Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-09-27
A NEGRO MISER.

A NEGRO MISER.
HIS SINGULAR MODE OF VENGEANCE.
How . CoIored Preacher Acquired Wealth
ana Wreakea Revenge ON the DE-
stroyer OF His Happiness.
A queer old negro, named Joshua Pro-
vine Bond. Eddy, died in small shanty,
at No. 511 South street, Philadelphia, at
the extreme age of eighty four. For more
than fifty-five years he had lived in the
city, and his only object in life during
great portion of the time was the accumu-
lation of money. There is q very roman
tic story connected with this passion which
though not new one is worth recOunting.
Eddy was born . slave in the Eastern part
of Virginia about March, 1898, and spent
most Of his childhood on plantation. He
was moved into Pennsylvania early in this
century and by some unexplained means
secured his freedom during his sixteenth
year. He then learned to be barber and
worked in Camonsville. At twenty
the religious fever attacked him
at campmeeting. He was seized with a
burning desire to preach the Gospel. He
could read tOlerable we'll, and, best Of all,
he had q sOrorous voice and quite COM
mand Of the Virginia negro English. He
started out ON a religious crusade, &C.
cOmpained by an cxhorter OF great local
celebrity named William Paul Green.
Reaching Philadelphia when he was only
twenty-five years old his "emOtional
power" commended itself to Bishop Allen,
the distinguished cOlored prelate Of those
days. The largest halls in the city were
crowded ON every occasion when "the
young evangelist made his appear ance.
The Moody aud Sankey revivals were
fully equallcd by tho peculiar excitement
of those days, and Brother Eddy was
made deacon Of tho church.
With a popular ovation, in which thOus-
ands of white citizeEs of tho Quaker City
joined, Deacon Eddy set out for New
York. He was there at once ordained an
cider and allotted the presiding care Of
eight churches, his riding circuit extend
ing from tho metropolis to Elizabeth. N.
j., thence southwest to Mount Holly and
back to Perth AmbOy. His heart at this
time was wholly given up to the service
Of God.
During the good mans stay in Phila-
Ilelphia lie has become smitten with Bish-
Op Aliens daughter, and, after his tri-
umphs III New York, the alliance was
sanctioned by her father aud they were
married. THIS step proved to DO the mis-
take of bis life. One night he came home
unexpectedly and found that his wife had
lover, and, after the usual delays, they
were divorced. She became the wife OF
the lover, and he, for want of anything
better to do, became miser. He swore
sanctiiied oath that he would own the
shanty in which the d:stardly betrayer
carried on lucrative laundry business.
He readOpted tho barber business, wres-
tied with his stomach and we'll nigh ceas-
ed eating to save at every point. His
pennies grew to dollars, and one day he
had the supreme satisfaction of giving the
husband of his faithless wife notice to
quit. The washman moved around the
corner. 1t became chase. Eddy held
fast to what he had, but by careful
mortgage succeeded in raising enough
cash to buy tho premises in which the
tue black Lathario had moved his shop.
This time, before he gave notice, he got
an option on all the vacant shanties in the
ncighbOrhood.
From pillar to post liz drove the pair
buying houses, leasing others, sub letting,
mOrtgaging and selling in turn, as new
elements to the struggle presented them-
selves. In this work of revenge he be.
came SO nervous that nobody would sit in
his chair or allow him to manipulate the
razor over his throat, and he admitted the
danger often. For the twenty years he
kept up this warfare he had no time to
| think Of his own soul or those Of others !;
he forgot his religion and clung fast to
his revenge, until finally the husband OF
his former wife died and the feud ended.
He then turned and gathered up the
threads of his estate and sat down to wait
Tor the property to enhance.
Twelve years later the woman remarked
and married well. This was great blow,
Eddy became desperate, as lie was deter
mined to make her regret her slight to
him. He converted some Of his property
into cash aud and gambled in gold during
tie war until he became rich ; but just al
that moment she died. That ended his
struggle, aud he has been sitting down
half starving himself in the midst Of
wealth ever since.
About half a century ago the Eddy
family took up their residence in COlum .
bia, IN this county where the father kept
a barber shop and restaurant. In the
trOublous times of 1885, when the colOred
people were attacked in several of the
cities, tho mob drove them away from
their home aud they fled to Philadelphia.