Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1876-04-27

Had not Miss Dancer lived in al
enlightened age, she would most Ger
tainly have run the risk of ineurrins
the penalties inflicted on those un
happy wretches accused of witch
craft; so perfectly did her appear
ance agree with the ideas attached t.
witch. She seldom stirred out o.
her miserable hut, except wher
4 alarmed by the cries of hnntsmer
and hounds: on such occasions shG
| used to sally forth. armed with q
pitchfork. with which she endeavoresl
| to repel the progress of these intru-
] ders on her brothers grounds; and
her appearance was rather that of Il
moving mass of rags than of a hu-
man being.
\ During her last illness. her brother
Twas frequently requested to procure
medical assistance for her. His re-
ply was. "Why should | waste my
money, in wickedly endeavoring to
counteract the will of Providence.
If the old girls time is come, the
nostrnms of all the quacks in Chris:
tendon cannot save her: and she
may as well die now as at any future
period" OF lawyers and physicians
he entertained very unfavorable
opinion. Sooner than have any con
nection with lawyer, he said, he
would deal with the devil; and to use
his own expression, "All the gentle
men of the faculty are medical tink-
ers, who, in endeavoring to patch up
one blemish in the human frame,
never fail to make ten" He thought
bellows makers, undertakers, and
trunk makers very eXtravagant fel-
lows, ON account of their great waste
of nails, which profusion lie thought
| unnecessary.
The only food he offered his sister
during her indisposition was her
usual allowance of cold dumpling
and sticking beef, accompanied with
the affectionate declaration, that if
she did not like it, she might go
without. The kindness of Lady
Tempest and Captain Holmes, who
inherited the whole of Mr.. Dancers
fortune, made ample amends for
her brothers inhumanity, and sooth
ed her dying moments. In considera
ton of her tenderness, Miss Dancer
intended to have left Lady Tempest
the property she possessed, to the
amount of 2000l. She, however, eX-
pired before she signed her will,
which she had directed to be made,
on which her two other brothers, who
were equally celebrated for parsi-
mony, put in their claims for share
of -her- -f.rsune.-=-rs7 tiIiS lsrsfS"sssi
Daniel refused to acceed, and a law
suit ensued; the result was, that he
recovered 1040l. of his sisters prop
erty, as the price of her board for
thirty years, at 30l. per annum, and
1901. for the last two years, in which
he declared she had done nothing but
eat and lie in bed. What remained
after these deductions was equally
divided among the three brothers.
Although Daniel never evinced
any affection for his sister, he deter
mined to bury her in such manner
as would not disgrace the family.
He accordingly contracted with an
undertaken, who agreed to take tim
Der in return for coffin, rs Mr.. Dan
Ger had no idea of using the precious
metals as vehicle of exchange: he,
however, could not be prevailed npon
to purchase proper mourning for
himself: yet, in consequence of the
entreaty of his neighbors, he un-
bound the haybands with which his
legs were usually covered, and drew
on second hand pair of black wors-
ted stockings. His coat was of
whitish-brown color; his waistcoat
had been black about the middle of
the last century; and the immediate
cover to his head, which seemed to
have been taken from Mr.. ELVES
,ciggery, and to have descended to
Daniel as an heirloom, gave a gro
tesque appearance to the person Of Il
chief mourner, but too well calculated
to provoke mirth. This, indeed, was
increased by the slipping of his
horses girth at the place of burial;
in consequence of which the rider, to
the great diversion of some of the
Harrow boys who attended, was pre-
cipitated into the gravel
After the death of his sister, and
near the close Of his own life, finding
himself Lonesome, he hired man for
his companion, who was a proper
counterpart of himself. This SER
want, Griffith, had, by severe parsi
mony, contrived to accumulate 500l.
out of wages which had never cx
ceeded 10l. per annum. At the time
he hired with Mr.. Dancer, he was
about sixty years of age, and his wa
ges were eighteen pence per week.
He assisted his master in picking up
bones, &c, accordingly, when they
went out, they took different roads
for the same purpose; but Griffiths
having taste for strong beer would
tipple little, which was the cause of
much alteration at night, when he
returned home to his master.
From principle of rigid economy,
Mr.. Dancer rarely washed his hands
and face; and when he did, it was al
ways without the assistance of either
soap or towel. Dispensing with
those articles of expensive luxury, he
used, when the sun shone, to repair
to neighboring pool, and after
washing himself with sand, he would
lie on his back in the sun to dry him
self. His tattered garments, which
were scarcely sufficient to cover his
nakedness, were kept together by a
strong hayband, which he fastened
round his body. His stockings were
so patched, that not avestage of the
} original could be perceived, and in
cold and dirty weather he wound