The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1888-05-30
THE MIsERIEs OF NIlsEIss.
Some Remarkable Men who Resarde
Wealth Above all Physical Comforts.

Some Remarkable Men who Regarde
Wealth Above all Physical Comforts.
From the pitsburg Dispatch.
Perhaps the most famous miser tina
ever lived was John ELVES, an English
man, who died from neglect because h'
refused to incur the expense of physician
and nurses, though worth not less tha,
81, 100000. In the case Of John Elves
his sordid character was not the resul
of ignorance, for he was graduate of {
Swiss university and later in life was 6
member of parliament. His greed o1
gold was hereditary. He was the son O
London brewer, who died when the DO.
was only four years old. His mother sur
vived, but to such an extent did her pas
sion for money gain hold upon her that
though she had $500, ,000in her own right
she actually starved to death. An uncle
Sir Harvey Elves, was also miser, ant
the example of these two blood relative:
exercised such an influence upon John
Elves that he became the most famou:
miser of three centuries. After his return
to England from Geneva Elves moved
in fashionable London society, where
his prospective wealth entitled him to re-
cognition.
When he visited his uncle in Suffolk
where the latter lived in the most abjec'
penury, his hopeful nephew would play
a double part. He would wear hlE
fashionable garments as far as little inu
in Chelmsford, where he exchanged them
for pair of patched trousers, worn
out coat, darned stockings, and clod-
hopper shoes with iron buckles In this
attire he would call upon his uncle.
The latter would not permit q 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
see each others faces, and then they
would retire to save the expense of
candles. When this uncle died he left
his nephew fortune OF 81, 100000.
As be grew older, John Elves devel-
oped the terrible avarice that marked his
life by a passion for cards. He would
sit in bis threadbare clothes with the
Duke of Northumberland and play with
feverish eye and trembling hand with
thousands at stake, and then after ha7-
ing lost or won as the case might be, he
would walk to his miserable lodgings,
three miles distant, in a peltering rain
rather than pay for cab.
Elves owned q magnificent country
seat in Berkshire. When he would
leave London to visit it he would put
three hard boiled eggs and some crusts
of bread in his pockets, then mounting a
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 bio
grapher says of him:
''ae 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 wig about a
fortnight which be picked out of rut in
in a lane and which had apparently been
thrown away by 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. 70
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 priva-
ton. The value of his fortune, which
went to two sons, was not less the
S., 100000.
Another celebrated miser was Ephraim
Lspes Pereira, Baron d Aguilar, former
ly cashier to the Empress Maria Theresa
OF Austria. Strange to say, the early
years of his life at Austrian court were
years of splendor. Then be moved to
England, married wealthy lady, and
settled down. BE lived in sumptious
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 t. be known as
"Starvation farmyard." His cattle and
poultry we're mass Of skin and bones,
and peasants began to hoot at the baron
whenever he appeared 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 life OF
selfshness and meanness he died in
March, 1902, leaving property estimated
at 81, 100000. His diamonds alonewere
worth Sl5O,O00, while lis 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 lett
him, together with sister, comfortable
fortune. Dancer and his sister lived in
a miserable hut near Harrow, in Middle
sex, England. Their fare consisted of a
piece of cheap beef and fourteen hard
dumplings 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 hel
brother refused to summon medical aid
on the ground that he could not spend
his m oney for medicine, because if the
"old girl'' was going to die the doctors
couldn't save her anyhow. Dancer was
too miserly to provide soap and towels
for himself.
He uonla wash in q naiphhnrinQ nno]