Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1891-08-21
HE BURNED MONEY.

| I fNHlii iAiN ANiNaiil q ittftAs
What stories can be told Of carly
Arizonal Days when everything wa,
dear but mans life When ther,
were no smaller denominations oil
money than quarters and the expires.
ON q packages from San Diego was sls
Then it was that Indians made q
mans llic as nothing, and the soldierJ
were the bulk Of the white population
A week ago the Citizen readers saw
p paragraph reading: 'Letters of adj
ministraton have been granted G. j
Philips in the estate Of Dewitt G
Thompson, by the probate court.
/ Lettorso Of administration ia The estat,
of Dewitt O. Thompson And who +.
Dewitt G Thompson, and was the os
tate valuable one?1 A natural ques
tion, but indicating one who has not
merited the long earned title of "old
timers" No old Arlzonan would ask
that question. Dewitt @. Thompson,
or as he was best known, Clint.
Thompson, was a man with a career
hardly paralleled even in Arizona.
Beginning with the end, his estate
was almost no estate, and he died a
poor man at Orc Blanche two weeks
ago.
In 1858 the palmy days Of the terri
tory were at their zenith, and Clint
Thompson was one of the territorys
great lords of creation. lie lived on
the fatof the land, and enjoyed life to
the limit of the circumstances of
those days. Sam Drachman tells that
one very warm day Clint Thompson
walked into his stores dressed in the
coolest-a shirt and a pair Of linen
pants. The very natural theme ofthe
weather vas discussed as Thompson
stood wlpinS the perspiration that
almost Blinded him. "Sam give me a
cigar, he said, and took money from
his pants pocket. 1t was in bills, loose
lives and tens, and they were of course
very moist. CAB, they are nasty!s
said he in tones of disgust, and
deliberately tore the handful to tat
ters and threw them away. "Don't
man, don't!r said Draohman. "You'n
SEQ t,,e d,, von,,l vant tbas p,opoy :,
Heres more Of ltand it's nasty too
was the only reply, and another $50 or
SO followed The drst
'sYes. Iremember him weIf.n said
z w mar q pure IIaYanas. "fie did
NC TO see my words come true, and
Tor years l would have gladly helped
iiin' had ne asked 1t. lie was poor
enough 10 hiSlaat days. lie made his
money ltom army contracts. and those
were the days when the army people
almost begged for supplies. Prices?
Yes inceed' IN 1886 some Of the
posI9 paid as high as p cents pound
lor barley Inc beginning Of Thomp
sons downfall was on barley deal
ne mad 5000 worth OF barley in his
Naih' that he had raised IN the Flor
ehee region' ana Col Head came to
hil ih ms arm chalr and offered him
'ouf cents a pounus lor the crop. No
you can't nave IL for that said
Ltompsoh ana he learned to a more
coniiof1a1ie att'tgde. u want four
ana a nan cents Tor That barley or /
won sen IT, And he didn't sell IT,
Il ifs1 the cohohel would pay but four
ceAI5' anu later came orders for the
removal OF the garrison. This meant
10 llarAeO iof Ihe barley and nos25, eco
OF thompson. All anxiety on his
part was kindly removed by the
wee'ils Neich got IN the bins and de-
'vloS Gu lne Whoie'
uose WOODS also remembers
thompson ne has seen the man
-'slV many d cigarette with a i've dol
iar OH or perhaps a ten, and walk Of. !
Often he threw aw9v mnnev fo coo
others scramble for it.
During bis years Of poverty Thomp- !
sons aim was to recover claim Of |
7o0OO for damages from lndian depre-
Isf fFtft q D l.