Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-01-26
A MISER'S LIFE AND DEATH.


The Mysterious Hermit OF King Street
| Deod-Thoma Ringr0ve, the A ed
Eiser-His Strange Lffe-How He
| Saved Molsey-Anecdotess sc.
From the n. Y. Sun, 18th.
| On the south SIDE of King street, a few
doors west of Hudson street. are several
| old wooden houses, which have stood there
| for the past forty years, alone in their din
giness and dirtiDess. They are all occu-
pied by persons in the humber walks.
| The first Of these houses, No. 102, is old
| fashioned. It has dormitory on the top
| floor. The wood is stained and blackenecl
with age; the venerable green window
blinds have never been seen open by the
neighbOrs. No one was ever known TO WIS.,
| it the Eouge. Now and then, an old wom-
an would walk out Of the front door, and
| soon return, bearing with her provisions.
Many persons have endeayored to get with
IN this mysterious dwelling and ramble
| over it. But no one was ever thus grati6ed
until within few days
| This house was the home for forty years
OF miser-an old man with siIvery white
hair, a smooth, thin, cadaverous face, a
keen, cold gray eye-a man owning hun
| dred and fifty thousand dollars, butwith no
heart. He had fierce passionate love for
money, but not a spark OF sympathy for
| his fellow men.
| Thomas Ringrove yielded up his misera-
bic home and his immense fortune and
left the world and one or two friends, at
| o'clock on Saturday morning, Jan. s, aged
IS years.
| Although Thomas Ringrove was not as
| parsimonious IN his misery economy as
| Daniel Dancer, nor even as he who recently
| died in jersey City, yet he was penurious
to an astonishing degree. He had all the
| characteristics which are to be seen in men
of his class, and lead a miserable, unhappy
life from the time his boarding habits be
gan until he was compelled 10 shuttle of
his mortal coil.
He was a Yorkshire Englisnman, born in
the year 1884 His parents died while he
was youth, learning the carpenters trade.
He was an apt lad, quick to learn, and very
industrious. He Stunned society, and
loved to be alone. After leaning to read,
he became an ardent lover OF books. and
read everything he could lay hands on.
! Works OF phllosophic turn interested him
more than others. Books on history, es-
says, discourses on theology and religion,
were his favo ties.
When about 20 Years of age, and having
no relatives except a half brother in
America, who is now dead he came to the
| United States. He had saved soma money.
Packing up his trunk he bought ticket
for Savannah, Ga. There was a great want
of mechanics in Georgia at that time, and
a great want of carpenters in Savannah
He soon soRnd steady employment at good
| wages Heremained there nearly ten years
working all the time, giving satisfaction to
all who employed him, and putting in bank
a good share of his salary. His spare time
was spent principally IN reading. Some
works Of an infdel character fell into his
hands and interested him much. He never
went into society. He had no friends, and
wanted none, did his work, came to his
house, went to his room, and kept by him
self SIS much as possible, for ten years.
'SMany niekle makes mickle,' '.a pen
ny saved is two cents earned, sFbe sparing
to spend" these and like savings were
deeply engraved on Thomas Ringrove'g
heart for he had heart at that time) and
the habit of saving money, as he then hoped
| to be used by himself st some future day,
grew with his growth and strengthened
with his strength rs the years passed away.
! Becoming tired Of the south, and finding
| that he could do better in the north, he re-
moved to this city. He brought his money
with him, and put it in the savings bank.
| Ringrove soon found employment, and
worked as hard as ever. He was quiet,
| thoughtful, observing, said little, but kept
mp an awful thinking, had only one or two
| friends, was solitary, and saved more than
| ever from his earnings.
Within FIVE years he had acquired a con-
siderable amount of money. Then, seeing
| a good chance, he invested It. The Trinity
! Church corporation had about half dozen
| houses in King street, near Hudson, which
! they were willing to lease for a term of
years. RiUgroTe heard of the chance, and
/ took lease of the property for twenty-one
/ years, with the privilege of renewal. He
/ found no difficulty in securing tenants for
his houses, and as the rent he paid was
comparatively low, and the rent he asked
was reasonably high he made money yery
fast. He left his trade. and living in a room
on the east side of the city, did nothing
but attend to his property. He always did
the necessary repairs 10 his houses himself
II there vas g lock TO be fixed, stoop to be
r paired, few bricks TO be put into the
sidewalk, he did the work himself He was
mason, carpenter, blacksmith, and me-
chenic, by turns, doing anything and every
thing 70 save or to make money.
When about forty years of age 1925 be-
ing unable at the time to hire ont one of
his buildings, he determined to occupy it
himself He lived il that house from that
time until his death. OF late years he
made several attempts to move ont Of the
city, but at the last moment, decided that
he didn't want to go.
For some years past he has had an old fe-
male servant to wait upon him. This was
necessary from the fact that he had been
suffering from chronic complaint which
disabled him from walking around or even
leaving the house at all
He allowed his servant 50. SO a week for
expenses. With this, as may be naturally
supposed. they did lU5 live on the fat of
the land. 4 bit of meat for soup, on
which the OIL man principally subsisted,
bread and butter, a few vegetables, q little
tea-these W ere about all the edibles that
were ever bought
When the butter, or The soup, or bread.
were brought 70 the table, Ringroye would
take each and divide the amount to be
used for the meal, and then again dividing
that amount into halves. He would take
Cne-half and tde old servant the other. He
retraiued from all outward forms of vice
because he considered them too extensive
Properly speaking, he had 10 THEOLOGY,
Not having had the benefit Of a RELIGIONS
education, his belief was very heterodox
Becoming interested in his property and
n