The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1880-10-07
FOSCUE, THE MISER.

= WV - Ia 4 ILL ALAAAOAAAe0
In the year 1862, an extraordinary
instance of avarice occurred in France.
A miser of the name of Foscue, who
had amassed enormous wealth by the
most sordid parsimony and the most
discreditable extortion, WAS requested
by the government to advance a sum
of money as loan. The miser, to
whom a fair interest was not induce
ment sufficiently strong to enable him
to part with his treasured gold, de-
clared his incapacity to meet this de-
mand; he pleaded severe losses and
the utmost poverty. Fearing, how
ever, that some of his neighbOrs,
among whom he was very unpopular,
would report his Immense wealth to
the government, he applied his inge-
nuity to discover some efectual way
of hiding his gold, should they at
tempt to institute a search TO ascer-
tain the truth or falsehood Of his plea.
With great care and secrecy he dug a
deep cave in his cellar; to this re-
ceptacle for his treasure he descended
by ladder, and to the trap door he
attached a spring lock, so that on
shutting it would fasten of itself.
By and by the miser disappeared;
inquiries were made, the house was
searched, woods were explored, and
the ponds were dragged, but no Fos-
cue could they fnd; the gossips be-
gan to conclude that the miser had
fled with his gold to some part, where,
by living incognito, he would be free
from the demands of government
Some time passed on; the house in
which he had lived was sold, and
workmen were busily employed in its
repair. In the progress Of their work
they met with the door Of the secret
cave, with the key in the lock out
side. They threw back the door, anc
! descended with a light. The frs
object upon which the lamp was re
fected was the ghastly body of Fos
cue, the miser, and scattered arounC
him were heavy bags Of gold and pom
derous chests of untold treasure; ;
candlestick lay beside him on tn
floor.
This worshiper of mammon ha,
gone into his cave to pay his devon
to his golden god, and had become
sacrifice to his devotion. What mus
! have been the sensations Of that mis-
erable man, what the horrors of hi
situation, when he heard the doc
close after him, and the spring loe
effectually imprison him within hi
secret mine! How bitter must hav
been the last struggles of the avar
cious soul. How terrible must hay
been the appeals Of conscience With
that sordid sinner. How each ba
+, must have disgorged its treasure
and each piece of gold have danced, /
Imagination, around him as a demon
How hated, when the gnawin
= pangs of starvation came slowly upo
him, must have been that yellow Vi
q ion; his very heart must have grow
5 sick at that which he once so dearl
s loved. Gold in bags; gold in chest
z gold piled in heaps, gold for bis pi
low; gold strewed upon the groun
for him to lie upon.
? While his taper lasted, turn whe
he would his eyes, nothing met hi
Q, hut his gold. But when the Ia
p flicker died away, and the raiser w
left in darkness, to dwell upon h
8 coming death and upon his man
a sins, how awful must have been Il
g agonies of conscience! How surel
ne amid the gloom of that sepulchre
nd gold, must the poor whem he h.
oppressed, and the unfortunate who
n he had ruined by his ayariee, ha
Ms risen up to reproach himl And VIII
rs the mind became fevered by its l.
deadly struggles, how the faces
haggard poverty, of hate, and Loaf
Is ing for the miser, must, in one lou
Is discordans choruss have cried
Is vengeance and retribuJion upon
&c guilty soul
er, 1t is singular that the man who co