The Savannah morning news., 1901-05-06
AN ORIGINAL SPEND THRIFT.
Kentucky Youths Method in Dis
sipaHng His PntrimOny.

The exploits of spectacular spendthrifts
In New York had been under discussion,
and the Western man, sidetracked In the
the very first opportunity he Interrupted:
Anybody can spend money in New
York" he declared. "In every case you
have mentioned the methods Of dissipat-
ing fortunes have been of about a kind.
Diamonds for actresses, race horses, and
drink, with occasionally little gambling,
have accounted for every one OF your
prodigals. The only thing surprising about
your spendthrifts of the Feast Is that they
have not developed a small amount of
originality.
Now. / had the fortune to know a
young man not many years ago up in the
Kentucky mountains who found way to
get rid of a reasonably large estate for
that part of the country In a remarkably
short time. and that, too. in way that
was distinctly his own. In New York, a
fortune means "a round million or So In
Kentucky, generally a hundred thousand
Is regarded in about the same light. In
the mountains you divide again by ten.
The particular spendthrift / have in
mind was young Avis Turner OF Bell
county Kentucky, at the time ! speak
Of, frequenter of the town in Bell known
as PineviIe Alvis was the son of Capt.
Jack Turner a leading politician of Bell
county and an important parsonage in
his community Capt. Jack was a rich
man, as nountaineers go. and In addition
to large and well cultivated farm hid
bonds and mortgages which made him a
power In local affairs. Young Avis had
been to school, and in other ways enjoy
ed advantages unusual for young men
OF his type.
THE lad took a very eager interest In
one particular quarrel, In which his IA
ther had a leading part, namely. feud
with another mountain faction, led by
General Sowders, the elder Turner be-
ing man of parts, and consequently
mixed up In about all the trouble that
was going In his locality
"Alvis inherited his fathers estate and
lights rather suddenly as the result OF a
rife shot fired from hotel window In
Pineville one day. Capt. Jack, who had
been involved in a political row, being
snuffed out In exactly the same style as
was the late Kentucky Goyernor-elect
William Goebel. No one ever knew who
killed his father, but Avis took II for
granted that the Sowders following was
responsible. After the custom of the
mountain people. he set himself the task
OF ANtDklHE the mufutT. ne was sole ntlT
and with all speed possible, had the es-
tate settled. and though stu a minor
took possession Of everything and turned
II into ready money
with something In the neighborhood
OF $4,000. few weeks later. he took the
warpath. A young man with that amount
Of money could not want for friends any
where. but in the Kentucky mountains the
money and the prospects of plenty OF
fighting brought 10 the boy In a remarka-
bly, short time all the most desperate of
Jack Turner's old friends. and after that
all that Avis had to do was to pay and
lead.
Il have never figured out just how the
lad managed to get rid Of the money he
spent but from all that is known he
really shot away his patrimony In a
very short time. He armed and mount
ed his band, and did II in the most APP
proved fashion. One thing / remember
that called for the unqualified admiration
q his own kind In the mountains was
the purchase OF guns Of the pattern read
OF In the stories OF big game shooting IN
Africa. the kind Of gun that shoots OK
plosive bullets. That sort OF thing Is