The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-01-02
lie DROPPED DEAD
SUDDEN END OF a VETERAN WHO
FOUGHT AT BALAKLAVA.
Thomas Payne King was a Mystery
for Many Years-He is Supposed
to Have o Fortune Buried
Some mewhere-He Lived in
Peculiar Manner.
Thomas Payne King dropped dead yes

Thomas Payne King dropped dead yes
terday.
He died near the Rock Island depot and
the remains were Immediately taken 10
GilFs undertaking rooms
The coroner summoned jury, an in
quest WAS held and the verdict Was that
King came to his death from asthma and
organic heart disease"
King was one OF the peculiar characters
OF Wichita.
de obtained his living ostensibly by
fishing pieces of bread and scraps of meat
out OF swill barrels, in rear of hotels. He
seemingly never washed and there is
probably no man in town who can tell
where his habtation is located. II eou-
sequence OF this fact no information could
be obtained that would aid the coroaer ia
reaching certain facts concerning the
deceased
King was literary crank. He read
everything, particularly the foreign news
in the papers. When he received his
London Times weekly he would go out in
the woods. during the 6ne days. and read
it and if the weather was severe ha would
crawl into some den and read till every
Some who best new him say that be was
a man OF an extraordinary amount of in
formati on and that he had the faculty Of
| remembering everything he read. He has
lived ia Wichita for many years and has
always been mystery TO those who have
known him. Some said that he WAS a
rich ni;ser who owns considerable proper
ty III Chicago, Kansas City, Fort Scott
| aud Wichita. That be has property at
Fort Scott and in this city is we'll authen-
ticated, and besides an income from these
sources he received a pension every three
months that was adequate to keep him
decently.
In England he was an officer in the
| army and fought in the battle of Bala-
klava, being in the charge OF the light
| brigade on the 18th of October, 1851
Some say that he belonged to the aris-
tocracy of England, and that he sd crificed
his right to a title by some act Of his
committed while in the army-some
| breach of the etiqette that is required by
the social laws of England. At any rate
when the war of the rebellion broke out in
this country, he came to America,
| rendered his services TO the government
| at Washington and was put in charge Of
some depot where they drilled recruits for
the army. He afterwards joined some
| Illinois regiment, went through the war,
and was wounded three or four times.
One wound made him cripple for life.
and one limb was comparatively useless
ever siuce he left the army.
| 1t is not long while since he received
| from the government a large sum OF
| money in arrearages, and nobody has ever
known what became of this. The general
| opinion is that he has good deal of money
buried somewhere, aud If he has it will
| probably never be found
| The coroAer is searching for his personal
effects, aud in hopes of finding
them no steps have yet been taken to-
wards disposing of the body. 1t is thought
that if his habitation is found his papers
might throw some light on his life and
history that would be useful in arranging
the disposition of the remains.
He was one Of the most peculiar men
that ever lived in Wichita and there is no
doubt that il history of mis- life is ever
obtained it will be very interesting. He
! was man of great mental culture and
yet he was probably the most ragged,
dirty and therefore repulsive looking man
| in town.