The Indianapolis journal., 1895-07-07

STRANGE STORY OF A TEXAS CRoE-
sUs WHO LIVED ON TaE BRAzos.
How He Found Unlfmited Wealth and
How He spent It-Disappearance
Of Himself and Family.

Between twenty-five and thirty years
ago travellers passing along the old San
Augustine road frequently stopped at a
little log cabin. not far from the Brazos
river, TO get a drink Of the only pnp>
cold water that could be found for manv
miles along the famous old highway.
The well was very deep and was walled
with brick and a kind OF stone not
found anywhere in that region. IL sup
piled an abundance OF cold water. very
refreshing to the thirsty traveller. whose
lips had been parched by the hot ma
larial winds of the Brazos bottoms and
the heat and dust OF the plains. John
Buzzard, his wife and two children lived
in the little cabin. They were very
poor people, getting a scant living from
the cultivation OF little patch Of five
or six acres Of rich Brazos bottom land
and the yearly crop OF calves produced
by half dozen Mexican cows. Buzzard
appeared to be very clever man. who
as If it were worth a million. He never
failed to tell travellers that he found the
we'll dug, and walled and full OF pure
water when he settled there. many
years before. This would cause people
TO take a second look at the well and
wonder who dug il, and where the brick
came from with which it was walled
Later some earth works were found In
the vicinity of the well. and people con-
Guided that the old Spaniards had come
up the Brazos river and established a
fort there.
About twenty years ago a man who
had frequently travelled the old San Au-
gustine road was very much surprised,
while stopping to get a drink OF water,
to find his old acquaintance. Mr.. Buzz
zard, hilariously drunk and in a very
hospitable humor. The traveller was in
vited to stake out his horse and come
in and take something" The man was
tired, and a little curious, and he ac-
cepted the invitation" Here is some old
Bourbon, ten years old, cost 50 gal
lon," said Mr.. Buzzard, setting out q
fat bottle, a sugar bowl and some very
pretty glasses. There was new furni-
ture in the little cabin and carpet on
| the floor. Mrs. BuZzard and the two
children came in dressed in store clothes
and eating store candy. The traveller
was astonished, but this mental condi-
| ton was transformed into utter amaze
ment when Mrs. Buzzard threw open
piano and ran her fingers over the keys.
Her ideas of music were about on par
with those of an Indian squaw, but she
evidently thought she was paralizing
| the visitor when she ratified away at
| the keys and sang "Old hay hoss, won't
| you get out of the wilderness There
was more in store for the traveller. He
| found a NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. carriage be-
| hind the house and pair of fine Ken
lucky horses hitched TO the yard fence
| Urgently solicited by Mr.. Buzzard, the
| traveller stayed for dinner, and was SUR
prised to find the table loaded with
| fancy candy, bakers pies and cakes,
| jars OF jellies and preserves and half
dozen bottles of fine wine The aston
| ished traveller tried 10 ascertain from
/ his old acquaintance the source OF so
much luxury, but Buzzard brought his
| fist down on the table with so much vio-
| lence that the dishes and bottles danced.
| accompanying the belligerent action
with a freezing stare that closed the
| conversation as with an iron door. The
| traveller went on down TO Brennan and
! told the people that John Buzzard had
plundered a caravan, murdered rich
| traveller or robbed railroad train.
CREATES A SENSATION.
A few days afterward Buzzard drove
into Houston, hauling his wife and two
children in the fine carriage, while he.
mounted on the drivers seat. held the
lines. Buzzard wore a silk hat, and
that, with his "claw-hammer coat" and
his breeches legs in his boots. made him
cut ridiculous figure. He wore two
| gold Watches. The big chain attached
to one passed around his neck. while an
| immense fob chain dangled from the
other. Mrs. Buzzard was still more as
| tonishingly arrayed. She wore a silk
dress covered with wild flowers, which
she had evidently sewed to the garment
| very recently. A dozen big roses were
| fastened in her hat and hair. A tiarR
| OF sparkling diamonds encircled hef
| forehead, and a string of pearls two or
| three feet long was wound about hes
| neck. She also had two watches in her
| belt. The two children, boy and
girl, the former five or six years OF age.
| and the latter looking little more than
half as old, were barefooted and shah
billy dressed; nevertheless, each OF them
| carried. a gold watch, and the girl had
a big gold chain wound about her waist.
When Buzzard descended from the
carriage he drew out an old sword ana
| buckled it TO his side. A big crowd or
people, brim full of curiosity. had as
| sembled, and their number increased as
| the Buzzards went from place TO place
| They bought everything that struck the
| fancy of parents or children. never hesi-
| tating or grumbling about the price
| Two things were ever uppermost In their
| minds: one was raiment and the other
something TO eat. Old BuZzard wanted
whisky and tobacco; Mrs Buzzard
wanted pie, cake and jam. and the chill
dren wanted candy, first, last and al
! ways. Here. certainly. was one family
that had attained the acme OF human
felicity. They had found what they
wanted, had the money 10 buy IL, and
were satisfied. The man and woman
could not conceive OF any bliss beyond
whisky and pie, and the children did
/ not want the moon. People gathered In
little groups and talked OF cornering old
man Buzzard and forcing him to reveal
the source Of such fabulous wealth A
slight attempt in this direction, accom-
panied by a few leading questions. sud-
denly developed the fact that Mr. Buz-
zard was not the man 10 be easily cor
nered. He drew the old rusty sword.
and after intimating that he had been
born all along up and down the Mis-
sissippi," and that land pirates. Indians.
wild cats, hurricanes and cyclones had
| l-o.. hs~ Mo uv,,afaS hp polifeIy iYffma.