The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-12-16
FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH.
A Pathetic Story of Ante-B"IIum Days
in Missouri.
Nc7U York Sun.

years it is rather late to write trib
ute to his memory. But this is an in
stance where bonjunction of circum
stances crowded out the facts, and the
good which the man did was almost
Inferred with his bones.
The writer recently made journey
into the country near Harrisonville
Mo-, the county seat of Cass, the
county adjoining that in which Kan
sas City is situate. A few miles from
the county seat two graves were seen
from the highway. They were con
spicuous more for neglect than other
wise. The man who was acting as
guide said, in matter r-of-fact manner
as he coaxed the team:
Gone is the grave Of the mistress
| the other, that of her faithful negro
man. He was buried beside her, a:
you see, at her request.
Of course, he explained, they dice
about the same time. The mistress
| was told short tim before her death
that the old slave IS dead.
"They were victims of the cholera, >
continued the guide, "when that aw.
full scourge swept over the country
It almost depopulated Harrisonville,
Every doctor in the town was strick
en- down, and then the only men in the
town who sold drugs or kn thing
about medicine dropped dead IL theil
work. After that those who were left
died in their turn, without any assist
ance. Two of the latter lot were those
who are buried the graves just pass
ed. The woman was the wife of the
oldest and best doctor in the town,
John McReynolds.
"NVhen the California gold fever
struck the whole country DR.. Mercy.
nolds caught it, and he Joined the
long procession which whitened the
plains and crossed the mountains. He
took with him his faithful body ser.
want, an old negro who had been his
property from infancy. He had at
tended 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 tie doctor reached the gold
country he gave up his profession and
became a miner, and the old servant
was his assistant in that, he had been
in other things in the States. They
were successful. At the end Of a year
the old doctor had $4,000 in gold,
and that was fortune then. But in
the midst of his luck he was taken
sick and died. His nurse, attendant
and undertaken was his faithful SER
want, Asa. They did not waste much
time on funerals out in that country
in those days. After Asa had buried
his master he owned himself. he
was in a country where there was nc
slavery, and had the entire possessions
of his master in his own hands. No
legal steps that might have been tax.
en- in Missouri could have reached
him. He was rich man.
II have been told, but I do not re-
member the particulars, that some OF
the people in theumines who believed
DR.. McReynolds left fortune, under
took in various ways to get it. But
the old servant thwarted them all and
succeeded in getting out Of the coun'
try. His journey back across the
plains was an eyentful one. He was
followed and tracked and often forced
to resort to stategy to evade his pur'
suers. Once he was forced to bury
the fortune of his master in the SAND
of the desert when he was hard press
ed, and escaping from band of des
peradoes he found himself a captive Of
Indians. What his fate might have
been you can guess, if he had not had
bit of good luck about that time
Some sort of epidemic had broken out
in the tribe where he was held, and az
Asa was a sort of doctor from observa
tion he experimental on the sick red!
with such success that they regarded
him as special dispensation for theil
benefit from the Great Spirit. Ir
this way he gained his from freedom
returned to the place where he hac
buried the fortune of his master, res
urrected it and resumed his journey
without further molestation.
"He reached Independence, Mo.
| and called upon a man who had been 1
patient and friend Of his master. Thi
friend accompanied him to Harrison
| vile and was the messenger who gave
| Mrs. McReynolds the first information
concerning the death Of her husband
Then the friend told her about he
faithful servant, Asa, and this was
followed by calling in the old servan
from the negro quarters and he rem
dered to his mistress an account OF hi
stewardship, with the larger amour
of his masters fortune.
II have been told by some. Of tn
very old timers that Asa was the frs
colored man who ever received any
thing like an ovation in Missouri
When Harrisonville heard of the ole
negro return he was invited to tn
homes of the people, and had create
glory than any white man who has ev
er lived there since.
"His mistress gave him his freedom
and some of the money, don't know
how much. But he remained he
faithful servant. He refused to ac
ccpt his freedom as long as his mis-
trcss lived.
"The cholera came, as / have said
and one of the victims was the mis-
trcss of Asa. He cared for her ant
was her attendant until he was strick
en- himself. When he failed to res
pond to her call she suspected the rea
son, and then she was told that he wa
dead. She knew her time had come
and she hardly had time to reQues
that his remains be placed beside hers
and it was done. And there are tn
graves. Only few people living
know even the names of the dead, ant
not many know the story have too
you. If | were rich man | woult
put monument over the grave of Cha
colorcd man, and I would just have
few words on it after his name, some
thing like this Faithful Unto
Death. "
- The first and worst of all faults
|