The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-18
cRoESUS OF THE BRAzoS.
THE REMARKABLE STORY OF JOHN
BUZZARD's GOOD LUCK.


and His Family, and n Queer In
ternationaI Coincidence.
From the St Louis Globe Democrat.
San Antonio. Tex.-Between twenty-five
and thirty years ago travellers passing
along the old san Augustine road fire.
aueutly stopped at a little log cabin, not
far from the Brazos river. to get a drink
OF the only pure cold water that could be
found for many miles along the famous
old highway. 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 a lit
tie patch Of FIVE or six acres Of rich
Brazos bottom land and the yearly crop
Of calves produced by a half dozen Mexi-
can COWS. Buzzard appeared to be a
very clever man, who was as proud of his
fine well Of water as II it were worth
million. He never failed to tell travellers
that he found the well 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 it, and where the
brick came from with which it was WALL
ed Later some earth works were found
in the vicinity of the well, and people
concluded that the old Spanlards had
come up the Brazos river and established
fort there.
About twenty years ago a man who
had often travelled the old San Angus
tine road was very much surprised while
stopping to get a drink of water to find
his old acquaintance, Mr.. Buzzard, hila-
riously drunk and in a very hospitable
humor. The traveller was invited to stake
out his horse and come in and have some
thing" The man was tired, and a little
curious, and he accepted the Invitation.
Here is some old Bourbon, 10 years old,
cost 50 a gallon" said Mr.. Buzzard, set
ting out a fat bottle, a sugar bowl, and
some very pretty glasses. There was new
furniture 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 condition was
transformed into utter amazement when
Mrs. Buzzard threw open piano and ran
her fingers over the keys Her ideas of
music We're about on a par with those of
an Indian squaw, but she evidently
thought that she was paralyzing the Wis
itor when she ratified away at the keys
and sang "Old hay boss won't you get
out of the wilderness" There was more
in store for the traveller. He found a
00-carriage behind the house and a pair
of fine Kentucky horses hitched to the
yard fence. Urgently solicited by Mr..
Buzzard, the traveller stayed for dinner,
and was surprised to find the table loaded
with fancy candy. bakers pies and cakes,
jars of jellies and preserves, and a half
dozen bottles of fine wine The astounded
traveller tried to ascertain from his old
acquaintance the source Of so much lux
ury, but Buzzard brought his fist down
on the table with so much violence that
the dishes and bottles danced, accompa-
nying the belligerent action with a freez-
ing 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 cara
/. van, murdered a traveller or robbed
railroad train.
+ A few days afterward Buzzard drove
into Houston, hauling his wife and two
children in the fine carriage, while ne,
mounted on the drivers seat, held the
l 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 the immense
fob chain dangled from the other. Mrs.
BuzZard was still more astonishingly ar
rayed. She wore 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 tiara of sparkling diamonds
encircled her forehead, and a string of
pearls two or three feet long were wound
about her neck. She also had two watches
in her belt. The two children, a boy and
girl. the former or years of age. and
the latter looking a little more than half
as old were barefooted and shabbily
dressed; nevertheless, each of them car
ried a gold watch, and the girl had big
gold chain wound about her waist.
When Buzzard descended from the car
riage he drew out an old sword and buck
led it to his side A big crowd of people,
brimful or curiosity, had assembled, and
their number increased as the Buzzards
went from place to place. They bought
everything that struck the fancy of pa
rents or children, never hesitating or
grumbling about the price. Two things
were ever apparent in their minds; one
was raiment and the other something to
eat Old Buzzard wanted whisky and to-
bacco; Mrs. Buzzard wanted pie. cake and
jam, and the children wanted candy, first,
last and always. Here, certainly, was
one family that had attained the acme of
human felicity. They had found what
they wanted, had the money to buy 1t,
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. slight
attempt in this direction, accompanied by
a few very leading questions, suddenly
developed the fact that Mr.. BuzZard was
not the man to be easily cornered.. He
drew the old rusty sword, and after inti-
mating that he had been born all along
up and down the Mississippi" and that
land pirates, Indians, wild cats, hurri-
canes and cyclones had been his play
mates, he politely intimated that he would
cut off the head of the next man who
asked him an uncivil question.
Mrs. Buzzard and the children fell in
love with a steamboat that was lying in
the bayou, and. as a result the whole
family concluded to take a ride. Leaving
the horses and carriage at a stable in
Houston they embarked on board of a
Buffalo Bayou steamboat for little trip
down TO Galveston. During the night Mr..
Buzzard fell in with the river sharks and
played poker and lost, according to the
captains story, at least $4,000. While
rounding in at the wharf at Galveston
Mr.. Buzzard said he had been delighted