Arizona republican., 1899-08-12

I sold the saloon on credit 10 George.
We had a great many dealings toge5h-
or. I sold him IT, Iazt-s. s0utn Of crush
creek and sold him THEE lots 0n the
West side, one on Thirteenth street,
with a So. 600 house on it, and two on
Madison
Col. CASTOR leaves a sister in this
city. the wife of Henry Seested.
Col. CASTOR and Eugene Field. the
poet, We're warm friends In tha years
that Field was doing newspaper work
ia Kansas City. he spent 4 great deal
of time in Gaston's place. Colonel
| Castor was much affected by the death
Of Eugene Field and said at that time:
Field was poet and 4 child. man
of great tenderness. and/generosity.'
As illustrating Eugene Fields Gen
erOitY CASTOR told this story:
Zone day Gene came into my place
with Il ragged tramp. whose teeth chat
| tered and whose flesh showed blue
! through the rents in his clothes. Here
| CASTOR he said. come and buy this
chap suit of clothes. Its an outrage
that Il man should not be decently clad
IN this sort of weather. l put on my
coat and we cook the tramp to Il
worth So. as good as he wore himself,
and the best shirts and socks in the
place. l objected to buying the tramp
such an expensive suit arguing that Il
cheaper sui, was good enough. and af-
ter long argument he compromised
on Il suit for S12 for which l paid ad-
vancing the money for Field
OF course CASTOR never received this
money back and he did not expect it,
His was the soul of generosity and
kindness itself
When Eugene Field was about to
leave Kansas City for Denver TO take a
position offered him on Il newspaper
tlera he was very much worried be
cause he owed CASTOR $134 and had
10 money TO pay it. He went into Gas
tons place with a party of convivial
friends TO bid Castor good-by and to
ask him to let the bill run until such
time as he could pay il. After awhile
CASTOR. wishing TO give Field token
of his regard fer him, said:
Gene. have you fifteen cents:"
Yes. of course
All right. you can settle the bill for
fifteen certs''
Field gave CASTOR fifteen cents and
CASTOR gave him his bill for S134 re
tctplCtl as l1lu III Iull. T1elu. VINO
was as grea; Il practical joker a. Gas
ton. leaned against the bar i moment. |
turning the receiptpd bill over in his
hand. ard at last he looked across at
CASTOR. and said. with Il waggi>h look:
Colonel, haven't You forgotten some |
thing?"
No. 1 guess not" answered Gas:on.
Fields face was very solemn as he
asked:
Isn't it customary for man in your
business 10 set EN- up when 4 man
pays you bill of $134?"
This caused 4 great laugh and Gas !
ton enjoyed the joke so much that he
brought Field out a cas- Of champagne |
and Gave him 4 jolly good bye
Fields friendship for CASTOR ended /
only with lis death. When the poet T.!
didds CASTOR had a big boXfuli of I'M /
published 20 ms and letters from |
Field. Most of these lie sent to the |
managers Of the Field monument fund |
and several of them were afterward |
printed.
Col Castor always claimed in jok- /
ing way. ,hat he gave Gardiner La /
throp. the attorney. his start in life |
and this is the way il happened. as told !
by Mr. Lathrop this morning:
Thirty years ago this fall l came up /
from Columbia 10 see about going in
TO the law office of Karnes & ESs. L.
NJ. Switzler- now probate judge at .
Columbia, came with me- When we
reached here we found that our friends
in Karnes & Ess's office had arranged
Il little dinner for US in Ga<ton's place. q
That was my first meeting with Geo.
CASTOR. While we Were in there eat
=, tow IN,
ton who we were. He replied that ii
was a party of eastern capitalists who
expected to invest largely in Kansas
City. The next morning it appeared
that way n the paper. As I hadn't a
dollar at that time rs Karres Il
ESs We're just getting on their feet.
CASTOR claimed that he gave rs our
start.
During Colonel Gaston's whole car
GER continued Mr.. Ldthrop. he always
kept Il gentlemanS place. He never al
lowed Il drunlllrd in there. He catered
to the best traffic, and l do not sup
pose there was ever such good roast
beef anywhere as CASTOR used to
serve. In the years after l started prac-
ticing law l often took home from
GastOn's a piece of roast beef. in a
China dish for my eldest daughter.who
was then baby. CASTOR always said
that he raised that daughter. Castor
was an educated man. j gallant fellow
and he always had ;he friendship of
the best people of the city. His calling
never tnterfered with genuine affection
the people had for him"
CASTOR was such joAer himself.
that others loved to play Jokes upon
him. In the old days, Hugh Dunbar,
one of the old time Mississippi gam
blers of the chivalrous type we read of
n romances. came to Kansas City and
became friend of Gaston's. After
Dunbar had been here year or two
the town of Abilene. Kansas, sprang
up as a boom center. and a resort for
men with money. and Dunbar conclu-
led TO 90 out there. When he was
pqvfn0 CASTOR asked him 10 he SIRE |