Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-03-08
WAR VETERAN IN
HELPLESS STATE
MAN IS YEARS OLD IS IN
CLUTCH OF POVERTY
LONGS FOR REINSTATEMENT AT
SOLDIERS HOME
After Career RepIete with Stirring
Incidents, Is Incapacitatsd by lll-
ness from Following Trade
of Jeweler

Suffering intensely from muscular
rheumatism and confined to his room,
being for the greater part Of the time In
bed in an old shack at the rear of the
lot at 430 South Gates street, lives Will
liam Dana Carr, a war veteran.
Mr.. Carr, when seen by Herald re-
porter, said it was his great desire to
get back to the Soldiers home, from
which he had been released about three
years ago. He has been at his present
place about one year, and has been I'M
able for several months to attend to the
jewelry work at which he has eked out
meager subsistence in connection with
his pension of $40 a month. His only as
sstantS is William Fritz, laborer.
who provides his meals and hunks on
couch in the room with Mr.. Carr.
Mr.. Carr says he is IS years of age.
He Is very decrepid, suffers much pain
and complains of sleepless nights. He
is quite forgetful and can only relate
incidents of his life with considerable
difficulty.
Following is the substance of his own
words in relating portion of his earlier
career on the Colorado river:
when l was in Guaymas, Sonora, In
as. a stranger touched me on the arm
and asked If l lived in that city. l re-
piled that | had lived there for some
time. He said he had just arrived in
town and was a stranger. He had a
horse and mule with packing OUTFIT,
and wanted place to stop over night:
| took him to a Mexican house He
gave his name as DR.. James Lincoln OF
st. Louis, Mo- He said he had a scheme
on foot to go to the Colorado river and
1Slyn 7 a
the means and wanted to join him in
the undertaking. 1 told him that / had
on hand only $500. He didn't object to
that amount, and after due conside-
ration we decided we would go into the
business.
Next morning we bought tools to
build the ferry boat, and supplied our
selves with provisions to start on the
trjo of about zoo miles to our destina-
ton, We found an old Mexican packer
with ten mules, and engaged him for $50
to take us to the Colorado river. We
had great difficulty in getting the help
we needed, but we Numbered on big
six-foot negro who proved to be a pro-
fessional whip saver and he pulled
us through many hard places.
ION arriving at our destination we
found an old canoe and a few stray
Cling Indians. We bought the canoe,
packed our traps in it and crossed the
river.
"At a distance of half a mile from
the river we were compelled TO cut big
trees and roll them down to the river
bank with which to build our boat.
I'VE made our ferry boat, went into
the ferry business and for six months
met with great success, coming money.
But our fortune was changed by the
coming of a rough gang of fourteen
outlaws, whose leader was John Clan
ton, a notorious bandit.
"Glanton ordered us to go into part
nership with him and his gang, or he
would take the ferry boat from us 10
force. We saw that our only show was
to concede to his demands. The bust
ness brought money hand over fist,
but much of it was squandered by the
gang. At one time big lot of whisky
was brought in and a great carousal
was the result. saw how things were
going, and at different times l buried
money amounting to $4,000. Several
years afterward | dug it up and went
into the jewelry business in Los Ange-
les. But to return to the ferry bust
ness. 1t so happened that two of the
crew and myself were away some dis
tance from the river cutting trees when
q gang of wild Indians came whooping
down on the others at the ferryboat
and killed them ALL To make long
story snort, am the only one remain
ing alive of that gang of seventeen.
1T have been wounded many times by
Indian arrows and myself have killed
many Indians.
IT was honorably discharged from the
army in 1862 after being wounded, and
have been in the jewelry business up
and down the coast for many years.
Formerly l drove a wagon, peddling
and repairing jewelry, with my head
quarters in Lcs Angeles. But now it is
all over am unable to work and have
nothing but my pension money think
I am entitled to shelter in the Soldiers
home -