Arizona republican., 1907-10-12
fORTY-ThREE YEARS THE LETTER WAI1tD
Strange Story Of Q. w. McCallen, Who Was Lost to His Relatives for Over Half Century.

D. w. McCallen, better known as county, was in Phoenix yesterday en route home, after a very eventful visit in the east. It was his first trip back to the old home in Pittsburg for fifty one years and it is easy to imagine that he saw many changes. He went primarily to see his relatives, if he could find any, thing he was not very sure about, and he came very near failing to do so. It was only by lucky chance that he did find them. but when successful he had the finest kind of a visit.
 Fffty-one years ago Mir. McCallen turned his face to the westward. It was during the gold excitement in Cal ifornia and he kept travelling until he reached the western strand As was so often the case in those days, he neglected to write and the mail ser vice was a very haphazard institution anyway. He finally lost track of his relatives from whom he was so widely separated, and did not think it worth while to try and restore communica- tion. Eventually he drifted down into Arizona and a number of years ago he located in Pinal county acquiring val uable claims. Some of them he still owns and some he has sold providing himself with competence.
 MT. McCallen is now v years old and being in easy circumstances he decided to visit Pittsburg again. He might or might not be able to find his relatives, if any were yet living. but he could at least see the city and note the changes of the better part of life time. He left on his journey several weeks ago but when he reached Pitts burg he was lost, except for the guide books, police and other officials who take care of strangers. He was pre- pared to be surprised and startled but he was not prepared to be completely bewildered. He looked the city over to his satisfaction but could find mo- body that he knew, or had even heard about in former days. Neither could he find anybody who knew anyone he could name as possibly a relative. He had decided that he couldnot live very long in that smoky city and would not If he could, and was about prepared to give up all hope of finding any rela- tive, however distant. and return to Arizona again. when it occurred to h:m to apply to the police
 The chief was found but he said it was too far back in history for him to grasp as he had only been living there during the period since he was born. However he accompanied Mir. Mccall len to the office of the mayor who was an older man. He could not give any inf .i, to be a clerk in the office who had known people of that name and after working the telephone while, rela- tive was found. A date was made for MT. McCallen to be at a certain place the next day and when he got there he faced a whole housefull of relatives.
 The face that most appealed to him was that of his sister who was mar ried to a man he had known in child hood. The sister then handed to MT. McCallen letter dated in 1864, written by brother, now dead for many years and addressed to Ar. McCallen in san Francisco. It had been returned to the writer and kept in the family ever since, awaiting the day when his ad- dress should be made known. The letter was written in a fine hand-writ- Ing and the ink was certainly good for it had not faded in the slightest, and the envelope carries the old fashioned three cent stamp. The letter is mere ly about family matters. and states the anxiety to hear from the wanderer who at the time of the writing was supposed to be in San Francisco.
 Mir. McCallen, who left for his home in Kay yesterday. said he could not and would not live in Pittsburg now. but he will surely visit the old home town and the relatives from whom he has been so long separated. every sum- mer from now until the end.