Middletown transcript., 1891-06-25
Ecoentric Farmer Booth.

Back in the hills of Roxbury, in
Litchfeld county, two miles from any
post. Office and four miles from rail-
road station, lives one of the brightest
members of the class of lS43 at Yale,
Mr.. Harvey Minor Booth, the plain
est sort of q New England farmer.
And there, in an old weather.beaten
house on lane or back road he has
lived for fifty years, in good financial
condition, yet satisfied perfectly with
the exhausting toll Of cultivating a
New England farm. His only recre-
alton is solving the most abstruse
algebraic problems known to science.
His only light is tallow candle, and
his fare is Of the most frugal kind, his
copstant companion at the table being
his algebra.
In all these years his only human
companion was spinster sister, who
died few years since. He and. his
sister inherited good farm, and BY
careful investment had amassed CON-
siderable wealth at the time of her
death. He was in the habit of walk
ing from this farm in New Haven,
distance of thirty miles, during his
college days, and until very recently
he has been in the habit Of walking
to Waterbury, a distance of eighteen
miles, rather than hitch up one of the
horses which he has in his Larn.
For time after graduation he
tried teaching, but gave it up in dis
gust, as he could not understand girls.
Nor did he ever fathom the peculiari.
ties of the fair sex, to all appearances.
He did marry. but the very next
morning he gave the bride q hand
some sum with which to get a divorce
/ from him, and she complied.
Summer and winter he wears brown
jean trousers with a coarse jumper,
and heavy army brogans on his feet
| in winter and none in summer. lie
is familiar object to the villagers as
he goes to the post-ofice for the large
checks that come periodically from
his different investments. One day
he carried home on hand-sled two
miles and up hill, 15s pounds Of pork
rather than take out one Of his horses.
Some years since Mr.. Booth lost
quite sum in an investment on the
recommendation of q Waterbury Sun
day.school superintendent. Since
that time he has had a bitter aversion
to all church people, and if he learns
that man with whom he is about to
do business is church member it is
said that he Immediately drops the
transaction.
The methods of his sister were not
SO strict as the following story will
show After her death he told q
friend to inquire at a Waterbury
savings bank for a deposit his sister
had said she had there. The friend
/ found no deposit, but fortunately hap
pened to recollect that she had beer
interested In the settlement of the
estate OF q Waterbury man, through
whom the Booths lost considerable
money. His theory proved correct
| The books had been given to Miss
Booth, but had never been transferred
in the bank. AS the President of the
bank was an old college mate Of Mr.
Booths the matter was set right. The
sum with interest which had been &C
cumulating was more than $4,000.
Two years ago Mr.. Booth gave te
his town $4,000 to establish and
maintain q select school where boys
or girls could fit for college or fol
business life. As the only expense i;
in the salary for a teacher, the sum
has proved ample, and the school is
prospering.