Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-06-24
"Do you know him gra0dma?" said


one Of the young ladies.
eyes, my DEAR" replied Annette; for
it was She eve were playmates when
we were children But jacques had a
fever. and after that grew very odd and
melancholy At last he began to grow
penurious and for many years he has
spoken with him since my marriage,-
which you know was just fifty years ago
to-day, and have only seen him occa-
sionally on the street.
Two days later q crowd of persons
men. women, and children-might have
been seen in front of the little dwelling
house where we first introduced our
readers to Jacques Guyot and his
mother.
81 live next door there" said a car
penter, in his shirt-sleeves, and with
out hat on his head land my wife
has seen no one about the house these
two days"
"He promised to call at my store
yesterday" said grocer, 'to pay me
some money and he is always prompt
in such matters.
"And he said he would call at my
shop to collect the rent remarked a
tailor and he hasn't beennear since. .
"That's not like him." added anoth-
er. Something S wrong when Jacques
Guyot isn't on hand to receive the
money"
An officer had arrived and they pro-
ceeded to force the lock of the front
! door. There was a strong iron bolt
! inside and the entrance was effected
with some difficulty. Nothing was
seen in the first room but a parrot,
which seemed to be delighted to see
the newcomers. Poor Jacques!' it
said, ''poor Jacques! - Then, on seeing
two or three boys in the crowd, the
j bird screamed, "Bad boys; poor JAG
ques Bad boys; poor Jacques
For minute or two there was pro
foun{' silence; not q stir or whisper
broke the Stiffness The officers then
approached the chamber, the door OF
which was slightly ajar. It was pushed
open; and eagerly the crowd gazed into
the room. There was the old man
kneeling in front of a great iron chest,
his head bent forward, and one hand Oh
the edge of the box, while the other
grasped an old brown-looking piece OF
paper. Then the authorities were Sent
for, al investigation made, and process
UerbaI drawn up, to the effect that the
defunct had come to his death by heart
disease.
The paper he held was very ole
document, and so faded that it was
scarcely legible The deceased had
apparently, taken it out to examine it
L l. 4 Of 1,n I'll n
the will-for such it was-the amour
of his property, and the manner II
which it was invested
The officer who directed the proceed
ings was man far advanced in years
He had been comrade of jacques il
their boyhood but hadlost sight of hin
for many years. There were tears il
the old mans eyes as he held up the in
! strument, and said, in a shrill AM
broken voice, to the motley grou]
which had assembled, My friends an
, townsmen, here lies the body of a ma
whom the whole city ridiculed and de
spised as a heartless miser. The boy
hOoted at him in the streets, and petite
: him with dirt and stones. Peopl
:, taught their very dogs to bark at hil
= as ne passed. The poor upbralde
= him and the rich sneered and pointe
the finger of scorn at him as they rod
by in thei, coaches. Let me read yo7
his will. :"
He paused to wipe his spectacles
, and then began IN q measured tOne,-
!. MARsE1LLEs, Aug. l, 1775.
:, When I was child, fell i'll of a #
yer, and during my recovery sutfere
:. intensely from thirst. There had bee
a severe drought for many months, an
> the water, always poor in quality, We
. almost wholly exhausted. At that tin
' my mother told me that many hundred
of the poorer class suffered in the sam
:, way. She also told me that my fatht
:, and many others had lost their propert
: by fire, chiefly because there was an il
), sufficient supply of water to extlnguis
. the flames. For these reasons, l b.
queath all my property of every kline
> after the payment Of my just debts al
of my funeral expenses, to my nati1
g city of Marseilles, 70. the purpose
~ ~ providing waterworks which shall SUI
;. ply the entire community free Of e
a pense. JACQUES GUYoT.
- After a slight pause, the officer CO
tlnued This is the original dOc
! ment, and is much faded. WhatI sha
. now read was apparently written on t
T day Of his death, and is very brief
~ Aug. l, 1925.
- By economy and industry I have a
quired fortune of more than four M
lion francs and hereby give and b
queath the same to the object abo
Vi named. JACQUES GUYeT y
re Such is the pathetic story of Jacqu
ID Guyot, the Miser Of Marseilles.
r, A Floating Menagerie.
r I'll :: 4L3 a. - . ,,,,+- &c .,,,,- ~