The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-05-21
OPULENT MEN OF COLOR.
STORIES or THE ROCKY NOUN
TAIN PIONEER NEGROES.

| EX-StaVeS Who Have k1Rde and Lost For
tunes in the West-Denver's First BOrr
PickRninny-A NeEress Who Was Wealthy
and Is Taking In Washing.
One Of the earliest negro pioneers in the fay
west was old Jim Beckwourth, the famous
negro scout, hunter and trapper. His name
Will 60 down in western history along with
such noted scouts as Kit Carson, Jim Bridger,
Bill Williams and others of the white race
! who were all famouson the cid time trails jim
| BeckwouTth came west from St Louis, and
spent several years among the Crow Indians.
The Crows q eatly admired BeGkwouTth FOR
bis courage aud proves in battle, for he often
assisted them In their WAITS with hostile tribes
and finally ne became great war chief among
the Crows
! On leaving the Crows Beczwourth came tc
Denver, where he and nis squAw resided for
SONS time. Here he had an alteration with
| Bin Payne, the pioneer negro blacksmith
whom Ben Halliday bad sent west TO shoe the
horses for the cid time pony express. After
filing Bill Payne's body with buckshot, aud
an acquittal in the courts, Beckwourth re-
turned to Wyoming, and later attended q
great feast of the Crows, to which ne and his
/
still living, and his ShoshORe sqaaw, were In
vited The Crow squaws put poison in his
| food, and thus died Jim BecSwourth, the
/ negro scout and adopted war chief OF the Grow
/ Indians.
| As Beckwourth refused to live with the
/ Grows they thought they could always have
his spirit with them if they poisoned him in
| their tribe at this great feast.
/ CAREER OF TWO MEN
| Edward J. Sanderhn, Denver's weaIthiest
! eolored barber, having arnassed a fortune Of
| 500 900, has rented his shop and retired
! from business He now devotes his time 10
collecting rents and looking after his ranches
and mining interests. he was a pioneer in
California, and was among the first 10 follow
the rush to Colorado In the Pixies Peak ex-
citeu1ent of 1853.
de is bright mulatto, and is the most
prominent of his race IN the Rocky noun
tainS He says his fathers name was Wilson
Sanderlin II think he came from Eng
land" said Edward j. Sanderlin, referring
to his father, and settled in North Carolina
He moved from that state to Shelby and
Montgomery counties, Tennessee, where he
owned large plantations He died leaving
an estate worth about a million dollars
There were two sets of children, one white,
and the other set by my mother, who was Of
mixed blood Thsre was a long contest in
the courts" continued SaDderlin, lover the
estate, which finally resulted in nv mothers
children receiving about $50, 900 each. did
not get my share until after l had made a
fortune in California. | was born in New
Orleans in 1886, and was educated at Gil
more's school, Cincinnati -
One Of Denver's richest negroes is Lewis
Price a real estate man, whose wealth is esti-
mated at from Sl50, 900 to 5000, COO He was
born a slave in Clay county, Mo, in lS49.
Some Of his people were owned by the Price
fanily, of Missouri, and hence ne bears the
same name as Sterling Price the famous Con-
federate general OF that state. When hardly
more than boy Lewis Price ran away from
his master Stolley Williams in Ray county,
Mo-, in 1863, and going TO st. Louis enlisted
In the union army, but was refused, SIS he
was too young.
SEVERAL WEALTHY TEGROES.
In August of that year be went with his
mother to Atchison, Kan From 1865 TIL
1867 he drove OK teams across the country
Then for ten years he ran laundry in Den
yer, Cheyenne and other points, saving sew
eral thousand dollars. He has made two
small fortunes prior 10 making bis present
great wealth. He lost ali he mad in 1880 in
Tne Denver Star, paper he started in Den
yer for the negro race. He came out So 900
In debt and quit journalism.
Some of the pioneer negroes are dead and
others are widely scattered throughout the
west. James c. Stiles, who was WITH Green
Russell and the Georgians who discovered
IN, - L.,
Montana. Jerry Dempsey, Seer, would
have become Leadville millionaire had he
not died before that great mining camp
reached the height of its prosperity Demp-
sey is said to have given $500 to the first
negro baby born in Leadville
The richest negro in the Rocky mountains
was B. L. Ford, who came to Denver from
Chicago in 1860 He built the Interocean
hotels in Denver and Cheyenne, and at one
time was worth $3.50 COO but lost it. Ford IS
witty fellow, aud is working up again lie
is now worth $4,000 Ford used 70 be bar
Der. Jerry Lee, Of Central, Colo, is pros
porous miner worth so, 900 or $50 600
soHE PIONEER NEGREssRs
The most famous as well as the first ne
gress in the Rocky noun tains was AUNT
Clara Brown" She is said to have been born
a slave in Virginia about the year 1890. She
was owned by Ambrose Smith, Of Virginia,
but when a child sac was taken 20 Kentucky
and later in life becams the property Of
George Brown, of RussellvilIe, and on his
death was given her freedom by his heirs. In
1865 she want 70 Leaven worth, Kan, and in
1859, when nearly co years Old, SIZE followed
the golt hunters to toe Rocky mountains
William Randolph, a well known negro
miner Of LssdviIle, Is said 70 have spent $50
900 on one trip 70 New York city. Mary
Randolph, a Ser, has had varied *
perieoce, ard is now tsl,irg IN washing, ana
investing her spare earnings in tEe HaineA
Mary Calvin, now Mrs, Houston, also a
'59er, has about S. go or IS 600 n PrcDsrtT.
An old coiored man named WaEoBne-, who
came west in 1850, Is worth about so 90
DR.. J. 2. Young, the pioneer Degrs phJg.ciSn
in Dcnver is row ssid - bs il Montana
Others Of negro pisDe@Fs are still nving 10
Colorado aud throughout the wesS Denver,
for her population has B1t e. negroes, yet
they have property estimate ~ worth 81
900 O0o Cor Csiczre News