Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-12-15
A KING AMONG HOGS
HOME LIFE OF BARNES GREELEY,
The GREAT EDITORS BROTHER.

A Perfect Picture of Contentment-Happy
with His Pigs and Chickens-ikes
Neither Water Nor whiskz-A Failure
at City Life.
People driving out of Cory, five miles over
The border into Warren county, come TO the
small village Of Columbus and there pass
large frame farm house the doors and win
dows Of which are always wide open in warm
weather
The floors are uncarpeted, and pigs, chick
ems and ducks wander in and out Of the
building at will
The tenant himself, a tall man, white
haired, and quaint in appearance. who is
now nearly 90 years Of age, may frequently,
on a sunny afternoon, be seen stretched out
on the floor, his bare feet sticking out Of the
front door, with newspaper covering his
face to keep of the flies, in a sound sleep of
rural comfort and unsophisticated rest
This remarkable individual is Barnes
Greeley, the only brother Of the only Horace
Greeley. who for sixty-fve years has lived
On this farm, and is the last surviving
member of his family
When Barnes Greeley is awake his many
eccentricities, his unfailing good nature, his
abundant lberality, as well as his intelli-
gence and warmhearted friendliness, which
are well known and appreciated for miles
around, make him favorite with his neigh
bors. His friends-and, by the way, be does
not seem to have an enemy-tell many kindly
anecdotes Of this remarkable old man and
his many peculiarities
The farm on which be lives is large and
fertile one and would long ago have made q
thriftier man independently rich, but Mr.
Greeley seems to care to make only living
out of it and is happy and content in the
familiar company Of his pigs and poultry, of
which he is very fond.
TIE EDITOR POOR SPORTSMAN.
Many years ago, when Horace Greeley and
Barnes were boys together on the farm,
which was then in very wild district, and
years before Cory became the prosperous
place it now is, the former, who had gone to
the east to seek the fame and fortune he
achieved and was learning the printers
trade, would come for vacation, and the
two would go off fishing and hunting to-
gether. The printers apprentice then, &C
cording to his brother, was as awkward in
thu forest as Barnes was in parlor.
Horace never bad any luck with his rod or
his gun. He never got a bite in the trout
to mention wild rabbit.
Barnes, however, was fine sportsman and
usually came home well provided with game
or fish, frequently bringing down an antlered
buck or doe.
Even in those days Horace was full Of
ambition, and in their lonely tramps through
the woods would unfold his bright schemes
TO attain future greatness. His sympathetic
- l.<$a
confded to him. and always encouraged their
Indulgence, although he admits now he had
but small faith in their realization.
Horace never forgot this kindly encourage
ment, and when he became great New York
editor he remembered his homely and I'M
couth brother in the backwoods He sent for
Barnes to come to the metropolis and offered
him various positions He made him his
travelling agent and then gave him an edi-
torial chair to fill; but he could not fill that
or any other place he would accept, and SO
be went back to his farm. He says today of
his metropolitan experience:
II returned because / preferred to be a
king among hogs rather than a hog among
kings"
And he has been literally ever since "a
king among hogs" and chickens, and turkeys
and ducks, for they are his preferred COM
panions
To see Barnes Greeley at his home, slovenly
as he is in dress and appearance, one can &C
count for, as q family characteristic, the
carelessneSs in dress of his brother Horace,
which has often been commented on and at
tributed to the small weaknesses and studied
alterations OF great man.
KILLING A FELON WITH WHISKY.
Barnes is Numerically opposed to two
well. and favorably known liquids, whisky
and water, whether they be- used separately
or in conjunction. He attributes his long
continued excellent health to the fact that he
never used whisky to excess, except in one
instance and has always been very moderate
in his use of water, it may be said, both in
ternally and externally.
Water, he claims, when taken into the sys-
tenn immoderately, is fully as injurious as
bad whisky and ought to be equally avoided.
He has very decided views on the liquor
question, and is strong Prohibitionist
Free whisky or no whisky" is his doctrine.
Mr.. Greeley tells a good story on himself
of the only time he ever tasted whisky. On
that occasion he deliberately got beastly
drunk. He had, it appears, big felon on
his finger that panied him so he was unable
to sleep for three nights. Somebody recon-
mended whisky, and he accordingly went TO
Cory and resorted to it with unstinted free
dom.
II didn't Like the taste Of the stuff he
says, "but l was bound to get drunk, SO
kept on drinking until was oblivious They
put me to bed and came very near turning
UP my toes, but cured the felon and if
ever get another Til do the same thing over
again. I would drink a barrel TO cure
felon."
Although he is remarkably quick witted
and intelligent for his age, Mr.. Greeley often
asserts that he is approaching second child
ishneSs, and ne has carefully calculated his
rate Of retrogression-
When be was dfty-five he could remember
contemporary facts and occurrences very
easily. Ten years later events Of previous
times kept uppermost in his mind At pres
ent be can recall the period Of early man
hood better than any other in his life
In Eve years more the memories Of youth,
according to his calculation, will be clearest,
and then those Of childhood, until in fifteen
or twenty years, il he should live so long, his
memory viii be completely blurred
Mr. Greeley still regards and speaks Of the
ability of his brother with unalloyed admira-
tion.-New York Journal.