Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1894-12-08
Story of a Miser.


Otto Welbler, an old German bache-
Tor, who died in Decatur county few
days ago had remarkable record. The
most extraordinary event of his career
is the fact that he deliberately starved
himself to death.
For two months he lay on a rough
cot In his sod cabin on Painter creek
with no one to minister to his wants
but his adopted daughter, Margaret, an
orphan girl whom he took to raise when
he left his home in Pennsylvania in 1870
to locate in Kansas.
Welbler was miser and left to his
daughter over $4,000, which he had
buried in the ground near his cabin.
The greater part OF TINS sum ne brought
with him from Pennsylvania, where in
his young manhood, he made money
rapidly in coal mining enterprises.
The day before his death he called
Margaret to his bedside and told her he
must die. He gave her his blessing and
told her to go to certain place near an
apple tree and she would find a large
rock. Underneath that she would find
in an earthen jar buried in the ground
his fortune.
She obeyed him and alone went in
search of the treasure. She was skepti-
cal and believed the old man to be
Eighty, but the money was there-gold,
silver and greenbacks-amoun in ali
to $52I62O. She reported her discovery
to the doing man, and as he sank into
repose he told her to leave it there until
he was laid away in the country grave
yard, and then to take it and return to
her native state, Pennsylvania. She
left for Bradford.
During his two months illness the
old man miser would not consent to
have physician called. He was afraid
he would be poisoned. He refused also
to take nourishment prepared by his
daughter. He did not think she would
poison him, but he believed the mer-
chants who sold the goods wanted to
kill him because of his peculiarities.
Before Welbler came to America he
was personal friend of Carl Schurz
and accompanied him in his fight from
Prussia to Switzerland. He was born
near Cologne in April, 1880. He was
educated at the University of Bonn,
where he was a classmate of Schurz. In
1847 the two men left the university and
when SchurZ commenced the publica-
ton OF a revolutionary journal during
the troubles of 1848 Welbler Joined him
terprise.
When Schurz was forced to flee from
Bonn in consequence of his failure to in
cite an insurrection, which he had been |
instrumental in arousing, Welbler &C |
companied him and the two men enter
ed the revolutionary war then raging in |
the south of Germany. They took part |
in the defense of Rostad and escaped to
Switzerland on the surrender of this |
fortress. They finally returned secretly !
to Germany.
Welbler was with schurz on the night |
OF November 6, 1850, when the latter |
succeeded in liberating his friend and |
former editorial partner from the for |
tress of Standan, and together the three |
wandered to Scotland. They remained |
there only short time, when they went |
to Paris. Here Welbler decided to |
turn back to his native country and set |
out for America.
On December 20, 1850, Welbler landed
in New York city. He had little means |
but he was ambitious and Industrious |
He settled near Bradford, Pa, where |
he prospered beyond his most sanguine |
expectations. He engaged in coal min
ing and within few years was known |
to have made small fortue. In 1870 |
he closed out his business interests and |
came to Kansas, taking homestead in |
Decatur county, where he continued to |
make and boarding money in the stock |
business. He declined to affiliate or as
soeiate with his neighbors and would |
not allow his adopted daughter to re-
ceive attentions from the young men of |
the community. She was thus forced |
to share his life of solitude on the bleak |
prairie of western Kansas, but he did |
not realize then that he was laying up |
treasures which would in later years
bring her pecuniary comfort that money |
could buy.-Kansas City Kan. Gazette. |