Death of the Last Survivor

William Kruger, the last survivor of the Wickenburg Massacre, exhibited classic symptoms of PTSD as a result of the attack.  His steadfast devotion to his "Battle Buddy," Mollie Sheppard, would not have been understood by 19th century Americans, so he was considered depraved and degraded because he "took up" with her.  Sadly, he devolved from a respected and trusted government employee to a drifter who eked out a living as a saloon manager, then finally a bartender before becoming completely disabled, likely due to alcoholism some three months prior to his death.  Discrepancies in his reported age in several censuses made tracking him through history difficult, but an experienced manhunter develops a "feel" for the quarry.  In Kruger's case, an unmarried male of approximately the right age living alone among strangers in a boarding house or hotel.  His age at his two enlistments narrowed down his date of birth, which proved consistent with his age at the time of the 1900 census and his death only ten days later.