cession in a drilling rain, and the mud |
knee deep. lie was full of life
was life itself, lie from that
glistening spot of barrenness at the apex
of his unkempt couture down to the MIN
BILE heels OF his never firing feet. No !
night was ever so dark or incltment, no |
dawn SO cheerless or forbidding that did |
not find him swinging his undoused glim
around and about those premises
After he had for brief day or so identi-
fed himself with the fortunes OF the Peer
ess Princess, the tendency or essence of
his idiosyncrasy commenced to make its ex-
stence perceptible The doctor was a
buyer He bought nything-everything.
He inaugurated this business by buying
geese, ducks, turkeys, etc, which
De turned loose 10 forage off his neighbor
md to supply the same with fresh eggs
)ought sway-back cows and razor-backed |
logs, bought thousands of tons of manure
bought two or three nurseries
outright and Ir2nspianted them Oh his
,lace in thick rows and left than to grow
nto tangled ruination; bought lots all
ver town, high priced and otherwise:
bought valuable suburban tracts all about
he outskirts; bought farms improved and
nimproved all over the county, and
ought them over in Butler and other adj
dining counties.
With all Of his buying our odd neighbor
lready and previously owned great pos ]
owned his fathers old homestead ,
own in Maine, Il ranch in Nebraska, farms
I Illinois, timber tracts in the lumber re- /
ions of Wisconsin. lots in San Francisco !
nd valuable buildings in Chicago-from
laine to California, a million and a half
dollars worth all told But, with all of !,
is buying he was something of a seller, ;
lso; nos OF lands-no he held 10 his real
state as chngs hope to heaven-he could {
OF let ii go; but, we mean, seller of I
ruc6 and such. He sold peas by the peck. q
erries by the lineup, pie-plant by the bar
wv, and eggs and onions by the pound I
o market these or any dozen or pound or !
int Of them was his especial delight 1t
Ieant business, accumulation. To do this
e invariably hitched up four horses 20 Il !
ng and wide hay-ricked wagon. Placing q
is filed measure between his feet, stand Y
g erect. his viserlesS cap drawn down a
FER the back of his head and his sleeves d
llled up 70 his elbows, he cracked his v