The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1874-01-08
A Miser Starved to Death.

NEW YORK, Jan. 5. A singular case VI
death from starvation occurred in Bellevue
Hospital yesterday, the circumstances of
which betray misery proclivities of the
most extraordinary and pronounced char
acter. An officer, while going his rounds
last week, discovered an aged woman
lying on a stoop and evidently in the last
stages Of restitution. The officer was
about to take her to the station house, but
she strongly objected to his interfering
with her, and she was accordingly allow
ed to depart. Coughing and staggering
dreadfully, she started down the Street,
but after going a short distance she was
again obliged TO halt. The officer, who
had watched her movements, now came
up with a wagon and conveyed her to the
station house, and from thence to Belle
vue Hospital. Long, snarly. matted IRON
gray hair hung below an old hood and
around her shoulders was q shawl, the
color OF which could only be guessed al
rotten that it could scarcely be lifted, con
stituted her outward apparel. The matron
took her to a bed, and when She tried to
undres1 her the dying woman seemed ami
mated with extraordinary strength TO re-
sist the taking off other clothes. She fought
like n tigress until her unnatural strength
WAS exhausted and could no lon@eriresist
After her clothes had at last been stripped
from her, and We're being packed in a
bundle to be burned, something hard
sewed into the lining Of an old quilted
llnderslilt attracted the attention Of the
matron. Ii was a bundle OF old copper
and silver coins. Warden Brennan having
been apprised OF the discovery had more
thorough examination made. Aromid the
band OF the skirts We're nineteen pockets
OF COINS and various kinds of paper money.
The pockets were generally made of bed
ticking, and saWcd fast to the skirt band
with many stitches. 1t was inferred that
this poor gatherer of useless wealth had
filled one pocket ut a time sewing il up
when no NOR could be put in One
pocket contained State bank notes of the
denomination OF one dollar Not one of
th' bore q later date than 1888. and as
Sc eral notes We're free from finger
| marks, il is believed that all that peck ct
of notes was collected twenty-one years
ago. Coming down to the war times.
some OF the packages We're composed OF
the three and five cent fractional notes. A
| few ive-dollar notes, fifty dollar notes
and iiitv ne-dollar notes We're found. and
the remainder was in fractional currency.
| chiefly of the smallest denominations. 1t
| took Warden Brennan several hours to
count the notes, and the total was some
thing over $500 The woman, who gave
her name rs Margaret FitZsimmons, had
been sleeping one night on doorstep and
another in any old shanty, depending en-
tirely upon charity for her support. She
had evidently been begging and starving
! herself for years. while she was scrapin9
| together the $500 found in her worm
eaten dress. After arriving at the hospital
the old woman grew rapidly worse, and
yesterday she died from the effects Of the
| starvation she had inflicted on herself
\ SAIL. FOR LINE. About one o'ciOc1 on
the morning of Nov 10, q large merchant
vessel under full sail and on fire was seen
running for kngstown harbor, i'll Ireland
| She proved to be the Nangpore, an iron
| ship, from Calcutta for Liverpool, with q
cargo OF cotton, inte and saltpetre. She
| had taken fire four days before, and the
| crew had become so worn out in their eff
| forts 10 keep down the flames that wher
| She entered the harbor they were unable
| to take in sail Both anchors were let 90
| bu1 they did not catch, and she drifted
| among the vessels with which the harbor
| was crowded. She struck heavy ladeneC
| schooner, causing her to sink, while the
crew saved themselves by climbing into
the rigging Of the Nangpore. Another
| schooner and a sloop We're also wrecked
| by the burning vessel, the captain OF the
| sloop being thrown overheard and drown
ed, The Nangpore finally came 10 OPP
posite the Royal Irish Yacht club house,
ANA she was sunk by the guns Of two rev
enue cutters after il had been found that
| She could not be saved