The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-22
FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH.
rHE TRUE STORE OF AN OLD
MISSOURI SLAVE.

ne Aeooapanied Ell. Master 90 CALIFORNIA;.
Took Care OF Him In Bis Last Inneps.
rough Hts Fortune Back to the widow.
and was Buried by Her nt Her REQUEST.
When a man has been dead forty-six years IL
Il rather late to write q tribute to his memory.
But this IL an instance whore . conjunction Of
circumstances crowded out the facts. and the
good which the man did was almost inferred
with his bones.
The writer recently made a Journey into the
country near Harrisonville, Mo-. the county seat
of Cass, the county adjoining that In which
Kansas City Is situate. A few miles from the
county scat two graves were seen from the
highway. They were conspicuous more from
neglect than otherwise. The man who was act
ing as guide said, in a matter-of-fact manner, as
he coaxed the team:
"One is tho grave of the mistress; tho other,
that Of her faithful negro man He was buried
beside her. as you see, at her request"
or course, he explained, they died about the
Same time. The mistress was told n short time
before her death that the old slave was dead.
"They were victims of tho cholera con-
tinued the guide. when that awful scourRo
swept over the country. 1t almost depopulated
Jacksonville. Every doctor in the town was
stricken down. and then the only men In the
town who sold drugs or know anything about
medicine dropped dead in their work. After
that those who were left died in their turn, 10
seemed. and without any assistance. Two Of
the latter lot were those who are buried In the
graves we just passed. The woman was the
wife of the oldest and best doctor in the town.
John McReynolds.
when the California gold fever struck the
whole country DR.. McReynolds caught 1t, and
he Joined that long procession which whitened
the plains and crossed the mountains. He took
with him his faithful body servant. an old negro
who had been his property from infancy. He
had attended his master SO long that the master
regarded him as necessary to his welfare. The
old servant often accompanied his master in
the calls of the latter on his patients.
when the doctor reached the geld country
he gave up his profession and became q miner.
and the old servant was his assistant in that, as
he had been in other things in the States. They
doctor mad $4,000 in gold. and that was a for
tune then. But in the midst of his luck he was
undortaker was his faithful servant. Asa. they
did not waste much time on funerals out In
S buried dG his master be oSned himself. He was in
o country where there was no slavery. and had
hands. 30 legal steps that might have been
taken in Missouri could have reached him. He
II have been told. but l do not remember the
particulars, that's some me- OF n th Ne Reopie IN the
fortune. undertook in various ways to get il.
But the old servant thwarted them all and sue
n Gesa BACK X a sesessf the nar pi Gl sns was SSu an sven 1tfs Io oae.
He was followed and tracked and often forced to
resort to strategy to evade his pursuers. Oncehe
the desert when, ne was hard pressed. and in
escaping from q band of desperaaoes he found
z ! = h. have os been been you y0u. can shod guess sss II the he Lad o not
naa Of %, ep ad nHea had ,Srf b nSpea e ous in nnm the i tGiee
where he was held. and as Asa was a sort OF n
doctor from observation he experimental on
the sick reds with such success that they re-
Farded him as a special dispensation for their
this way he remained his freedom, returned to
the place where he had buried the fortune Of
without further molestation.
he reached independence No; and called
Of his master. This friend accompanied him to
Harrisonville. and was the messenger who gave
ing the death OF her husband. Then the friend
told her about her faithful servant Asa: and
from the negro quarters, and he rendered to his
an account of his stewardship, with
the larger amount Of his masters fortune.
that Asa was the first colored man who
ever received anything like an ovation in Mis-
.ro's return he was invited to the homes Of the
people. and had greater glory than any white
ii mistress gave him his freedom and como
the money; don't know how much. Blu. no
accept Ills freedom as long as his mistress lived.
The cholera came. as ! have said, and one of
The victims was the mistress Of Asa. He cared
stricken himself. When he failed to respond to
her call she suspected the reason. and then it
~ime had come. and she hardly had time to re-
luest that his remains be placed beside hers.
Snly y a T few I people living v so Know St even ahG the nsmss
IF the dead. and not many know the story
nave told YOU. If l were a rich man l would
nan. and | would Just have a few words on It.
Ifter his Lame. something like this:
Faithful unro Death"