National Republican., 1882-09-28
A NEGRO MISER.
he Dies in Rags worth over 100000 In
Real Estntc-A TnIc of Ycngennce.

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 2Z-A queer old negro,
named Joshua Provine Bond Eddy, died Monday
night in n small dinpdated shnnty at No oil
South street, at the extieme age Of 81 For more
than fftynve years he had lived in this city, and
his only object in life during n great portion OF
that time had been the accumulation Of money.
There isl very romantic story connected with
this passion which, though not "A new one Is worth
recounting. Eddy was born a slave in the eastern
part OF Virginia about March, 1898, and spent most
Of his childhood on plantation. lie 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 Camonsvllle AT twenty
the religious fever attacked him at n camp meet
ing He was seized with burning desire to
preach the Gospel. He could read tolerably well,
and best of all, he had sonorous voice and quite
a command of the Virginia negro English. He
started out on religious crusade accompanied by
an exhorler of great local celebrity named VIII
liam Paul Green. Reaching Philadelphia when
he was only twenty-five years old, his "emouonal
power" commended itself to Bishop Allen, the
distinguished colored prelate of those days. The
largest halls in the city were crowdCd on every
appearance. The Moody and sankcy revivhls
were fully eqnalled by the peculiar excitement OF
those days, and Brother Eddy was made deacon
of the church.
WITH A POPULAR OVATION,
in which thousands of the white citizens of the
Quaker City joined, Deacon Eddy set out for New
York. He was there at once ordained an elder
and allotted the pre- siding care of eight churches
his riding circuit extending from the metropolis
to Elizabeth. N. j.; thence southwest to Mount
Holly and back to Perth Amboy His heart at this
time was wholly given up tn the service of God
During the good mans stay in Philadelphia he
h ID become stnittcn with Bishop Aliens daughter
was sanctioned by her father and they were mar
RED This step proved to be the mistake Of his HE
One night he came home uneX XpeCtedlp pand found
that his wife had lover, and after the usual dc.
lays they were divorced. She became the wife Of
The lover, and he for the want of anything better
to do, became a mi.er. He
swoRE sANCTIFfED OATH
that he would own the shauty in which the das-
tardly betrayer carried on Il lucrative laundry
business. He readopied the barber business,
wrestled with his stomach aud well nigh ceased
eating TO save at every point. Ills pennies grew
to dollars. and one day he had the supreme salts"
faction of giving the hu band of his fathless vile
notice to quit. The wnshmnn moved around the
corner. II became chasel Eddy held fast to
what he hNd, but by careful mortgage succeeded
which the black Lotharlo had moved his shop.
This time, before he gave notice, he got an option
on all the vacant slanties in the ncghborhood
From pillar to post
HE DROVE THE PAIR,
buying houses. leasing others, sublettlng, mort
gaging, and selling in turn as new elements tot he
struggle presented themselves In this work of
revenge he became so nervous that nobody would
sit in his chair or allow him to manipulate the
razor over his throat and he admitted tue danger
often: For the twenty years he kept up this war
fare 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 estates
and sat down to wait for the property to enhance,
Twelve years later the woman remarked and mar
ried well. This was Il great blow. Eddy became
desperate, as lie was determined to make her
regret her slight to him. lie converted some of his
property into cash and gambled in gold during the
war until he became rich; but just at that moment
she died That ended his struggle, and he had
been sitting down half starving himself in the
midst n wealth ever sinpa