The Paducah sun., 1905-12-15

OWensDorO, ky., Dec. 15.-One OF
the unique characters known in
OwenSboro for more than a third ,of
a century Is gone. George Alien,
the Old flatboatman, net weaver, cir
sue man, stage driver of the olden
time, dweller In the jungles of the
river bottoms, and, in his latter
days. faithful watchman, died sud
denly at Faiths fishboat, where he
had lived a solitary life for many
years. A blood clot on the brain
was the cause of mis- death. He was
apparently IN his usual health up to
the instant of his fatal attack.
There have been 1ew men In Ow-
ensboTo in the memory of living men
OF more checkered career. Born on
ocean liner as she put into the port
of New York, he had Travelled over
a great portion of the continent to
which he came as one of the young
est emagrants that ever landed in
American shores. He had, strictly
speaking, no native country and all
his life he never had home of his
own. His parents came from Ire
,ani, and many of the characteris-
tics OF the people of that island
were transmitted to "Uncle Aiken"
AS near as could be learned he was
about c5 years old. He always dis
Played an unwi,llngness to talk
about himself and very little was
ever known of him except by W. l..
Faith, who picked up some informa-
ton, little by little. from the old
mans daily conversation.
After landing in America. the
Aliens settled at Castle Garden.
where the, mother died when George
was about s years Old. Two years
,ater the father married a second
time and moved to Pennsylvania.
then to IlliOnis, then to Ohio. George
was left behind in New York and
began a rowing career, which con-
tinued until a few years ago. When
about 20 years Old. George Alien
came to Ohio, but whether he Joined
his father in thar state is not known.
At some of the river ports along
the Ohio shore he feG in with fiat
boat crew. and for a Number OF years
followed the river as fiatboatman.
That was during cAe ps,iod when
the fatboat ami flatboatmen CT the
fwstern rivers were becoming fig
""e e history, and George A.en
oS''iDs O'S d member OF tIhat inter
U''P' " made a num0er OF
ifa'''' VI -'-h ole being
The glory of the river
then. beginning to depart and al,
time Allen left il. He appeared Il
, Owensboro, where he was to spen
most of his days thereafter, as
stage driver in the employ OF Jane
: Miller, OF Cloverport. He drove
stage from Owensboro to HardinS
burg and Tar Springs in a day whe
the stage coach also was FACTOR !
civilization, when 1t was practicall
, the only means of overland transpo
| tatlon. His appearance at the time
l his first trip to Owensboro is vi'
idly impressed on the minds OF tho'
whose memory runs back so far, Il
wore gold earrings and was attire
in a suit of blue velvet, a jaunty nj
and calfskin leggings. That VIZ
shortly after the close of the war
l But Allen tired OF the profession
of stage driving as he had that
natboatman, and turned circus ma
He started out with Bill Lake
canvas man with a small 'land ci
Gus" But he did not remain lor
with Lakes show. Returning to IN
section, he took up his residence
the bottoms on the Indiana shor
finding employment of one kind
another and periodically wanderil
> away somewhere In the wide worl