Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-08-02
A WEALTHY HERMIT,
He Has Plenty of Bonds, Hut Lives in .
 Hole in the Ground

Hole in the Ground.
 On the Winnebago Indian reservation, about twenty miles down the Missouri river from Sioux City, la, in Thurston County, Neb., dwells hermit whose history Is of much interest. His name Is Charles Eoes, and he is for!y-nine years old He lives alone, not in a hut or cave, but in a nole In the ground, having dug an apart ment ill the earth about ten feet from the surface to the floor. This is entered by a trap door, which Is only about two feet square and which can not be seen until a person IS close toit. His habitation Is in a rough, wooded gully running back among the clay bluffs of the Missouri river and is very seldom visited by men. Your corre- spondent has visited the place and has heard Ebes' story. He is native of Indiana, and in 1862, when twenty two years old, he was working at the cooper's trade at Vlncennes, Ind. He was engaged to be married to young lady named Minnie Gar rett, whose parents lived near that city. In the spring of that year Miss Garrett's 8 parents moved to New Ulm, Minn., and set tied on farm on what was then the fron- tier. Soon after they arrived at their new home the girl wrote to Ebes that she was dissatisfied with the place and wanted to go back to Indiana. The lover was without means, except his wages, but he saved what he earned for several months, and that, to- gether with the price of colt that he owned, made little over $2OO With this he planned to go to Min nesota, marry the girl ana take her back to the old home, and he wrote her that he would start on the Monday mornin g after the date of the letter. On the night before he was to start he went out with 0 company of young men, visited a gambling house, and when daylight came he was pen niless, having bet and lost every cent. Then he was compelled to write to his intended and postpone his visit and the wedding, but set again to work, planning to go in the lat ter part of September, when he should have saved up money enough. Before he again heard from Miss Garrett the Sioux Indians had attacked the white settlement at New Ulm, and the girl and her parents were among the killed. When Ebes heard this story he was broken-hearted, left his work and began to roam about the country He visited New Ulm, and found the story was too true In 1860 he went back to Vincennes, and there was apprised of the fact that an uncle in Tennessee had died and left him nearly $40 300. He secured the money and spent about 6, 900 in travelling about seek ing place to locate, but found 1t impossible to settle down among his fellow-men. In 1872 he invested his money in bonds and for ten years ne nVeQ a hermlt'S life ln WlSCOn- sin. In 1883 he came further west, and since then he has lived In the hole in the ground, where he will probably spend the remainder of his days. Besides his bonds that bring him regular income, he has good-sized bank account in Sioux City bank, and he draws on this for the scanty needs of his house and home. He has fair education and has many books with which he whiles away the time in his lonely habitation, which Is so dark that he keeps lamp burn ing night and day His only companions are two tame badgers, which he keeps in Q box in ono corner of his dirt den.