The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-03-21
Death In q Miser's Den.

| WRITERS OF notion have not mag
ined and pictured a more perfect miscr
than was, in fact, David Leach, who
died alone, an old man of seventy-three,
on his pile of rag-pickings, in the tene-
ment house ut 264 Wayne street, Jersey
City, on Friday last. Mr.. James Har-
per, one of the Jersey City frecholders,
owns the tenement, and has known
Leach for twenty years. He said yes
terday that he found the old ragpicker
ON Thursday morning lying on the
pavement near his room, the center OF
q circle of curious women and children,
and nearly unconscious. Mr.. Harper
picked him up, and, carrying the old
mans inseparable rag-bag, basket and
rag hook, led him to his room. Leacl,
said that he was subject to fainting-fits,
and added, as he tottered to the solitary
canp-stool: "Leave me now, James!'
Mr.. Harper went away, and returned
twcnty-four hours afterward. The old
! man had fallen backward from the
stool and died.
The room is about twelve feet square,
and, at first glance. appears to contain
only rags and rubbish three feet deep
| all over the floor. A second look dis
covers the top of little cook-stove
amid the trumpery, and two plain
wooden tables, whose tops are level
with the enveloping mass and piled
with stuff. What is at the bottom of
the pile is not known, but on the sur
face are bales of rags, wash-bOilcrs,
crockery, bottles, cigar-boxes, rickety
baskets, some rat-traps, machinists'
broken tools, and all sorts Of iron
scraps, two fire bellows, old boots and
shoes and burned-out stove-grates.
Every old trap that could hold anything
held worthless trash.
One old boiler the miser had used for
pantry. There were in it a few
spoonfuls of flour, Indian meal and tea,
some rice in bottle, speck of ham
on the string by which it formerly
hung, and a lot of broken, unwashed
dishes. For many years Leach ate
only what he picked from the garbage
boxes. A narrow mantel behind the
stove bore handsomely pictured vase
and some broken lamps. Two Oil-clOth
jackets hung from wall in a corner,
and across the room was stretched a
cord holding q blue flannel shirt and q
towel, as though hung up to dry. The
ragpicker's hook and bag lay where he
had dropped them. Here he had lived
for five years. The two windows were
nailed so that the sashes could not be
moved. In small dark closet was an
iron-framed cot piled high with rags,
whereon the miser has slept. The
stove had evidently contained no fire in
many months.
Mr.. Harper said that Leach came
from Southern Ireland. How much
property the old man had accumulated
no one knew, for he was not commune
cative; but there is no doubt that ne
had many thousand dollars scattered
around in savings banks both in New
York and in Jersey City. No trace OF
the bank books or of any other tnlng OF
value can be found. Coroner Cannon
took the body on Friday to Brady's city
morpue and had his coat. pantaloons
and boots cut into shreds to see whether
the miser had concealed his money on
his person, but without result. The
clothing was patched and coarse.
Mr.. Harper says that ten years ago
Leach bought two lots. fifty feet front
and 100 feet deep, and six tenement
houses standing thereon, at Railroad
avenue and Cr9cible alley. The pur.