The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-09-28


When General Sheridan was alive and
was serving in the territory, he and Mr..
Greiffenstein got into an alteration re-
garding "a cattle trade which Mr.. Greif-
fenstein was connected with. Subsequent
events proved that Mr.. Greiffenstein was
right and he received damages from the
federal government. At that time Gen
eral Sheridan compelled him to leave the
territory under penalty of not obeying
the forfeiture of his life. Years after
ward when the general visited Wichita
he learned that Mr.. Greiffenstein resided
here and he sent him a note requesting
him to call and see him. Mr.. Greiffen-
stein laid aside all former animosities
and called on the general and peace was
restored Before General Sheridan left.
Mr. Greifenstein gave the general IAN
quet, which was said to be one Of the
finest in its appointments and spleaior
ever given in the west.
KOS HARRIS TRIBUTE.
Kos Harris gives the following interest
ing incidents in connection with an ear
ly struggle in Wichita in which Mr..
. Greiffenstein played such an important
part:
when landed at Wichita Uncle Jake
Pettinger took me to VIII Reese's car
penter shop on North Market street 6nd
1 negotiated for seven wet pine planks
one inch thick and twelve feet long, and
the same were put on 4 room nine feet
wide, twenty-four feet long and twelve
feet high q could have arranged the
square feet of this room by laying II on
its side). If I had placed these shelves
on North Main street / would have had
a different destiny. The lottery OF my
destiny barred the liberty of choosing
where I would place those shelves.
Greiffenstein rented rooms on credit;
North Main street demanded cash. Tbir-
ty days on Douglas avenue colored all
my views of Wichita to such an extent
that three North Main street men to-
gether on Douglas avenue was in itself a
suspicious circumstance demanding ex-
PLANTATION.
There was no boar Of trade then;
there were two cliques striving for the
mastery of a street. We talked then not
of building a city, but of building a
street.
ure in Wichita, and that was VIM. Greif-
fenstein; others had no avocation I'm
Gle Billy played rounce, the devil among
the tailors, and smoked an admixture of
tobacco and perique-and deliberated.
Douglas avenue was his business. 1t was
his first born the apple of his eye, and
all the ends at which he aimed were
Douglas avenue. The iron gray German
was a wizard who rubbed his snow blind
eyes, touched his enchanted Nicer
schaum wand, and in the dissolving cir
cling clouds of ascending smoke beheld
visions of a future Douglas avenue akin
to the streets that the genii of Aladdin's
lamp created at his call He was not a
taIker but a thinker. In fact. he was
"'Sworn enemy to long speeches,
And never given to repartee;
His elaboration was long,
His conclusions sure and strong
Monticello The Hermitage and Grey
stone have each had their pilgrims. but
Greiffenstein's old home on South Water
street was to the Douglas avenue men
strawberry HILL and thither on Sunday
afternoon the cavaliers of the avenue
ION the then wide-open porch sur
rounded by Jim Steele. y. A English.
Jim Mccullough, c. F. Gilbert, Colonel
Mcclure, Fred Daily, Charlie Thompson,
NJ W. Levy, Sol Kohn and Bra Marris,
the chieftain sat and blew the clouds
heavenward, and on the morrow gave his
deductions.
"Greiffenstein, in the -grasshopper
day, was always in evidence when the
tocsin sounded to summon Douglas ave-
nue. to battle for the supremacy OF the
half section line over Central avenue and
North Main street: then his step was
quicker and the smoke rolled high
There was glory on his forehead.
There was lustre in his eye
How many times since
Those halcyon days.
When flowers doomed in al orr ways
has the Image Of this generous, faithful
man come before me In the board %
trade councils The absence OF some
men create a feeling that power has de-
parted. To my mind in after years. the
absence Of the revile1 Big -Four from
board meeting crea.e1 this feeling.
Cribs may be- however the lingering
Douglas avenue bias. Douglas avenue
men had brains. courage. ideas. bat on
one occasion Dutch BITS absence on oc-
count Of a scar throat, 'milled siampede5
Douglas avenue men IKE Texas steers
crossing Big river below the bridge.
'Greinensteln was the Henry of Ma
varre: his meerschaum plume. ss the
banner. was followed trus. ingIy and
blindly. Some men are a battalion
Gre.nensiein was a brigade His calm.
silent presence vas the pressge of TIL
umDh-
one blast upon his buEle ha-r
Was worth z thousand men
..Grsi1snstein vas a Statesman The
oIartnx Of the toli-5ridge stock ia ire
hands OF II. 9. Day. y. Hcclees. e a..
.northenders.' deprived Nan street. q
voices which. but FOR d.vs6sn1E hsDsd foT.
would have ua5e fhsm as enemies -
D9ugsas avenue. The building = E-agss
hloek ard the tocztssh q the 9ostosslee-
the Earle ofice. county oGsees. court
b~use-ln Il was ssgacsty. ths removing
81 the Lad oF5ce % Douglas sveaEe ~&s
the storminE q rhe heigats e = Carey
-Charsey Gilbert ans James z. 3eaS.
vs.h large Interests bsth n0-iA All ass1.a-
were bota asat-a..zea
The ra-sh ens was " c. w0oiaaan.
Lark Moore. A sTaozas aaa } c Pa
kar. 7ez6lax q s~iga - Deatr&Ss ard
s.a1eafs II private eean9my-
ras n9rth I'D Ezls Ceairal zTeaus 80
gre ruaia artery cas- az! wssl- sta es5--
IA. u had. coa3 aaTe a1acrs tae Santa
re ae2as a. tse cor@ar - &s1a As1 Csn-
tcDzazs>e 90 S~cars PaSs1