The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-04-06
Doc BLACK DEAD
Breathed His Last il Uncon-
seriousness Yesterday
AT HALF PAST FOUR
Had Been in Wichita for Thir-
ty Years.

H W. Black, Familiarity known in
Wichita for the last twenty-five years,
died yesterday afternoon about half past
four O'Clock Of heart disease. He had
beer. sick for long time. suffering such
pain as frequently was severe enough to
make him unconscious. and number OF
times within the last year it was thought
that he would not recover. But he al
ways rallied until yesterday. when ne
took SUDDENLY worse about o'clock in the
morning and became unconscious within
an hour. The family stayed near him al
day, watching aim closely. He sank
gradually until half past four, when the
end came without a struggle Miss Stella
Reifel Of Des Moines, Iowa, a niece, has
been here for some time helping 70 take
care Of him, and was near him at the
last Mr. Black had celebrated his sixty
fourth birthday last Sunday, April L A
H Black Of Reno county, who was sum-
noned here by telegraph, is the only
brother that survives him. A sister, Mrs.
n. J. Kuhgle, lives here, another IN
PIeasanton, Kan, and a third lives in the
south somewhere and has not been heard
from for several years.
Doc" Black came to Wichita in the
fall Of 1870, and had therefore been a res
fdent Of the town for nearly thirty years.
He brought 1t is said, in money, horses
and other property. probably $4,000 or
$50 coo, most Of which he had accumulat-
Cd in Wyoming on contract work for the
4
and bridge timber. He had Been all over
the west. He was a Kentuckian by birth
a Hoosier by training and Of a strong
Democratic faith in his political belief
all his life. II he ever complained Of Is
relatives it was because some Of them
were Republicans. The first livery barn
ever opened for business in Wichita, or at
least the first Of pretentious parts enough
to become a part Of the history of the
town, was opened by Doc. Black and
stood on the bank of the Big Arkansas
near the little place Doc lived in when
he died yesterday. He opened the River
side hotel later. a building recently
bought and moved from West Douglas
to be used in some improvements on the
outskirts He acquired a great deal Of
property on Waco avenue, extending
from Douglas avenue almost TO where
the Missouri Pacific passenger depot now
stands. At one time in the boom here
this property with other accommodations
Of Doc Blacks, at the price real estate
was currently rated and at which it stood
on the market was worth a million dol
lars. A list of sixteen milIionaires once
published in Wichita included Doc
Blacks name. The little home on the
bank Of the river facing almost in the
center down Douglas avenue. in which he
spent the later years of his life. indicat-
ed nothing Of the thousands he had once
owned or Of the important public enter
prises he had helped in the city.
He was Of the rough exterior usually
developed by border life, but he was
kind even Iavishly generous to men in
his employ, and in his more prosperous
days had given away thousands Of dol
/ lars. He had kept a hotel for the freisht-
ers who came to Wichita from all over
southern Kansas before the railroads hal
/ cut distance out Of the map Of the short
grass country, and for years was used to
10 other class Of men. II was the nearest
/ the class Of men he had known IN the
/ lumber forests. and he enjoyed II
/ No arrangements have been made for
! the funeral yet, and viii not be until the
/ Reno county brother arrives today.