Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1851-03-21
Extraordinary Avarice.

In the yeGr 1862, an ordinary instance Of av-
arice occurred in France. A miser. OF the name
OF Foscue, who had arnassed enormous wealth
by the most sordd parsmony and the most dis
credliable extorton, was requested by the gov
eminent to advance sum of money as loan
The mlser, 10 whom fair interest was no in
ducement sufficiently strong to enable him to part
with his treasured gold declared his incapacity 10
meet this demand he pleaded severe losses, and
the utmost poverty. Fearing, however that
some Of his neighbors, among whom he was very
unpopular, would report his immense wealth to
the government, be applied his ingenuity to dis
cover some efftctual way of hiding his gold,
should they attempt to institute search to as
certain the truth or falshood Of his plea. With
great care and secrecy he dug deep cave in his
cellar; 10 this receptacle for his treasure he de-
seconded by ladder, and to the trap door he at
tached spring lock, so that, on shutting, it
would fasten Of itself. BY and by the mser dis
appeared; inquiries were made the house was
searched; the woods were explored and the
ponds were dragged; but no Foscne could they
find and gossips began TO conclude that the
miser had fled with his gold to some part, where,
by living incognite he would be free from the de-
mands OF tie government.
Some time passed on; The house in which he
had lived was sold, and wOrkmen Were busy
employed in lis repair. In the progress of their
work they met with the door of the secret cave,
with the key in the lock outside. They threw
back the door and descended with light. The
frst object upon which the lamp was reflected
was tho ghastly body of Foscue, the miser, and
scattered around him were heavy bags of gold
and ponderous chests of untold treasure; a can
destck lay beside him Oh the floor This wor-
shipper OF mammon had gone into his cave to
pay his devors to his golden god, and became
sacrifice to his devotion What must have been
the sensations Of that miserable man-what the
horrors OF his situation, when he heard the door
close after him, and the spring-lock efIeclually
lmprson him within it secret mine! How hit
ter must have been the last struggle of that av-
arcious soul! How terrible must have been the
appeals of conscience within that sordid sinner
How each bag must have dsgorged its treasure,
and each piece of gold have danced in imapiua
ton, around him as demon. How hated, when
the gnawing pangs of starvation came slowly
upon him, must have been that yellow vision
his very heart must have grown sick at that
which once he SO dearly loved
Gold III bags; gold in chests; gold piled in
heaps; gold for a pillow; god strcwed upon
the ground for him to lie upon! Whilst his Ia
por lasted, turn where he would his eyes, moth
ing met them but his gold. But when tho las.
flicker died away, and the miser was left in dark
ness to dwell upon his coming death, and upon
his many sins, how awful must have been the
agonies of conscience! How surely, amidst the
gloom Of that sepulchre of gold, must the poor
whom he had oppressed, and the unfortunate
whom he had ruined by his avarice, have risen I'D
to approach him and, when the mind became
fevered by its last deadly struggles, how the faces
of haggard poverty, of hate loalhing for the mi
ser must, in one loud dscordant chorus, have
cried for vengeance and retribution upon his
rultv soul!