Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-07-05
Washington Letter
guar Correspondent


local celebrity than Frank K. Ward, f
the dairyman, who now languishes in
jail charged with murder. Fourteen F
years ago Ward drove a wagon at +
tached to the Signal Service, and on t
his rounds became enamored of the /
milk business. The capital required
to buy one outfit was small and it was /
only a question of a little adroit fnan- /
cling to secure it. The merry milk /
man was only in business a few
months when the severaI-miIIionaire /
philanthroplst w w. CorcOran no
ticed his attentive business energy
and encouraged him to put forth
stronger efforts. It was the recon
structiOn period in the history Of
Washington business. Old houses /
were vanishing and new ones coming
/ to the front. No one was surprised
then when Frank K Ward bought
two new wagons and established him
self in headquarters. The COrcoran
money had again been taxed to assist
a worthy man. For the next three or
four years the growth was phenomi-
nal Ward was not even contented
to allow his headquarters to remain
merely a repository or distributing
point for his half hundred wagons.
He fitted up in one part of the build
ing a lunch room. The furnishing
was pretty and the food palatable to
the large class that like pie and milk.
The venture so succeeded that one af-
ter another branches were opened
about town, until Words trade mark.
''AlderneY," appeared on dozen
neat places about town. These rooms
were all similarly fitted, wicker furn-
iture, polished floors, ornamental
scales for weighing yourself, music
boxes, flowers, and canaries in brass
cages. Everything was scrupulOusly
clean Frank K Ward had the re-
spect of everyone. His luck became
proverblal. When he generously gave
a valuable horse and buggy to a char
table fair to be ratified off, everyone
was glad that he was the lucky mau
to draw it. Everything might have
gone on swimmingly to the end Of
life if Ward had not one failing. He
was not a gentleman. His name at
the bank was good for many thous-
ands of dollars, and when his old
-, R-,A~- Cso-.,.-,,.-,,, ISoJ Nh AL
retained his respect and confidence.
: He belonged to the Masonic fratern-
itY and many will remember that he
distributed milk, sweet and seeming
Iy pure, at the San Francisco con-
clave, that had been put in cans at
Washington five days before OF
course, it must have been heavily
. drugged, but it was a surprise to the
Californians. At every charitable
bazaar and at the fairs of the crack
local military organizations he was
foremost in contributing, and from
whatever impulse the giving comes
l people warm toward generous souls.
But Ward loved notriety, thIrsted for
it. He was noisy in his attempts to
impress every person he met with his
Importance. Neglect was death to
him. Now, to be constantly the cen
d traI figure in any legitimate social
+. cast in Washington is nearly impOs-
sible, for the city is for the greater
portion Of the year the rendezvous Of
the most important persons in every
line of life. So Ward sought the so
ciaI out casts, and became a great
character among the sporting class
He hobnobbed with cheap actors and
''tin-horn'' gamblers. Often in the
saloon in which he this week commit
ted murder, he was wont to throw
pennies at crack in the floor for S1O(
toss. He never drank anything buf
wine, and his diamonds were mounted
?. and worn strictly in the approved
gambling style. Lacking mental re
q sources outside Of his business and
being as genuine a yulgaTlan as eve
lived, he sought relaxation In stupid
alleged Jokes. He would astonisl
some weak bar room ghost by taking
of his old plug hat and jumping OF
it and then giving the physical Wrecl
five or ten dollars with which to bu.
a new one. His associates include,
,, a Brooklyn congressman with sport
ing proclivities, and In time a running