Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-12-17
STRANGE LIFE ENDS
Professor e. e. Jones, Aged Musician
Of Traer, Had History Which Was
Never ReveaIed-ReaI Name Never
Divulged.
oecial to Times-Republlcan.

| 6tVuiSS0s
Special to Times-RepublIcan.
Traer, Dec 1.-THE death at this
place Of Professor E. E. Jones, an aged
musician who has lived solitary life
here many years. has started a fresh
speculation as to who the man was and
what was the secret Of his life. The
current issue Of the Star-Clipper says.
by his death has ended one OF the
strangest lives that ever filed a place
on the pages of Traer's history. AL
most nothing is known Of his early life.
He came to Traer over thirty years ago
and has been here constantly since.
| teaching music in hundreds Of homes,
| yet no one was able to draw from him
/ the secret of his life Various people
tell conflicting and incomplete stories
bearing upon the history of his career
in young manhood. but all can not be
true and no one knows whether any
are. One is to the effect that he was
a wild boy and his parents turned
him out when he came west Anoth-
err is that he was forsaken by a girl
he was about to marry. 1t Is clear
that he was an Englishman, and pref
/ ty we'll established that he was born
! in Birmingham, England, about sew
enty- nine years ago. His father is
said to have been among the aristro-
cratic of his land, but got into some
l,An1tftool nd RI Nav
York, bringing the family. Prof.
lines besides music, and in younger
mot the victim of drink. He took the
Kelley cure some years ago and had
been free from the habit since, ex-
cept possibly in the last year or so.
and then his indulgence was not eX-
oessive. He was an expert pianist
and was frequently heard in Traer
/ in early days. but he broke an arm,
(which never properly recovered it's
skill, and he performed little on any
instrument since.
1T is well Established that his real
name was not Jones but was changed
either when he came west or when
his father came from England. Par
ties claim he told them his former
name was Roberts, and that he was a
! brother of Lord Roberts, former
member of parliament. Others say
he told them his name was Hilton,
| that one member of the family was
the noted Lawyer Hilton associated
with A. T. Stewart in New York.
Prof Jones was never known to have
any correspondence with relatives
after coming west. Nothing what
ever was found among any of his eff
fects to give any clue to the past A
few months ago friend, noticing
his rapid physical decline. asked him
| to divulge something of his history.
His only reply was, my history will
be buried with me- and it has been.
Altho a resident here for a third
of a century, no one knows even his
name Hidden deep in his heart was
some secret that largely controlled
! his life. He said he belonged to the
Episcopalian church before coming
west For many years he was a reg
ular attendant of the Traer Congre-
| gational church. The funeral was
held Saturday afternoon in the M. E.
church, conducted by its pastor. The
Odd Fellows, to which he belonged
many years, attended in body. Bur-
| ial was in Buckingham. Deceased
left no property and scarcely suffi-
cient money to meet the funeral ex-
penses. He made thousands in his
profession, but it went easier than
| it came. He had some life insur-
ance, but had borrowed money on 1t.
At his request a plain monument will
be erected over his grave bearing on
ly the name, "E. E. Jones'" Thus
ends a mysterious life, the secrets OF
which will never be known. Thus
passes to the great beyond a man
highly educated, cultured, refined.
unselfsh, generous and good hearted
but who lived almost within himself"