The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-11-19

keeper out ne broke Win ner, SSltAIS d
! sum said TO have been about $40 on her
/ when he concluded TO win the daughter
/ OF the rich John Dawson. over al Niles,
on the outskirts Of Moravia. Nancy
Brown had two daughters that grew 10
young womanhood here and for whom
she worked hard one Of them went
West and we do not know what became
of her. The other, Cornelia, was a school
teacher here for a time and finally mar
( RED a man named Saxton. She now lives
/ at Cortland near here. and is an estin-
( abe, aged woman Nancy Brown after
/ ward married man named Burlinganas.
an drhe children Of that union. and the
f granddaughter, are valuable members OF
this and other communities
IL recalling the kindness of Mrs. Jake
I to John D. and william. it has always
+ been q source Of wonder to me that the
two men did not out OF their vast Wealth.
Go something substantial for Jake and
Us wife in their old age. Jake, through
his careless habits, became 50 poor that
he earned only . miserable existence
burning charcoal over in 'Robinson's hol-
low, and was some times compelled TO ask
f Tor charity. Then his son John, the i'd
down ana took his mother and father TO
live with him. His farm was encountered
with q debt OF $3.50, and / am told thar
after the death Of his father, while his
mother was still alive. he wrote his first
cousin. John D. asking him TO save his
/ home for him. Well. the farm was sold
under foreclosure, and John and his
mother maze out as best they could, but
very badly.
IN her last days Mrs. Jake was quite
comfortable. for her son John was as
steady as clock, as he is today. John
told me mat he had never received any
thing but some cast-off clothing from
John D., but that John D. had once sent
his father, Jake. s. by his Jake'sJ brother
Bert (EgberO. Berts wife also had some
cast-oH waists and other things from John
. family"
Dioclesian Sears. who knew Billy"
Rockefeller so wen, is a merry Old gen
tieman, whose son James. with whom he
lives, is supervisor Of Richford. and one
Of the townships most prominent men.
The aged Nj Sears was for many years
q mag istrate in this place.
The first time I ever saw Billy Rookie
Teller" said he. was in June, lS52, when
he had come through from Massachusetts
by way OF Hartford BILLS, He told NE
then that his name was Rockefeller, and
later, when We became better acquainted,
he told me Iaughingly Of some incidents
of that trip
1t is a fact that he freely admitted to
me that at that time he was going about
the country posing as deaf and dumb
Ill l~.-.. into
into which he allowed people 70 peep.
( Tied in his buttonhole was q small slate,
upon which was written: I am deaf and
dumb
"He visited the home Of a man named
Skinner near Hartford Hills, and show
ed his slate 10 Mr.. Skinner. 3Ir. Skinner
said he believed him 10 be an impostor
and threatened TO cane him. Billy told
ne about this. and said he was sorely
afrgid that Mr. Skinner was going TO
whip him Billy was fine. strong young
nan, but Skinner frightened him, be-
cause. l suppose. he was an old man
whom Billy could not retaliate upon.
From SINNERS Billy went to the house
Of William Cross. where he showed his
State to Emeiine Cross, Mr.. Cross's IL
year-old daughter The child could not
read the writing on the slate. and called
10 Abraham Deeming. a blacksmith, TO
read it. Deeming knew Billy in Massa-
chusetts and not as deaf and dumb
man and Billy hurried away
At the house OF Deacon Wells, the
-deacon's daughter. Ms. Smith knew the
deaf and dumb alphabet and talked with
Billy. who also knew the alphabet Des-
con Wells kept him over sunday, and on
Sunday invited him to so to church Billy
told him in writing that he liked 10 go to
church. but that his infrmity caused him
To be stared AT, 50 that he was aoashed
and would not go. He really feared that
he might be exposed b. some one.
seven months later, wneu Billy had
purchased a farm on Michigan Hill and
vas not known as deaf and dumb, he
went TO the house Of Deacon Wells. who
had removed TO Richford, to meet = Mr..
Robbins. of Massachusetts,, and get his
deed for the farm. Robbins had bought
a lot Of land hereabout and was selling
il. Wells was his local agent There was
quite = party If people there that day.
all 10 meet Robbins and get their deeds,
and ali sat down at dinner together
some one told Mrs. Smith that they
thought the man who had once been in
that section as "a dear anu uurnn man was
there ard that nc could talk better than
most any one else. Vel. sail Mrs.
smith. L can tel him in a minute I Il go
ia and look at him.
when she went in Billy was talking
away in his best vein To her father. How
do YOU do?' said Mrs Smith 10 Billy. !
sea that you can talk better than when I
saw. YOU last Yes said Billy. who was
non a "a ablshed I am somewhat i'm
proved,
AS said Billy first appeared 10 me in
.gune ~. and in December Of thar year
ne settled here He was drawn here BY
ths fac. that Woodruff Stanton had mar
RED his sister IT Great Harrington and
removed here. having only just settled
here. There are quite a number Of the
Stantons. descendants OF Billy's sister,
In ,.As section now. some Of them right
in Richf-rd. and they ware among our
best people
Billy told me that Re sold Yankee no.
tons when ne was away from home on
these long trips. ard I believe he told
tho truth He told re that he bought
rims for cents and sold them tor E
ard s.. When ne finally succeeded as
relsler he uscd 70 dress like a prince
and kept everyone wondering He al
WAYS laughed great deal and enjoyed
tra suecl.latiar he caused He was not
a drinking man and treated his family
wi when he was hon.. but every one
knew that he neglected the family By
leavirg them TO sniff Tor themselves for