Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-12-27
A PERMIT WHO READ GREEK.
Once Wealthy, a College Graduate ard
Presidents Friend.

'NA'hyB SOhCSt STs1uuatt ara =
Presidents Friend.
Joseph Underwood. an eccentric and
'eiy poor OLD man. was found dead in his
nut, seven miles northwest of Pomona,
near the Dalton canyon. He had died of
heart disease, from which he had long suf-
fered. The old man probably suffered
from lack Of food during his last days.
His coffin, chat he had himself made from
rude fence boards several years ago, was
found beneath his bed
There are few men who have met with
the great changes il fortune that the de-
ceased did III his seventy-two years of life.
lie was the son of wealthy parents in Eng
land, and was student at Cambridge uni
versity for three years. He came to the
United States in ls43 with $4,000, and for
several years added largely to his money
In boot factory at Buffalo He was
prominent in society in that city, and WAS
on friendly terms with ex-President Fill
more. He lost his business and fed from
Buffalo with only a few hundred dollars.
He made another small fortune by lucky
Investments in the growing city of Chicago
IN 1880, and started for California with
other young men who had the gold lever.
OF the horrors OF starvation thirst, cold
and heat of the seven months Underwood
spent in coming across the plains he al
ways spoke with n shudder. He was sew
eral years recovering his broken health,
and when he did he had not dollar Dur
ing sixteen years Underwood made for
tune of about SIS. 900 in mining in Nevada
county, and then lost it all in a placer
mining scheme in Yuba county. In a year
or two he was so poor that he was helped
by charity. Then he made a strike in
some real estate transaction, and for sey-
eral years every deal he made in real es-
tate was successful. He had about $40, 900
in 1870 and went to Europe He travelled
abroad for a year snd became engaged to a
young widow on the steamer that brought
him back to this country, and was married
In Trinity church as soon as they arrived.
Underwood was so flush with money In
those days that he gave the minister 81 600
as a marriage fee. In less than six months
Underwood and his bride had parted in
great anger, and he gave her $4,000 to
leave him forever. He returned to Cali,
fornis and spent several years in Petaluma
and San Francisco, but his spirit was
broken. He lost his money in a mine on
the Comstock, and after more poverty
made several thousand dollars in Tomb.
stone, which he subsequently lost in real
estate in San Diego.
The last eight or nine years of Under
woods life were spent in the most abject
poverty imaginable. He lived alone in a
hut and suhsisted on money made from
the sale OF firewood. He was the dirtiest
and most unkempt person in Pomona val.
ley. He hated the world and detested
every one who had means. His only rec
reation was in reading Greek Testament
from which he could repeat whole chap
tiers in the original from memory. He has
numerous cousins, nephews and uncles in
Sacramento and Tehama counties, but left
no record of who they are OF where they
| live. Two dollars will buy all the prop
| erty the old man left.-Cor. San Francisco
Examiner