Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-05-15
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BRATTLEBORO.
FRIDAY, MAY 10. 1885.
A WINDHAM COUNTY MAN
IN THE ROLE or 4 BOSTON HER
NIT AND MISER.

SHOP IN CITY LOFT.
from the Boston Herald, Maysl
Historic Charter street yesterday lost one
of its best known residents. The individual
in question is not dead To the contrary he
was so very much ''alive," and his abode
likewise was 80 very much ''alive," that the
loss to old Charter street became a necessity
from sanitary point of view. While every
living soul on Charter street knew old man
Cole, he was not social lion among the resi-
dents. In fact, not more than six people
had speaking acquaintance with him. No
body was in the position to tell first hand, a
straight story of the old fellows "home"
life. Perhaps for this very reason he was
the better known. All the facts that could
be got at came from people who had formed
keyhole acquaintance with his 'home, "
and even the meagre testimony gathered in
this way showed that that term, as applied
to his den, was at best pleasant delusion.
Besides, the testimony was gathered long
time ago, for many years since the dust 80
begrimed the lock that there wasn't enough
of a hole left for an eye TO penetrate the mys-
terry beyond. But the meagre stories i'm
proved with time, and the man became the
subject of greater interest as it sped along
For 20 years but one human being besides
the occupant ever entered the strange dwell
ing of the strange recluse He was the re-
cluse's only friend, and he never told the
curious public enough about what he saw to
satisfy the outside craving on a single point
This was so unkind and exasperating that
the neighbors gave vent at times to righteous
Indignation.
For Al years the old man lived alone with
suddenly vacated 1t is at the corner of
Lime alley. The windows, were it not for
the long standing accumulations of dust upon
their panes, would give an unobstructed view
of Cops Hill cemetery. The pleasantly
situated room which these windows once
lighted was the parlor, dining room and
chamber of the recluse A smaller room in
the rear was his storeroom The occupant
is known as ''The Hermit Cole"
The hermit Cole is frugal old soul, and
the fact yesterday afternoon. When he lived
up in Londonderry, Vt, half a century ago,
he was known as David j. Cole. His father
was "A cobbler and made the leather that came
out of Buxton's tannery into shoes for the
village people. David learned how to make
shoes, too but he didn't like Londonderry
and cobbling life, so he came TO Boston
when Is years old. He used to be a serving
man in Beacon street mansions, and took
care Of the residences when the owners were
summering elsewhere. He became woman
hater, and, as he grew older, he became mi
serly. He hired lodgings at the place which
he left yesterday, and degenerated into q
buck sawyer and coal-heaver. He read sto-
ries about noted misers and the miser be-
came his ideal. He lived SO within himself
that he observed that he aroused peoples
curiosity, and made them indulgent. He
| liked it. He poked about the streets and
fshed cast-of articles Of all descriptions out
of the cutters and unfrequented byways OF
the city. lie lived ON few cents day,
and the desire to save grew 80 strong that he
dragged home everything that seemed to
have the slightest intrinsic value. He got q
little stove, picked up fuel enough to run it,
bought the cheapest food in the smallest pos
sible quantities, did his own housekeeping, y
and gradually developed into a "hermit. y
For over a quarter of a century he never
made the acquaintance Of a piece Of soap,
and time long since became too precious tc
waste in washing, He gathered old news.
papers, wrapping paper, incapacitated UNI
brellas, canes, pieces of common wire, cast
off clothing, empty barrels, pieces of iron,
old bones, battered tinware, fractured pots,
and bushels of such miscellany as is to bt
found only at the city ''dump." The empty
barrels were filed, shelves were filled, every
hole and corner was filled, and in order t.
make more storage room, the hermit covered
his stOreroom with network of ropes, anC
hung his ropes as full as they could hold Of
his curious collections. There was nothing
one could think of that wasn't in that room
As a wood sawyer the old man had neve
thrown away saw blade or a wood buck
The wood bucks were rheumatic and woulC
not stand up, and the saw blades were worr
down TO almost nothing in the middle. Som,
had been actually worn in two, but the end
were carefully saved and stored away. AS
coal-heaver the old man had never cast off
worn-out basket, and there were dozens o
the remains of the old things, patched VI
with canvas and rope yarns, in the store
Groom. There were at least two dozen ole
hats, fur, cloth, silk and straw. Then Their
were boxes, and trunks, and old stoves, al
filed with dust and "valuables.n In tn
front room there was mattress, so worl
with age and service that when handled
fell to pieces. The pillow was as black as
stove. There were several old black ticks
in which the miser had stored with great car
the straw that he had slept on many year
ago. AS for himself, he was the personihca
ton of neglect and filth. His face was pinch
ed and begrimed with SCOT. His beard an
long hair, probably quite white if washed
were matted and the color of the surround
ngs. His body was spare and poorly noul
shed. His hands and arms were bony, tn
elbows having worn their way through tn
scanty gunny cloth that he wore. The ski
was invisible, nevertheless, for Cochituat
and the hermit were not on familiar terms
! His eyes were dim, the glasses he wore wer
dirty, and, if he saw at all, his range of vii
ion must have been limited as his range
thought.
About eight years ago he was taken il
Typhoid pneumonia soon developed, and
was removed to the city hospital. Mr.. HeI
ry Buxton, the friend before referred to, too
, possession of the premises. Mr.. Buxton is
son of the proprietor of the Londonderry tai
merry, also referred to, hence the friendship
Mr.. Buxton took an inventory of the "vall
}. ables" in stock. He found So, 800 in casl
! This sum he invested in government bond