The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-09-03


mad been in hiding years before.
She grew insane very rapidly, managing
to get opium at times by letting basket
down from a window TO the school chill
dren, bribing them 10 prucure her the
drug. Her father came to see her once,
giving her a fifty dollar bill, thinking 1t
impossible for her to get 1t changed so
as to buy opium. but she gave 1t TO
slave, who procured a little OF the drug
and returned her some pennies change.
The Doctor heard of this, pounded the
coloreG man into insensibihty and thew
him into the celler to survive for month
on bread and water. The fair opium VIC
tim, a physical and mental wreck through
the curse. was soon afterwards found
dead in her bed a suicide.
But the calamfties OF DR.. Davis did not
end here. He had two sons by a former
wife One of these was very wild, and
his pranks were famous. He was hand
some, an athelete and dancer, doing the
hornpfpe on a looking glass laid on. the
floor. In his occasional debauches young
Davis would mount a pair of black horses
and race through the town at full speed,
himself standing upon their bare backs
ard lighting cigars with ten dollar bills
One day the exhausted and foam covered
horses plunged into the little lake which
borders the highway, the shock killing
them instantly. Davis SWAN to shore.
One night, some time after, the youth
came home, after tarryinh over a bowl
pounded his way up the stairs which
wind about the quadrangle to the third
story, promptly fell over the banister and
dashed his brains out on the hall floor
three stories below, his blood dyeing the
oaken boards to this day. His fathers
fortune began to dwindle away, and
broken hearted he moved away from the
sad scenes.
Walter Rudding lived there from 1892
to 1851. He was very rich and kept many
slaves, but he, too, went financially TO
pieces, and fires were his Nemesis. All
his barnes and graneries went up in smoke
one day, and as the carpenters had just
succeeded in putting up new buildings in
the place of them. slave set fire to the
new buildings, burning them to the
ground. One night Rudding ave party
an old furnishing the music. Besides the
fine old fireplace the old man fddled and
fiddled till all the guests had departed,
scraping on till daybreak, when he was
found lying beside the dying embers stone
dead. Bankruptcy followed Rudding and
he moved away.
After RuddIng was a Captain Backus,
who bougb. the place In 81 and sold 1t
in 80, losing money enormously on the
investment, but never assigning a reason
III, he r
the spirit of Burr stalking through the
never be known. But the next occupant
was a wealthy DR. Doty, who lived there
from so to go, after having come from
California, where he made an immense
fortune The Doctor here entertained very
lavishly, but soon fell victim to mys-
FERROUS fires, his barns and sheds, filled
with blooded stock, going down into ashes
repeatedly. Later his horses were pol
soned with copperas, and his investments
vent wide of the mark. To cap the eli
max, his wife refused to live longer IN
the house, and moved a portion of 1t up
the street, where wings were added in the
form of a cross, the doors and windows
being surmounted with the holy symbol
to avert further calamfdes such as those
that had bcfallen them.
The next occupant was a certain Elias
Dey. Dey was the most important man
in the district from 80 to II. He was
the financial and social oracle OF the
place, and was so respected and trusted
that he received estates and funds to in
vest. In 81 he went to the State legis-
lature, but was defeated second term.
Dey,s miseries now began in earnest. His
wife showed signs of a falling mind, the
people began to fear that all was not
we'll financially. and he began to sell por-
tions of the farm lands TO stave off the
inevitable The mammoth sycamore
trees. under which Washington had stood
before the mansion, were cut down and
taken to the mills to be made into but
tons. Finally his wife died insane, and
Dey retired, vanquished in the fight
against the sinister influence Of Burr.
Nelson Petty followed him, in II. He
was a rich diStiller, prosperous and stub
worn, but no sooner had he Installed him
self within the house than he began to
go down. One morning his wife was ia
ken with a sudden hemorrhage and died
on the floor before help could come. A
servant in the house soon afterwards was
accused of child murder. Strangely enough
Petty himself died very suddenly and
mysteriously Of hemorrhage during a
morning bath.
For the last twenty years various ten
ants have taken the place, but have never
stood out against such overwhelming
odds. The present occupants, who are
named Dey. although no relatives OF the
former owner have no supersdtious fears
of the place. The house Is the perfection
OF neatness, and the family seems to be
restingi in immunity from the dread
scourge Of Burr.
Many OF these facts were gathered from
old residents. chief among whom was Dr.
John Holmes, second cousin to the late
illustrious DR.. Oliver Wendell Holmes.
a historian and antiquarian, whose data
are unimpeachable. Theold graveyard
displays quite a colony OF the victims of
the evil eye of Burr. Whether or not
the banshee of the mansion of the cross
roads has now exhausted his ingenuity,
ard will rest on his lurels, remains 10
be seen.
Daily Eagle. by carrier. 10c per week.
Lexington's $40 900 In Purses
Lexington. KY, Sept. 2-The members
Of the kentucky Horseoreeders' associa-
ton met today and instructed Secretary