The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-06-19
WI. A. MCDONALD DEAD.

Yesterday telephone message from
Wellington to the EAGLE brought the
startling aud sad intelligence of the sud-
den death there at 7:30 in the morning of
William A. Mcdonald. He arose early as
usual and after breakfast laid down on his
bed to read an interesting magazine article
which attracted his attention. Shortly
after lying down his wife had occasion to
go into the ROOM when. to her horror. she
found her husband dead. Heart failure
was the cause of his demise.
The death of Judge Mcdonald removes
from Wellington one of its olders, truest
noblest, bravest and most scholarly
citizens. He was a gentleman of
remarkable brain power and heart beat
in his breast that was as tender as that of a
woman. Under different circumstance
than those which surrounded his latter
years he would have become one of the
great men of the country. He was a brave
man, too, and never suffered himself to be
run over by anybody. After the war; at
the age of twenty-three he was appointed
receiver of the land office at Huntsville,
Alabama. by President Grant. He went
into the Union army as u boy and served
through the war, and of course when
he went to Alabama he was
handicapped by the sentiments of the peo-
pie entertained towards ex-Union soldiers
He was insulted one day and he resented
1t and from that day on he was marked
man by an element of people in that sec
ton of the country, who practically were
outlaws, The feud went from bad to worse
until finally it reached point where the
opposition had sworn to kill him One
night while returning to Huntsville on
horseback from long journey he met a
body of these outlaws who were
lying in wait for him. He saw at
gance the situation he was in and
prepared himself accordingly. They halted
him and asked who he was, and he boldly
said: William A. Mcdonald of Hunts
vile, Ala, " at the same time drawing his
revolver and charging through the party,
which he completely put to flight, not
giving them time to prepare themselves
This added fuel to the flames, and the war
was kept I'D. 1t led to duel and his
adversary bit the dust.
This, of course, sealed Mr. McDonald's
career in Alabama, for hundred desper-
ate men were laying in ambush for to kill
him on sight. He settled up his business
End came west. After few years
travelling about he settled in Wellington,
in 1915 and has lived there ever since. He
has always stood at the head of the bar in
Sumner county and was n success both as
civil and criminal lawyer. After coming
to Kansas he identified himself with the
Democratic party and was always its &C
knowledged leader in Sumner county.
until Cleveland began ve;oing pension
bills indiScriminately, when he went over
to the Republican party. He was never
an office seeker, although ne held one or
two important official positions In Sumner
county He was an intense g.
A. r. man, aud was Judge
advocate general Of that organization
three or four years ago. He leaves wife
10 mourn his loss Mr.. Mcdonald was
liked by everybody as the world goes but
his intimate friends who knew the virtue
bt his heart mere than liked him. He was
a fine companion and exceedingly inter /
estiug as such for he possessed a tnnd OF /
knowledge and was not only scholarly bat !
otherwise refined in his conversation. 1
Wellington has lost probably her most /
gifted son