Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1837-01-25
DEATH OF A REcLusE AND MrsrR.

AM
An old man, named John Yeargin,
was found dead IN his house, on Satur.
day, the 7th inst, at Charlottesville,
Va, having, it is supposed, died sud.
denly, the preceding day. The Char
lo~ttesville Republican, contains a long
account Of this singular individual,
from which we extract the following:
Mr.. Yeargin has been for thirty
years a r%ecluse from the world, living
by himself in his house where he died.
His dress was Of the most common
kind, and which generally consisted of
a pair of buckskin or cotton velvet
pantaloons, a green baize coat or iack-
ct, and a coarse cotton shirt-the one
which he had ON when he died was
black with grease and dirt, and looked
as if he had worn it without changing
for years. His diet was bacon, cheese,
and corn bread-tea and coffee he ne.
yer allowed himself, as he said tina. hot
Stops killed people. He cooked his
own victuals, and was economical in
tho manner of burning his wood, lay-
ing it endwise in the Fireplace, so that
1t should not burn out too fast. He
was a saddler by trade, and came to
Charlottesville about the year 1895,
and for awhile carried on the saddling
business. In 1903, he purchased his
present residence, and commenced the
sale of liquors and other articles, and
living almost entirely to himself, hoard.
ing up his money, and never receiving
any thing but gold or silver, for the
articles he sold, and giving no credit.
His house is q mass of filth and dirt,
and every thing covered with the dirt
and cobwebs of thirty years accumu.
mutation, crowded with casks, barrels,
bottles, and rubbish of all sorts. We
found large piles ofold newspapers and
several books. The books which he
read and valued could be distinguished
from the others. 1t would seem from
their appearance, and the marks put
in them, that he often perused the works
of Franklin, Goldsmith, and Pope Gu
pid's Songster, &c. Notwithstanding
his secluded habits, he is said to have
conversed politely and cheerfully with
all who visited him, was well informed
on the topics of the day, and gave his
opinions freely. He slept in a cham~
Der n the upper story of his house up.
on an old bed laid upon four sticks of
wood-the covering consisted of deer
skins, &c.
1T has always been said and be.
lieved by the citizens of this place that
Mr.. Yeargin possessed considerable
money, which he had buried or secre-
ted about his house. We were inform.
ed yesterday by a gentleman that du-
ring the years 1910, II, 10, '13, and
Ia, he purchased yearly a gallon stone
jar, which he doubtless put his money
in and buried it. Under his bed were
found four bags of silver. On Monday
morning, his cellar was cleared of Sc
veral loads Of wood, rubbish, &C.,
when the digging for the hidden trea-
sure commenced. After digging about
half an hour, and two feet from the
surface, a jar orsilver was discovered,
which when taken up was found to be
full of 25 cent coins, and soon after
another jan vas found which contained
$1260; in the course Of the afternoon
two other jars were found. The whole
amount found on Saturday and Mon.
day was a little upwards of $5,300.-
Yesterday only one jar was found,
which contained between 6 and 700
dollars.
eve happened to be among the
number of those who witnessed the
Removal Of the Deposites' from the
bowels Of the earth,-the old miser's
money. Ten thousand for pence half
pennies were among the buried trea-
sure-4,200 quarters of a dollar, be.
sides numerous dollars, half dollars and
nine.pences. What u theme here is
for a temperance l~ecture-ten thousand
half lint ofliquor, for the four pencesl
If the miser has left $1,000, all of
which he made in liquor, what a flood
it would make, if all the liquor could
be collected! How many seventy.fours
would it float!
Much speculation has existed, and
does yet exist, as to the amount of mo.
ney which Mr.. Y. has left. Those
who knew him and the business he
transacted, contend that he must have
had $4,000 others, that he had only
obout 10000"
APPALLING NARRATIVE.