The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-10-16
Fyom he cslrsmsss IN. ~ Eagle.
A SKETCH FROM LIFE.

An old fellow. whose name we ven unuel
,h., ~ aunks died In the adjacent town OF
Ch.rlestown last week would have been
cao;,al subject for Dickens, and might nave
a., ~ Scott for his inimitable character OF
Tr.nhois h the Fortunes Of Nigel. lie was
/. rn,serIv. close listed old hunks-a real skin
aint who. il was supposed by his ncighbors'
had scraped together, as such characters VIII,
IN one way and another, considerable
amount of money. This was not known,
however. Some said that he had money
concealed in the ear.h-o,hers, judging hon
the sloyenly manner in which he lived and
dressed, that he had nothing but the few acres
which he cultivated. He lived like the poor
est shutting his door upon every intruder
ill at last Death knocked, and he was obliged
TO open. During his sickness he was W mt
to send daily for small purse of silver and
gold hid in the wall oil his cellar, which he
would count over with that feeling OF painful
delight that inhabits the bosom Of the miser
alone. Disease, however, wore down his
frame rapidly, and at last he was unequal to
the task Of going through his daily custom OF
counting the pieces in his purse, and could
only, as they were displayed before him, pat
them softly in his hands as lady pats her
IdVOTitt uOS Ou UdShs ShO Nays uNiAhS
the last stages of his disease. he sent for
neighbor, and expressed wish to imPart
secret to him. Go down in the cellar,
(said hey and in the further corner you will
find tub. Raise it, and you will see shin
gle, beneath which is a box" The individu-
al followed the directions and found box Of
specie. Nov 60 to another corner" said
the miser, describing the place. Another box
was found embedded in the earth, A day or
two after, when he found he must SOON leave
all his earthly treasures, he desired to be rails
ed up in his hed. His request was granted,
when he Immediately reached out his skinny
hand beneath his pillow, aud lo--anolher box
was found cunniAgly concealed, containing
about FIVE hundred dollars in French gold
pieces, which it is understood he took from
one of the banks about the time of the sus-
pension of specie payments. All these
buried treasures were given in the keeping Of
his neighbor for the benefit of others. He
said there was another box, but that he didn't
like to tell where it was as he might want it
himself. He however consented to write
the place Of interment on piece of paper,
so that the secret might not perish with him.
He died soon after, and his hidden treasure
III Suii-WcIC COuHCu UNSA o.
the close Of the funeral ceremonies.
Thus died, at an advanced age, one whose
only aspiration, through long life, seems to
have been the boarding Of specie and bury
ing it, where it could be of no earthly bene-
fit to any one-a perfect miser-a lover of mo-
ney, not for the blessings which it might i'm.
part and diffuse around him, but for its own
sake--not for the name of possessing il, for
he feigned and was thought to be poor-but
because the mere habit of acquisition had be-
come passion, and the bare consciousness
of possession was peasure-a phantom Of
delight, which he could hug with rapture to
his bosom. Well will it be for such if they
have laid up treasures in Heaven as well as
on earth. But we will not sermonize-the
lesson conveyed by the sketch is left with the
reader.