The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-04-20
Anecdotes OF the Late Johns Hopkins.
Augusta (Ga) Chronicle.

he left 50, 600, 600, a moiety of which wac
divided between eighteen relatives and the
bulk retained for a University and several
Hospitals. The nephew who was often at
variance with him received almost twice as
much as his brothers who never contradicted
him. Mr.. Hopkins never married. The
daughters OF EpaminondaS were that hero's
famous victories. The children of Johns
Hopkins are the splendid institutions he has
left TO learning, to mercy and TO science
There never was stronger man. He started
life with $500, and built up, by his own
exertions, a colossal fortune. From the
beginning. he declared that he had a mis-
sion from God to Increase his store, and
that the golden flood that poured into his
Golfers did not belong to him or to the hun
dreds who sought to- borrow or beg il from
him. He declared that supernatural power
prevented him from taking money from his
pocket to bestow foolish aims and that
some day the world would know that he was
not the graspiHg, ayarieious and narrow
minded man he was accounted. He never
theleSs helped secretly many worthy per
sons, and, after his death, ii was discovered
that not a few merchants had been saved by
him from financial embarrassment and sor-
row. But in the common acceptation of the
term he was not liberal. His mission
prevented that. Toward the close of a very
long life he became stlngy and suspicious,
but the end he had proposed never suffered
change, and that was the mistress of his
soul toward whom he maintained an in
flexible fidelity. Clifton was his pride. and
upon 1t he spared no expense. Here the
great University was to be founded, but in
this his design will be baffled. The city au-
thorities have taken some seventy acres lust
in front of the Imperial Mansion, and the
noble chestnut grove he had nurtured not
one tree of which would he cut down even
when withered, has fallen before the re-
morseless axe of progress. The foundations
of vast lake for the water supply of Balti-
more are already in course of excavation,
and the engineers and their rude i'm plements
occupy several of the beautiful chambers of
Clifton"
An uncanny old tramp used to station
himself under giant oak that stood sentry
by the lodge of Clifton This made Mr.
Hopkins nervous and became mortal Of
Tense. He told one of his nephews of il and
said he did not know how to abate the nui-
sance. Why not pay him, uncle and send
him awayY eueried the young man. "Pav
him money!" Mr.. Hopkins shrieked, while
his long arms flew about like windmills.
PAY him money! God Forbid When do
that there will be 100 vagabonds here instead
of one" well, then" added the nephew.
''if were you. Uncle Johns, would kick
HIM out" Il can not do that" the old man
pledued, L am aIral9 Nv hat" the
nephew retorted, "are you afraid of such
cur rs that?' No, no." Mr.. Hopkins
whispered hoarsely, II am not afraid of
him, but afraid of God. Did you never
read in the Bible how Dives treated Lazarus?
Would you have me repeat that story and
burn in hell forever" That ended it
On one of the last days of his earthly ex-
istence Mr.. Hopkins called his devoted
gardner to him and said: 81 am beginning
to hate this place, because it does not bring
in money. Did you ever feed hogs? Have
you not observed that the strong animals
bear away the ears Of corn and that the |
weaker ones pursued shem squealingly, in
hopes that all or some of the treasure
will be lost or dropped?' The
gardener replied that the sketch
was true one. "Well, them"
said Mr.. Hopkins, Il am that strong hog
have that big ear of corn, and every piggish
rascal in Baltimore is intent upon stealing
it or wrestling it from mel" Sir he said,
turning brusauely to the gardener, do you
think very rich man is happvr' The gar
dener answered: "The extreme of poverty
is sad thing The extreme of wealth, no
doubt bears with it many calculations"
Mr.. Hopkins rejoined: You are right, my
friend; next to the hell of being utterly be-
reft of money is the purgatory Of possessing
vast amounts of it."