The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-19
CLINTON DIES
 WITH LIFE SECRET An Old Associate Tells of His
 Peculiar Habits WAS A MINERALOGIST Man Who Is Supposed to Be Worth More Than s1OO,00O Leaves
 No Definite Information of
 His Relatives

| NO deVelopmentS have taken place that would lead to the discovery of anyone of l the kindred of John Clinton, the aged re- cluse, who died last Wednesday at a local infirmary. leaving property and interests l which will reach a valuation, according to reports of over s100,O0O.
 l The remains are being held at the par | lors of the Green Undertaking company, | while every effort is being made to find the two daughters of the old man, who, | according to a statement from him short l ly before his death, live in Pittsburg, and are respectively IS and 19 years of age. Many people have viewed the remains and have identified them as those of John Clinton. Among them was Max Sington, with the firm of Loveman, Joseph & | Loeb, who was many years ago connected in business with the deceased. | MT. Sington said: ,"As soon as I saw tho name John Clinton in the paper. I qrickly guessed the rest of the story. For several years I have been wondering what had become of him, and I had made numerous attempts to locate his whereabouts. He was always a man of very strange habits.
 l Clinton n Mineralogist About IS years ago I first came in touch with John Clinton, at Marion, where he was employed by a cotton ware house company. He was a man with a | bright quick mind, and had a wide | Knowledge of mineralogy. It was he who discovered the mineral properties of Clin- ton Springs, near Marion, which were | t,t, l. tod of the seams of coal in Tuscaloosa county that were afterward developed. Several years afterward, about 1895, he and l formed what was known as the Clinton Coal company, which purposed | the development of minerals in Tusca- oosa but the holdings were so small that the idea of putting any large amount of | money into the scheme was abandoned. l Clinton originated the combination of Walton, Davis & Clinton, for the opera ton of barge line on thee Warrior river, but this proved an unsuccessful attempt.
 Ut was said that Clinton was the owner and captain of Mississippi steamboat | for a long time before he came to Ala bama, and always thought that his love for the water led him Into the barge line venture. He had the appearance of a | boatman, and always wore a dark bloused shirt and a heavy gold chain. caught in his belt, like typical steamboat captain
 Former Life
 'In regard to his former life he was always reticent, and he would invariably turn the subject if ever mentioned. Ii | was rumored when I first knew him that he came from Pittsburg to the south leaving over S50,000 in bonds to certain members of his family in that city. Many surmises have been made as to his iden- tity, some of them holding that Clinton was not his real name, but an assumed arpellage behind which he was thought | to rave secluded himself from the world No one can say how much of this was correct.
 During our business associations I was frequently in company with the old man. looking over certain mineral lands which we were developing. He had a consum- mate skill in detecting mineral deposits and spent most of his time roaming among the hills in search of ore. He slept in lonely huts, where many times I have found him leaning over before the fire which was the only light in the place. often suggested that he had best give me some instructions in regard to himself, in view of things that might happen, but he always said, Never mind. everything is all right
 Had Secret Fund
 'In spite of the fact that he was always seeking financial backing for his enter prises I am certain that he must have hao some secret fund with which he car ried out his plans, and accumulated what l believe will amount to a fortune of over $1o0,O0O.
 q doubt very much" said MT Sington If anything further will be known of the family of John Clinton. I am certain that I can locate all of his property. and in- tend to see that his remains are Tot con signed to the potters field. If Mir Clinton hai wished to leave any last instructions for the disposal of his body and his prop erty, I think he would have sent for me ard I feel sure he must have known was easily at hand, for he died at an in f1rmary which is only few blocks from my home"