Arizona republican., 1915-08-09
HE RETURNED
 0N CIRCUS DAY
Mr. Andrew Downing of This City Revisits Boone, Iowa, of Which He Was Pioneer and It's First Postmaster

Mr Andrew Downing, who left Phoenix nearly Q. month ago, is visit ing old scenes and old friends in the western and middle states. Among the former is Boone, Iowa, and the Boone News Republican, of which, by the way, he was once the owner, says of him:
 Andrew Downing, of Phoenix, Ari- zona left this morning for Council Bluffs for a visit with relatives and friends before departing for his home. He has just concluded an unusually pleasant sojourn in this city, the city of which he was the first regularly elected mayor. MT. Downing is as young and spry as he was in the good lold pioneer: hears as well as he did then. sees almost as well, goes about like a youngster of twenty, and seems
 to have gained rather than lost keen
 ness of intellect, with his advancing
 years. He came back circus day, last Friday for a few days visit with his
 old time partner in business and close
 friend. w. B. Means, and the two cro-
 nies have worked overtime. By way of
 welcome to the city a sneak thief re- 1ieVed MT. Downing of his pocketbook
 almost as soon as he alighted from No. 8 The pocketbook with his re-
 turn ticket. draft and papers was later
 found in a mail box down by the city park. For this MT. Downing was truly grateful. The message that the val uables had been found came to MT
 Downing at the Means residence while the family was enjoying lunch.
 The second half of the meal was en- livened much more than the first half. the phone message seeming to whet MT. Downing's appetite.
 During the past week MT. Downing has shaken hands with many of the old guard and has spent many a pleas Urable hour in "reminiscences. These "reminiscences took all back to the old days, to the days before the rail-
 road, to the days of the lonesome prairies and before the plains were cultivated and made rich The "old boys recalled numerous tales of pio- neer life and reminisced to their hearts content. These little "get to- gethers" at odd moments and in most any section of the down town business portion of the city helped pass the time pleasantly for MT Downing and for his friends as well. At the Means ltSlutIlCe llltIt WdS dllIiOSl d tOUSldHt stream of pioneers and the past week has been a sort of informal reception at the home of MT. Means.
 MT. Downing was collared" last evening before he packed his trunk and the reporter inveigled him into talking for publication. He is a man of literary ability and a former editor and the reporter pleaded with him to write an article for publication, of the days gone by. MT. Downing like all newspaper men and eX-newspaper men was glad to talk but insisted that he be relieved of the task of writing it He proved an unusually good per son to interview and often turned in terviewer. MT Downing was the first regularly elected mayor of the city. He served on the city council, was six years on the school board and served with s. R. Page and Elder Simons when the latter was president of the board. He worked with Prof. N E. Goldthwait when the latter was SUD- erintendent of schools. His term of mayor was during 1867 and he lived