The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-12
Mr.. GRAY, ONCE OF TEXAS.
APPEARANCE AND DISAPPEAR
ANCE OF A MAN or MYSTERY.


While Taking an Evening smoke.
Never Seen Again.
From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat
Caldwell Tex, Dec pa few years
ago not day passed that John Gray did
not surprise the people OF Caldwell. Very
frequently he operated upon a scale OF
such magnifcence and mystery as to lead
the astounded citizens to believe that he
possessed the open sesame to treasures
beyond computation. One Of his many,
ana perhaps the most extraordinary Of all
his performances, eliminated I'm causing
a pretty two-story cottage. painted, car
peted and furnished in the most luxuri-
GUS style. to spring into existence. as II
were IN single night. At that time Mr.
Gray lived on his fine ranch some eigh-
teen miles from the city. His friends
had often invited him to come TO 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 building lot on one OF the best
streets in the little city.
One gerry pretty spring morning about
three years ago, a lady on Magnolia
street threw open a window of her house
ana saw q pretty cottage which stood
upon spot Of ground where the last RAYS
OF the setting sun of the previous evening
had fallen upon vacant lot covered with
green grass. Others saw 1t, 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 it? Is II really a
| houseT II certainly was a house, a very
pretty cottage, which had sprung into
existence without the noise of hammer
or saw during the night. There were for
est trees I'm the yard of a quarter of a
century's growth, two living greyhounds
were lying upon the porch, and a little
blue smoke was slowly rising from one
of the fiues. The front door was sudden
ly thrown open, and John Gray came out
hand. and in a most careless and indlffer-
ent manner imaginable, said: Good
morning. ladies and gentlemen. Won't
YOU come IMP The amazed citizens knew
the man; he had often surprised them
before. Hitherto he had only been re-
garded as an eccentric phianthropist mil
lonaire, the source of whose great wealth
was involved In mystery. Now they were
ready to swear that they saw magi-
cian
This strange man has been living in the
country about two years He has inn
proved one of the finest ranches in the
state, and erected a palace on II, spend
ing money as If he plucked II from trees.
lie made no secret H. saying that he came
from the diamond fields of South Africa,
where he had luckily accumulated a large
fortune. The people had called him THE
as harmless, eccentric character, with
ten thousand times more money than
brains. lie made his debut in the town
in his shirt sleeves with his breeches stuff
fed IN his boot legs, and seemed 10 be
constantly influenced by an Irresistible
desire to make everybody happy. lie
went about giving money TO every school,
church. or charity that he could hear Of
He paid off old mortgages for his neigh
bors, and gave $40 gold pieces to children.
The poor around him were clothed and
Those
asked and they received. He gave en-
ployment to every laborer that came to
his ranch, and he was constantly inn
portuning his neighbors to let him help
them along with their crops.
People did not know what to 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 at once.
1t 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 Llano mountains, OF which
much has been written in the books OF
Mexico. Others that he had built his pal
ace over the very spot where Mexican
pack train 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 H. and
finally murdered the last man. 1t all hap
pened right about here SO the story runs,
ON the old San Antonio road. The MeXi-
cans had buried a dozen mule lOduS Ol
gold. No doubt. said a great many peo-
ole this strange man has found the hid
den treasure. John Gray spoke spanish
like a native, and that was some evidence
| against him Others who had read a half
| dozen books were firmly convinced that
John Gray and Caglostro Were one and
| the same. Let him alone" said the wise
| ones, "he is Cagliostro. He has lived from
! the beginning of time, and VIII go on
| forever, and he can make gold doubloons
as easy as your wife can make biscuits"
/ ani0UO6 nothing gave
| him more pleasure than to surprise some
| one In distress by lifting them clear out
| and far above and beyond their troubles.
| He often did this kind Of work openly.
! but he evidently preferred TO SEND thrill
! of pleasure into the human breast IN some
mysterious way For "a a time people
! its and that witches of a benevolent kind
We're wandering over the prairies and
sleeping in the barns, houses, and
| Yards of the farmers. A poor ranchman
| lost pair of plough hourses-all he had.
! His corn and cotton were in the weeds and
! his horses could not be found. The man
| was in despair. One morning he went
/ to his stable and saw splendid pair of
horses tied to the manger The good
| Lord has sent them to u.s., said his wife.
| Hitch them to the plough" No owner
/ ever came for the animals.
| lust man who had fallen into the
! hands Of a cruel creditor awoke one morn
| ing to find barrel Of -four inside of his
| yard gate. His children had not tasted
| bread for two days. When his wife went
! to scoop out little flour to make some
! biscuits she also scooped out two or
| three $40 gold pieces. Then the farmer 8
wife got a sitter and sifted $500 In gold out
| of that barrel of -four. Just little more
! than the amount of old Skinflint's mort
! gage on our farm" said the husband
| A neighbours house burned TO the ground.
! John Gray took a sufficient force of la
! borers and mechanics and rebuilt it. A
| menagerie and circus came to Caldwell.
| Everybody wanted togo to the show. The
| people of that particular portion of I'm
| Gle SANS domain are good judges of
| show. and are at all times peculiarly en-
/ thusiastc on the subject, although hun
| dreds are ever compelled on account Of
| financial stringency TO be content with the
| street parade and such other auxiliary en-
! tertainments as are given gratuitously
| outside of the great canvas. John Gray
| was well posted, and when the eventful
! day arrived he walked through the crowd
| to the ticket wagon and said, Give me a
| thousand tickets, If you please" The as
| tonished ticket agent hesitated. Ger
tainly l mean it," said the imperturable
/ Mr. Gray, while he coolly proceeded to
\ count out $500 in gold. Everybody, even
| the poorest of the poor, saw the elephant,
! the lions the monkeys, the white horses,
| and the clown. John Gray was foremost
/ in the throng, and he APPARENTLY nearly
/ burst with enjoyment Such extrava-
| gance, such awful liberality, had never
| been heard of before. People now began
/ 4