Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1890-03-07
NOTED ENoL,sH MIsERs.
The Privations They Endured
Rather Than Spend Money.

The Prlvations They Endured
Rather Than Spend Money.
When Sir Hervey Elves died his
enormous fortune went to his nephew,
John. The young man was u miser of
the very worst kind. ana was even
threatened with arrest for allowing
his aged mother TO die in his house of
starvation. 1t is said that John inher-
tied the fortune on account of his ultra
economy. lie stayed with Sir Hervey
during that miser's lifetime, and the
way the young man economical in fuel
won the old mans regard. A few
sticks sufficed to boil the kettle and
prepare the miserable meal, and when
it Vas very cold the couple would visit
friends and get warm at other peoples
expense. In winter they went to bed
at 5, in summer at 8. They never
spent any money on illumination.
crawling hungry and cold to bed
directly it got dark. After John sue
ceeded to the estates he took to gam
bling and occasionally lost IA fair
sized fortune, but he stinted himself all
the time. and when on II journey rode
on horseback and slept under hedges
and haystac<s. He owned over twenty
houses in London, and when in the
city slept on the floor of any of them
that happened TO be vacant
ELVES was nominated for Parlia-
ment and succeeded in being elected
at the expense of the government.
TO the disgust of the aristocratic
legislators with whom he associated,
he ignored the custom of the times
and was too mean even to buy and
wear wig. Once he was run over
and had both legs injured. A local
apothecary was called on to dress one
leg. but the millionaire dressed tho
other himself and refused to pay the
doctor because the latter leg healed
first. Finding his annual expenses
over $500 a year, including pay to his
servants and horse feed, he resolved
on further measures OF economy-sold
his sheets and. slept between tho
blankets. In 1889 the life of privatiol
and hardship began to tell on the
miserable man and his memory began
to fail him. He refused TO hire any
help. assuring his friends that he was
penniless old man, and even went so
far as to extract promise from them
that he should be buried as n parish
pauper. The promise gave him much
case and he died in apparent comfort.
Despite his gambling losses. his execu-
tors had nearly $1,000, 600 to distri-
butte.
To one John Ward, of Hackney, be-
longs the credit, if such it be, of having
enough of the Spartan in him to suffer
Imprisonment for paltry debts while
in possession of thousands. He would
allow himself to be arrested and would
then gradually wear out the patience
and pockets of thes creditors Some
times he would be released ON the petit
ton of the creditor who would be con-
WINGED against his better reason of the
inability OF Ward to pay; at others the
deadbeat would succeed in getting u
small compromise accepted. He was
twice elected to Parliament, but seldom
attended at Westminster, his chief rec
reation being dog poisoning and pray
ing. He delighted in giving slow
poison to dogs and watching their life
ebb out. For hours every day he
would pray out loud and was often
overheard to petition the Ruler of all
things to save certain counties from
earthquake and drouth because he had
mortgages on estates in them. lie also
reminded the Almighty that he had
purchased the reversion to an estate and
that the only life that interviewed was
young and profane spendthrift. Ward
died worth about 81, 800, 600.