Show BILLIE WILLIAMS BV BY THE OLD TIMER William Williams one of or the early settlers of Centerville emi coil emigrated grated to Utah in 1856 he was of or Welch descent strong and handsome Shortly after alter his arrival he mar married ried Tied a young oung English lassie named Mary I have forgotten her herI I maiden name They lived happily together until one day wy a 1 stranger came to town made her acquaintance acquaintance tance and between the two they I formed unholy alliance She left Williams and went to live with her new She lived but a short while after and was buried I in fn an obscure part of the the Cen- Cen Centerville terville cemetery As a a boy this old timer remembers bers that the now beautiful cemetery cemetery tery was used only in part the m m south half was covered with a I luxurious growth gro of sage brush for some unknown reason how how- however however however ever there had been a few buried there and of these few one was Mary Williams Despondent lonely and bitter Williams turned bitterly from the leaders of or the church and soon there from From here hereon on he lived the life lUe of a cave e man or a hermit a 1 recluse as one shut shutout shutout out from society the greater part of his remaining life lUe was spent on the hills or in the of the canyons canons Up on the hill bin side close dose by a a spring he dug up a piece of o ground and planted a little garden he planted a tree there which was known kno for years ears as the lone tree on Billie meadow He lie did consider consIder- considerable consIderable considerable able prospecting even een now can be seen here and there on the hills above aboe Centerville holes dug in Inthe inthe the cliffs by this recluse One day da when the morning paper came there was a notice in In- inscribed Inscribed scribed which said quote As in-I in I came camo down over o the mountain from Hardscrabble today where I had been looking after my sheep I ran into a dead man lying in the drag road he is about one mile up the Centerville canyon canyo I picked up his watch lying by his side Signed J. J Fowler end of quote A group of o men were soon gath gath- gathered gathered gathered ered and started in search of the dead man as I remember some of them were Wm Dalton Wm Cheney Frank Smith George Smith John Duncan Sam Rigby L. L A. A Dalrymple Charley Gams Garns and George Kettleman They soon found Cound and md identified him hIm hIm-he he was none other than our old recluse Billie Williams They made a litter and carried him down do to his home He lie was given a 1 respectable burial with impressive ceremonies in the Centerville cemetery not by the side of Mary but in a corner all by himself as he had lived so he died and was buried The watch that thal Mr Fowler picked up was recovered ered and sold soldat soldat at al auction together with other chattels to defray funeral ex ex- Wm Dalton bought the watch picked up by Fowler and carried it during his life lifetime Some thirty years after alter the death of Williams while hunting pheasants John Duncan and Sam Rigby found his shot gun it was about fifty flUy yards ards from where they had discovered dIsco his body Like Rip Van Vm Winkles Winkle's gun it had grown in and up with ith the tree A short time ago aio this old muzzle muzzIe loading double shotgun shot fell into the hands han b of or Ray Rigby and he in 10 turn gave ga it to the Daughters of or Pioneers If one wishes he might sec see it along with many other anti ant antiques antiques ques in the DUP log cabin Respectfully TIlE THE OLD TIMER TillER |