The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-05-22
THE MIsERIEs OF NrIsERs.
Some Remarkable Men who RegardedWe aIth
ADORE all Physical Comforts.

Perhaps the most famous miser that ever
lived was John Elves, an EngliShman, who
dled from neglect because he refused to incur
the expense of physicians and nurses, though
worth not less than S4,000,000. In the case
OF John Elves, his sordid character was not
the result OF ignorance, for he was graduate
OF Swiss university and later in life was
member of parliament His greed of gold
was an hereditary SIM He was the son OF q
London brewer, who died when the boy was
only four years old. His mother survived,
put TO such an extent did her passion for money
gain hold upon her that, though she had
5000 COO ill her own right she actually starved
to death. An uncle, Sir Harvey Elves, was
also mlser, and the example of these two
blood relatives exercised such an influence
upon John ELVES that he became the most
famous miser of three centuries. After his
return to England from Geneva ELVES moved
IN fashionable London society, where his pro-
speetive wealth entitled him to recognition
When he visited his uncle in Suffolk, whore
the latter lived in the most abiect perjury, his
hopeful nephew would play double part. He
would wear his fashionable garments as far as
little inn in Chelmsford where he exchanged
them for a pair of patched trousers, a Worn
out coat, darned stockings, and clodhopper
shoes with iron buckles. In this attire he
would call upon his uncle. The latter would
not permit fire on cold March days on the
score OF its being extravagant, and the two
would sit with crust of bread and one glass of
wine between them until it was too dark to
tire to save the expense of candles. When
this uncle died he left his nephew o fortune of
$1,000,000.
AS he grew Older John Elves developed the
terrible avarice that marked his life by pas
sion for cards. He would sit in his thread
bare clothes with the Duke of Northumberland
and play with feyerish eye and trembling
hand with thousands at stake, and then after
having lost or won as the case might be, he
would walk to his miserable lodgings, three
q rojO
pay for a cab.
ELVES owned a magnificent country seat in
berkshire. When he would leave London to
visit il he would put three hard-boiled eggs
and some crusts Of bread in his pockets, then
mounting horse would ride over fields and
through lanes, going miles out of his way to
avoid roads where he would have to pay few
pennies toll. A more than faithful biogra-
pher says of him:
"He would eat his provisions in the last
stage of putrifaction rather than have q fresh
joint from the butcher, and at one time he
wore wig about q fortnight which he picked
out of a rut in lane and which had appar-
emily been thrown away by a beggar."
AT his country seat he allowed of no repair
save little brown paper or bit of broken
glass. During the harvest he would amuse
himself with going into the fields to CLEAN the
corn on the ground of his own tenants, and
they used to leave little more than common
to please the old gentleman, who was as eager
after it as any pauper in the parish. To save
bed coverings, before his death, he would go
to sleep completely dressed with boots and hat
on. He died miserably, his mind weakened
by worry and privation. The value of his
fortune, which went to two sons, was not less
than 81 100000.
Another celebrated miser was Ephraim
Lapes Pereira, Baron dAguilar, formerly
cashier to the Empress Maria Theresa of
Austria. Strange to say the early years of his
lie at Austrian court were years of splendor
Then he moved to England, married wealthy
lady, and settled down. He lived in sumptu-
Gus style; kept several carriages and twenty
servants. He was married twice, and after his
second marriage he left his family and friends
and withdrew himself from the fashionable
world. He turned farmer. AT this time he
was worth one million dollars. After year
in this country his place began to be known as
starvation Farmyard." His cattle and poultry
were a mass of skin and bones, and peasants
began to boot at the baron whenever he APP
peared for his mean treatment OF his animals.
He always insisted upon being present when
the stock was being fed so that he might see
that there was nothing stolen or wasted. He
went about his farm clad in mean and dirty
clothes, and refused to spend money to buy
new ones. After q life of seltishness and
meanness he died in March, 1902, leaving prop
erty estimated at $1,1O0,000. His diamonds
alone werelworthS $50 000, while his solid silver
plate weighed over 700 pounds.
But exceeding by far the example OF John
ELVES is that of Daniel Dancer, whose life is
tory of the Unsuitable thirst for gold. His
father died and left him, together with Sis
ter, a comfortable fortune Dancer and his
sister lived in miserable hut near Harrow, in
Middlesex, England. Their fare consisted of
piece of cheap beef and fourteen hard dump
lngs boiled on Sunday, and this lasted them
the rest of the week. The pair dressed in rags,
and when the sister was dying from cold and
starvation her brother refused to summon med
ical aid on the ground that he could not spend
m hppauSa
girl'' was going to die the doctors couldn't save
her anyhow. Dancer was too misery to pro-
vide soap and towels for himself.
He would wash in a neighDoring pool and lie
out in the sun till he was dried. His Clothes
mass OF patches, were held up by a belt of
twisted hay, and his whole appearance was
that of abject misery. Dancer on his rambles
never returned empty handed. He would
gather up the bones in the village streets and
lanes, bring them home, and after picking
them clean himself would crack them and
feed them to his dog. Once neighbors COM
planned that his dog worried and killed their
Sheep and for fear that he would have to pay
for future depredation5, he took the dog to q
blacksmith's, where he had all the poor dogs
teeth broken off to prevent q further recur-
renee Of the trouble. He mended his own
shoes and wore one hat continuously for thir-
teen years.
When he lay on his dying bed his only gar
mont was an old sack. When demonstrated
with, he said that he came into this world
without shirt and he would go out of it that
way. When visitor suggested that he have a
pillow for his head he ordered his only SER
want, whose weekly wages were only thirty
cents, to bring him wisp of hay, which he
used as pillow till his death, a few days
later. He left an estate valued at $4,000,
amply sufficient for all his needs during his
lifetime had he so desired. This money, in
odd sums, was hidden in old rags, nailed down
to the under part of the manger floor in tho
miserable cowshed, and over $4,000 was
found hidden in the manure pile, where it had
lain for years
The Presidents Letter to a Baby.
From the New York World.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, May s, 1888
NJ Dnnr Chill iLilk the