The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-24
"CANNONBALL GREEN"
Once Millionaire and King of Stage
Drivers in Kansas

Pond Creek, O. T., Letter Kansas City
Journal
! was reminded of the early days of set
Element of Kngman. Pratt and Kiowa
countess In Kansas. the other day while
listening 10 a rather peculiar case in
Judge McAtee's court. A local bank had
forcioged a mortgage given on a lot of
stock, among which were a pair of mules
and a COW; the defendant, Green claimed
that these animals were not included in
the entry when he signed il, and that the
COW belonged 10 his wife. lie made this
claim in spite of the fact that the man
who witnessed his signature swore that
he read the mortgage in Green's presence,
and that the mules and COW were in
cluded.
No one would have recognized In the de-
PENDANT, Green, poorly clothed, unshaved,
gaunt TAN and thin, with face scanned
his last team and only COW, the one time
millionaire the man who boosted the
ownership of more diamonds than were
owned altogether west Of the Mississippi
by all other would-be diamond owners
that prince of stage drivers, "Cannonbalr'
Greenl
/ knew the colonel when he was at his
best That was back in the sos, when the
new country west of Wichita was setting
up so rapidly in spite OF the lack of rail
roads. The Wichita and Western Rail
way was built to Kingman, but west Of
that point stretched a vast and mysteri-
Gus plain, superstitiousy endowed with
fabulous fertility of soil and promising TO
enrich beyond measure the adventurous
farmer who would settle there. Cattle
men. who discoura ged this emigration,
were accused Of decelVlng the people who
were in search Of homes, from a selfish
spirit, and in several instances when fin
allv homeseekers accumulated along the
''border" in great numbers, so bitter was
the feeling against cattlemen that many
narrowly escaped from being mobbed.
In this wonderful development Cannon
hair Green saw his opportunity From
running a little mule livery stable at King
man he became the greatest overland
stage plunger the world has ever known,
at one time operating In his own name and
with no partners or backing whatsoever
over !. 500 miles OF stage line, all connected
and carrying mails, and all advertised to
carry passengers at the rate of ten miles
an hour. He owned seventy thoroughly
eouipped stage coaches, nearly 1000 stage
horses. and is credited with claiming that
he was prepared to carry more freight and
passengers than the Santa Fe. His own
private equipages land they were numer-
ous) were wonderful The carriage in
which his wife alone was allowed TO ride
cost nearly 5000 and was drawn by four
magnificent standardized Hamiltonians,
for which 5000 had been refused. The
harness was made in Chicago and Il is
an actual fact that It was set In gold
and diamonds
In those days he had an army of men on
his pay roll. He controlled the politics Of
seven or eight counties and was sent 10
the Kansas legislature from Ktowa md
his Western constituents often wondered
If there was anything impossible for Can
nonbaIl." But the stage business could not
last. The remarkable flow Of immigration
had attracted the attention of railroad msn
in that direction. The Santa Fe got hold
Of the Wichita and Western and pushed