American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1881-04-16
Anecdotes Of the Late Johns. Hopkins.

He left 80 1000, 900, moiety OF which
was divided between eighteen relatives,
| and the bulk retained for university
| and several hospitals. The nephew who
was often at variance with him received
| almost twice as much as his brothers
| who never contradictcd him. Mr.. Hop
kins never married. The daughters Of
| Epaminondas were that hero s famous
victories. The children of Johns Hop
kins 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 mission from God to increase
his store, and that the golden flood that
poured into his Golfers did not belong to
him or to the hundreds who sought to
borrow or beg it from him. He de-
clared that a supernatural power pre-
vented him from taking money from
his pocket to bestow foolish aims. and
that some day the world would know
that he was not the.grasping. avaricious
and narrow-minded man he was ac-
counted. He nevertheless helped Sc
cretiy many worthy persons. and, after
his death. it was discovered that not a
few merchants had been saved by him
| from financial embarrassment and soT-
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
stingy and suspicious, but the end he
had proposed never suffered change,
and that was the mistress of his soul to-
ward whom he maintained an inflexible
fidelity "Clifton'' was his pride, and
upon it he spared no expense. Here
the great university was to be founded
but in this his design will be baffied.
The city authorities have taken some
seventy acres just in front the imperi-
al 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 remorse-
less AK of progress. The foundations of
a vast lake for the water supply of Bal
timore are already in course of excava-
ton, and the engineers and their rude
implements occupy several of the beau
tiful chambers of edition."
An uncanny old tramp used to station
himself under a giant oak that stood
sentry by the lodge of Clifton" This
made Mr.. Hopkins nervous and became
a mortal offense He told one of his
nephews of it and said he did not know
how to abate the nuisance. why not
pay him, uncle. and send him awavp"
queried the young man. PAY him
money! Mr.. Hopkins shrieked, while
his long arms flew about like wiudmills.
"Pay him money! God forbid! When
1 do that there will be hundred vaga-
bonds here instead of oner' "Well,
them" added the nephew, If l were
you: Uncle Johns. 1 would kick him
out" - cannot do that" the old
man pleaded. Il am afraidr' "Whatr'
the nephew rctortcd. "are you afraid
of such cur as thatp' "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 LazarusP Would you
have me repeat that story and burn in
hell forever?" That ended it.
On one of the last days of his earthly
existence Mr.. Hopkins called his de-
voted gardener to him and said: Il am
beginning to hate this place because it
does not bring in money. | hate every
thing that 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 pursue them squealingly,
Ill hopes that all or some of the treasure
will be lost or dropped?" The gardener
replied that the sketch was n true one.
"Wcll, them" said Mr.. Hopkins, IL
am that strong hog. l have that big
ear of corn, and every piggish rascal in
Baltimore is intent upon stealing it or
wrestling it from mer' Sir he said,
turning brusquely to the gardener,
edo you think very rich man is hap
pyP" The gardener answered: 1.-The
extreme of poverty is a sad thing. The
extreme of wealth, no doubt, bears
with it many tribulations." Mr.. Hop,<
kins rejoined: You are right, ~
friend; next to the hell of being ut
bereft of money is the purgat9
possessing vast amount of it.
a mission, and under its shadow
accumulated wealth but not hapl
Auausta (Gd.) Chronicle.