The Snowflake herald., 1914-07-18
sketch of the Life
of William J. Flake, Sr.
,continued from second page)

Botn, IS[, tween them and any loss. HI
stana p'S hid them goodbye, and started
agregSu' agaSn J nen, travelling by stage. Th'
for hol tho Showed him every considera
nlarSnGW5 When they got to Phoenix, where
ton. orn j" nI to take the train, the mar
tneiy toId " him they would lay over there
slla1 Say and for him to go to Mesa anc
aua' ;t his friends if he wanted to--only
vSIH1 niS in time to take certain train
be pGon %o did and when he came to the
IhiS III tbe marshal handed him some
tram 'iaT and told him he could pay his
monVg mo-. wav and then no one would know
own L,os wy prisoner. He gave the money
ne M'D and said, "No, | am no more
D&Cn D&SCnn,ed of being a prisoner than you
asnalff!IbG having me. | am no felon. .
are oorTed VI his time and when he was
Irnaipased the warden told him that ne
Led LoJ done more to reform the prison
n~J ~J better the conditions than any
anu had ever done, and the prisoners
nnno lllam the same testimony, saying that
I0ben pJl1 he came there they were treated
oe bruteg-now as men.
when the day for his release came
na n,onev to pay his fine had not
cached .1s Yuma but the warden turned
linn loose, telling him he could send the
rnnnev r,,l,r back when he got home. He
I.U hoJ hardly reached home when he
iIH0rrod Il@1 that the brother whom he had
in9""clolmmodated by obtaining bondsmen
chin az him had run away and left him to
nov ~, the S2. 900. He received little
Poi from some of the people but had
70 raise the greater part of it himself.
Tbot meant all he owned and to save
bic home he must borrow. This he had
no no trouble in doing for his credit was
alwavs good and no man ever asked
him for security.
short time after this he fitted up
four teams of five spans each, went to
the Gila where freighting was good
and went to freighting. After work
mo all winter he got chance to sell
his outfit and settle up all he owed.
On all the land he bought he never
made dollar. Every piece was sold
for the price he paid for it and sold to
Door people mostly, and they were
allowed to pay when they could and no
man ever paid him one cent of inter-
est They paid in labor or produce,
cattle or horses, anything they could
get. and some of them do not seem to
have got it yet, for they have not paid.
In all this the Lord blessed him, and
he was able to pay out $50 cattle 6, 700
sheep. more than keep up his share of
all public works and spending thousands
in helping the poor.
When the dams by which the people
at St. Joseph or Woodruff got their
water from the Little Colorado river
would go out, they would need help,
for they were poor and worked against
many difficulties. He was always on
hand and did more, perhaps, than any
one man from the outside to help re-
place them, and yet during all this
time he never needed a dollar but
what he could get it. He did not even
select himself good piece of land
from any of his purchases, but when
he bought Snowflake, had committee
survey the land in five and ten acre
lots, put prices according to the grades,
just enough to pay the purchase price,
and he drew for his land with the rest.
During all the years since he started
out IN life no needy person has ever
been turned from his door empty
handed, no matter what they needed.
A traveller losing horse and not having
money to buy another, got horse and
went on his way rejoicing; or if it
We're food clothing or even a team and
wagon, they got it, returned it, or paid
for it later or let it go, just as they
pleased. One team and wagon, / re-
member, was returned after two years
absence, and no rental was ever paid.
For many years during the early
days of Snowflake there were no hotels.
He kept open house for all travellers.
Seldom did his family sit down to a
meal without company. For fifteen
years more food was given the stranger
than his family consumed, yet he never
charged any man a cent for either
himself or the feed for his animals.
he possessed all the hospitality for
winch the southern people are noted
and thousands of travellers bless his
name Tor his kindness to them.
In 1893 he got the opportunity he
mad long been looking for. Mr.. Henry
hunlng offered his place for sale. He
was not long getting others to go in
tIi WIN HIM and buy the place, each
SSaHlng SaH n@g5 one fourth, the price paid being
Slz,oOO. That was his last purchase
up 10 the present, and this land, like
Ine rest, he let go at cost. All he
S"! wanted was for our people to get pos
IN 1885 his wife, Prudence, died,
T5eavlng him four girls. She had long
oeen oe n confined to her home on account
Sl Sl Ill health, and in 1900 Lucy died.
Que que mad always been healthy and
sSrohg' Thus he was left alone at
tbn tIilG IN HE when a man needs most
S! SHe LOVING hand of a wife to aid him.
SLlce oLH9 that time he has lived with the
Uiilluren, vli4 most of the last few years
ooVI1 WIN FeaIl, who has done all that she
vIGiu TS;Il TO make his life happy, and
fr;nn3 Silie surrounded by loved ones and
fr,eauS fon M on every side, he is still lonely
cUonJSe3 eDl nose who have gone before. He
bpTnuS bennl his life trying to make others
TT"Ppy, TnPpppy, and more especially trying to
rsTten cisIl. the burden of the poor, espe-
'lally the old folks.
many of his posterity meet today to