The suburban citizen., 1902-09-20

In Ohio for a time he was held In
much regard, Notwithstanding his pow
erty. He was a soldier in the War of
1872 and for a time was a Brigadler-
General in the State militia. After the
"War of 70" as il was called, he re-
turned to his cabin in the woods, near
Urbana, o. In 1920 he moved to Mad
River, in sight Of the old Indian town
OF Wappatomica, where he had once
been tied to a stake.
Even here the poor old man was
pursued by judgments and eXecutions
from Kentucky courts. He still bad
some tracts Of mountain lands in that
State, but they had been forfeited for
taxes, though the amount Of such taxes
would to-day be considered ridiculous
ly small. lie tried boring for salt
These ventures were failures. His last
resource was to apply to the Kentucky
lie cislature to release his forfeiture.
In 1924 broken old man Of seventy
years, mounted on a bony old nag
started southwark from the little cabin
in the Mad River woods. At last he
reached Frankfort, the capital Of Ken
lucky. There, in what he had known
as an unbroken wildwood, stood city,
with towering church steeples, busy
factories, and the romes of 4 thriving,
happy people.
He rubbed his eyes as he looked at
this scene of enchantment As he
rode into the city his strange appear.
ance and ragged attire, the shaky, bony
old horse. whose ribs were so strongly
outlined against the hide, brought
hundreds to the doors to see the aged
wanderer
There was not a face he knew. There
was none who recognized in the broken
old man the hero Of whom all had
heard, the Simon Kenton Of the laugh.
ing gray eyes, the curling red locks,
light of heart ready of hand, fleet of
foot. At last one in the city Of stran'
gers recognized him. 1t was General
Fletcher, who had been a companion.
in-arms in the War Of 10. He grasped
the veteran by the hand with a gener.
Gus warmth that brought tears to the
wan and wrlnkled cheeks of the old
man.
General Fletcher saw to it that the
second man Of the early history of the
State Boone having been the first
should have a true Kentucky welcome.
He made the old man the lion of the
day Kenton was taken to the State
House. lie was given the place Of
honor. seated in the Speakers chair
and here legislators, distinguished
judges and citizens were introduced
to him.
He had been fixed up by General
Fletcher to meet this company, the
General having bought him a suit Of
new clothes, a new hat, and a shirt
with rufIles. Better than this, his lands
were released, and shortly afterward,
by the eXertion Of a number of men
Of influence and position, the Congress
of the United States voted him, in rec.
ognition Of his great services to the
country, a pension Of $3.50 year.
enough to secure his old age from alb.
solute want.
The simple-mlnded old man during
the ten or more remaining years of
his life, wore, it is said. the same
clothes and hat that he wore when the
guest Of the people Of Kentucky, and
he always declared tnat his visit to
Frankfort was the greatest and hap.
piest period of his life.
He died in 1896 at the age Of eighty.
one years in his little cabin in the
woods, surrounded by his family and
in sight of the very spot where, nearly
sixty years before, he had saved him
self from the torture fire by means of
his wonderful burning glass Indian.
apolis News.