Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-01-16
GRAY, ONCEOF TEXAS
HIS APPEARANCE AND DISAPPEAR
ANCE A MYSTERY.
He Scattered Gold with a Lavish
Hand, Did Good Deeds with De-
IightfuI Trickcry, and Nnnis"eo
while Taking an Evening smoke.


that John Gray did not surprise tno
neople of Caldwell Very frequently ne
operated upon scale of such moSnih-
cence and mystery as TO lead the as
founded citizens TO believe that he pos
sessed the open sesame to treasures
beyond computation, or carried Aiadoin
lamp I'm his pocket. One or his many,
and perhaps the most extraordinary "a
all his performances, culminatea !"
causing a pretty two-story cot'ase'
painted carpeted and furnished IN inc
most luxurious style, to spring into ex-
,stence. as IL were, in a single night. Al
that time Mr.. Gray lived on his me
ranch, some eighteen miles from tne
CITY. His friends had often Invited him
IN come 10 town to live. He said that
he intended to do that very thing some
fine day or night, and in pursuance OF
this idea he purchased a desirable build
ing lot on one of the best streets in the
little CITY.
One very pretty spring morning about
three years ago a lady on Magnolia
street threw open window of her house
and saw pretty cottage. which stood
upon spot of ground where the last
rays of the setting sun of the previous
evening had fallen upon a vacant lot
covered with green grass. Others saw
il, and people could hardly believe their
eyes A half dozen of the holder ones
walked into the street and began TO say
to each other, what is it? Who did II?
Is it really house?" 1t certainly was
house, a very pretty cottage, which had
sprung into existence without the noise
of hammer or saw during the night
There were forest trees in the yard OF
quarter Of cen,ury's growth, two
living greyhounds were lying upon the
porch, and a little blue smoke was slowly
rising from one of the fues. The front
door was suddenly thrown open, and
John Gray came out on the porch with
a newspaper in his hand, and in most
careless and Indifferent manner imagi-
nable, said: Good morning, ladies and
gentlemen. Won't you come iny The
amazed citizens knew the man; he had
often surprised them before. Hitherto
he had only been regarded as an ecceh-
trio philanthropic millionaire. the source
of whose great wealth was involved In
mystery. Now they were ready TO swear
| that they saw a magician.
the county about two years. He has i'm
proved one OF the finest ranches in the
State and erected a palace on 1t, spend
ing money as IL he plucked IL from trees.
| He made no secret in saying that he
came rom the diamond fields OF South
Africa, where he had luckily accumua-
| ted large fortune. The people had
called him 1.-THE Diamond King" and
had regarded him as harmless, eccen-
| trio character. with ten thousand time
more money than brains. He made his
debut in the town in his shirt sleeves,
with his breeches stuffed in his boot legs,
and seemed to be constantly Influenced
| by an Irresistible desire TO make every
body happy. he went about giving money
to every school, church. or charity that
he could hear OF. He paid off old merit
| cages for his neighbors, and gave so
| gold pieces to children. The poor around
him were clothed and fed. Those who
were in want simply asked and they re-
ceved. He gave employment to every
laborer that came to his ranch, and he
was constantly importuning his neigh
bors to let him help them along with
| their crops.
People did not know what 10 make OF
him, and they only hoped that he would
| live always, and that the source of his
| wonderful wealth would never grow less.
| They had not found him out all az once
| Ii took them a year or more TO discover
| something OF the mysterious ways OF their
benefactor. Some thought that john
Gray had found the old Spanish gold-mine
up in the Llaro mountains, OF which
much has been written In the books or
Mexico. Others that he had rpuilt his pal
ace over the very spot where a Mexican
pack-traln of the last century en- route
from old Mexico TO San Augustine had
been butchered by Indians Every old
Texan has heard the story OF that train
heard how the Indians followed II, and
finally murdered the last man. X all hap
pened right about here. so the story runs.
on the old san Antonio road. The Mexi-
cans had buried dozen mule-loads Of
gold. No doubt, said great many peo-
pie this strange man has found the
! hidden treasure. John Gray spoke Span
ish like a native, and that was some evil
dence against him. Others who had read
! a half dozen books were firmly convinced
that John Gray and Cagiiostro were one
and the same Let him alone" said the
wise ones, "he is Caglostro lie has lived
from the beginning of time, and will go on
forever, and he can make gold doubioons
as easy as your wife can make biscuits"
Mr. Cray enjoyed life. and nothing gave
| him more pleasure thar to surprise some
/
and far above and beyond their troubles.
He often did this kind OF work openly,
but he evidently preferred to SEM a
| thrill of pleasure into the human breast
In some mysterious way. For a time peo-
pie thought the woods were full Of good
spirits. and that witches OF a benevolent
kind were wandering over the prairies
and sleeping In the barns houses, and
yards of the farmers. A poor ranchman
lost pair Of plough horses-ail he had.
His corn and cotton were in the weed
and his horses could not be found. The
man was I'm despair One morning he
went to his stable and saw a splendid pain
OF horses tied to the manger "rhe good
Lord has sent them to u.s." said his wife
Hitch them to the plough" No owner
ever came for the animals.
a Just man who had fallen into the
hands of the cruel creditor awoke one
morning TO find barrel Of -four inside
his yard gate. His children had not
tasted bread for two days. When his
wife went 20 scoop out little -four
10 make some biscuits she also scooped
out two or three $50 gold pieces Then
the farmers wife got a sitter and slfted
$500 in gold out of that barrel OF -four
Just little more than the amount OF
old Skinhint's mortgage on our farm
said the husband.
neighbours house burned 10 the
ground. John Gray took a sufficient
force of laborers and mechanics anc
rebuilt It, menagerie and circus came
TO Caldwell. Everybody wanted 20 &c
to the show. The people of that parti
cular portion OF Uncle Sans domain
are good Judges OF shows. and are at al
times peculiarly enthusiastic on the sub