The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-15
FAMOUS OLD MISERS.
John Elves, Whose Mother Starved
to Death-Other Misers.
From tie Bcitinl0re Herald.

That the love or money IS Tue root OF all
avil is truth as eternal as the hills. The
death of a tramp in a Bordentown IN. J.,)
olrs house. last week, who had SIS 900 in
money and securities in his clothes, illus
trates how far the curse of gold will carry
some men.
Perhaps the most famous miser that
ever lived was John Elves, an Englishman,
who died from ne elect because he refused to
irc1r the expense of physicians and nurses,
though worth not less than $4000,000 In
The case of John Elves, his sordid character
was not the result of ignorance, Cor he was
a graduate of Swiss University, and later
in life was a member of Parliament. His
creed of gold was an hereditary sin. He
was the son of a London brewer, who died
VIII tie boy was only years old. His
mother survived, but to such an extent did
her passion for money gain hold upon her
mat. though she had 100000 IN her own
right. she actually starved herself to death.
An uncle, Sir Harvey ELVES, was also a
niser. and the example of these two blood
relatives exercised such an influence upon
John Elves that he became ultimately the
most famous miser of three centuries. After
his return to England from Geneva young
Elves moved in fashionable London society,
where his prospective wealth entitled him
to recognition.
A MASQUERADING MISER
When he visited his uncle in Suffolk,
where the latter lived in the most abject
nenury, his hopeful nephew would play
double part. He would wear his fashiona-
bic garments as far as a little inn in
Chelmsford, where he exchanged them for
apatched pair of trousers, WORKOUT coat,
darned stockings and clodhopper shoes with
iron buckles. In this attire he would call
upon his uncle. The latter would not per-
NIT fire on cold March days on the score
of its being extravagant, and the two would
sit with a crust of bread and one glass of
wine between them until it was too dark to
see each others faces, and then they would
retire to save the expense of candles. When
this uncle died he lett his nephew fortune
of 81, 100000.
As he grew older, John Elves developed
the terrible avarice that marked his life by
a pa sion for cards. He would sit in his
threadbare clothes with the Duke of Nor
thumberland and play with feverish 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 missr-
able lodgings, three miles distant, in a
pelting rain, rather than pay a shilling for
scab.
Elves owned magnificent country-seat
in Berkshire. When he would leave Lon
don to visit it 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 biographer says of
him:
He would eat bis provisions in the last
stage Of putrefaction rather than have a
fresh joint from the butcher, and at one
time he wore a wig about fortnight which
he picked out of rut in lane and which
had apparently been thrown away by a
beggar"
At his country-seat he allowed of no re-
pair save little brown paper or a bit of
broken glass. During the harvest he would
amuse himself with going into the fields to
CLEAN the corn on the grounds 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 s., 600,
000
TITLED MsER.
Another celebrated miser was Ephraim
Lapes Pereira, Baron D'Aguilar, formerly
cashier to the Empress Maria Theresa, of
y
his life at the Austrian court were years of
Splendor. Then he moved to England, mar
Tied a wealthy lady and settled down. He
lived in sumptuous style; kept several car
riages and twenty servants. He was mar
RED 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
100000. After year in the country his
place began to be known as STARVATION
Farmyard." His cattle ana poultry were a
mass of skin and bones, and the peasants be-
gan to boot at the baron whenever he ap-
peared for his mean treatment of his ami
mails. He always insisted on being present
when the stock was fed so that he might
see that there was nothing stolen or wasted
lie went about his farm clad in mean and
dirty clothes, and refused to spend money
TO buy new ones. After a life of selhshness
and meaness, he died in March, 1902, leav-
ing property estimated at $1,000 His
diamonds alone were worth 10000, 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 the most striking example, perhaps, in all
history of the Unsuitable thirst for gold
His father died and left him, together with
a sister, a comfortable fortune. Dancer
and his sister lived in miserable hut near
iAdIIou, III MlidleSex, Eng. Their fare
consisted of piece of cheap beef and IA
hard dumplings boiled on Sunday, and this
lasted them the rest of the week. The pair
dressed i'll rags, and when the sister was
tVlng from cold and starvation her brother
refused to summon medical aid on the
ground that he could not spend his money
Tor medicine, because if the ''old girl" was
gong to die the doctor couldn't save her
anyhow. Dancer was too miserly to pro-
Vlde soap and towels for himself.
TOO STINGY TO BATTLE.
He would wash in neighboring pool and
ne out IN the sun till he was dried. His
clothes, mass of patches, were held up by
belt OF twisted hay, and his whole appear
snce was that of abject misery. Dancer on
MS ramble never returned empty handed.
lie would gather up the bones in the viii
lage streets and lanes, bring them home,
and after picking them clean himself,
would crack them and feed them to his
dog Once neighbors complained that his
oog worried and killed their sheep, and for
Tear that he would have to pay for future
depredations he took the dog to a black
smith where he had all the poor brute's
teeth broken off to prevent a further recur-
renee of the trouble. He mended his own
Shoes and wore one hat continually for
thirteen years.
When he lay on his dying bed his only
garment was an old sack When remon-
strated with he said that ba capna into tho |