Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-06
L0NEY OF A MISER
eft by His Will to the Woman Who
Used to Do His Few Chores.
.OM4NCE OF AN OLD BACHELOR.
arly Crossed in Love, lie Refused to Look
at ANY Woman, and
TARYED HIMSELF AND HOARDED GOLD


snement house at 329 East Tenth street, to
le Lutheran Cemetery. There was crowd
,out the door of 500. The German ten
rs Of all the houses around leaned from
leir windows or were grouped about the
oors, talking excitedly.
1t was the funeral of a lonely old bach
.or, Edward Steuhendorf, and the house.
eeper Of $40 and her family were the only
burners. The people watching the funeral
ere discussing the scarcity of her tears,
e life Of the bachelor and the will he had
Il behind.
Edward SteCbendorf, who would have
zen % wears old had he lived until April
D., came TO this country about 40 years ago
iJh his mother and father His mothers
raat-grandtather, the neighbors said, was
Gvsician to the King of Denmark, and the
rsbaud grew rich as a merchant through
se patronage of the Duke of Mecklen-
Urg, but came to grief and emigrated.
he Steubendorfs moved into four-room
'artment Oh the third floor of this tene-
euJ.
Crossed in Love by Relatives.
When the war broke out they were afraid
.c son would be drafted, and they returned
Germany for a few years. Edward Steu-
snGo-f was then a handsome young man.
e met his cousin Wilhelmina, daughter of
IS mothers sister and his fathers brother,
I'd fell in love with her, but all the rela-
oHS opposed the marriage bitterly, and it
as abandoned The war being over the
-eubendoFfs came back to America, to the
me tenement house.
L2ward the story goes, swore that, as he
'uld not marry his cousin, he would marry
one. and would have nothing to do with
omen. 1t seems that Wilhelmina took
me such vow herself for she has never
ar-ied. The Steubendorfs had little
nlcy, and the young man devoted himself
study and spent all his days and evenings
non- his books He was silent, morose
.d suspicious. He would allow no young
rls 10 come into the apartment. He grew
ore and more eccentric every year.
Ia 1876 his father died and his mother
rs shortly afJerward so i'll that she made
ser all the property to the son, thinking
lg was about to die. But she got well, and
len the ueighbors began to talk about her
--srly bachelor son.
1Iiserly With No Love of Gold.
lie had no desire TO accumulate money,
n he seemed to have fear that the small
lc0le that be had would get away from
-. So he cut down his expenditures be-
w the living point, and his old mother
sed 10 slip out quietly, to avoid the
4Hcss OF the neighborS, and get
wing to do. For the four wears
tore her death in 1880, the neighbors saw,
.e supported both herself and her son, who
arded his income and added to the princi-
i. His mother was sick several months
-o-a she died, and the neighbors brought
al the little luxuries she had during
lSt ,ime
After his mothers death it was seven
.ur>, according to the tales that are told,
=iare ANY one crossed the Threshold of
.e little apartment Steubendorf occupied.
nose Of the tenement people who were
.ilr very early used to see him go down
airs with a basket. He went to the
Lteher'E, and got a little cheap meat,
len 10 the bakers for one loaf of bread.
Zen he went back TO his rooms, bolted the
Dor, and was seen no more until the next
o-uing. If anyoue Knocked he made no
lswer If his name was called, he asked
what's your business" and unless the re-
lr- Vas satisfactory he would not open the
Dor
Did His Own Stair-Scrubbing.
The neichbors could hear the steady rock,
,cS, Of The chair in which he sat reading
] dav. 1t is the custom in this tenement
- stairs When his turn came he took a
acket and brush and did the scrubbing
mselL de paid no attention to the ieers
E the women and the children. The only
her sound from his rooms, beside the
5-Eing chairs creak, was the noise of his
Others sewing machine, on which he did
$ old bachelors sewing.
one day, some years ago, his next-door
eIgh1OrS heard fall in his rooms, followed
groans. The door was burst open, and
.ev saw him lying on the floor in faint.
was IN the bitterest cold of the winter
e had 40 fire, and had been sitting in his
acEing chair with the feather bed around
In 10 keep him warm. The doctor said he
la tainted from weakness caused bv starva-
n lie had been cutting down the amount
bread and meat since his mothers death
ll had fallen away in flesh gradually,
NIL II last his body refused to starve
her.
Two Years of Better Eating.
When the doctor explained to him that
would die unless he ate more, he said he
oUla eat more. He was a materialist and
F. atheist, and held that, as this life was
!. ne would do well to live as long as DOS
bic. SO, after this for two years he grew
health and strength and size. He barely
slEe3 the neighbors who had rescued
im and his door was barred as before.
lI seems that about two years ago he
sgs.o 90 starve himself again. For manv
onJhs now the neighbors have been no.
cling and commenting upon his thinness
ID his sick, haggard face. Latterly he |
srmltted the hOusekeeper to come up and |
TEND 10 those wants to which he was not |
be TO attend This housekeeper is Nav |
ha bag 81.
.onde-mustached, excitable husband, who |
as strong convictions upon the subject of |
, equal division of property
No one knows how long Steubendorf was |
OWN with his fatal iilness-ulceration of |
le stomach from lack of food, but the |
5useEeeper was attending him constantly |
week ago yesterday Dr. A. Shulman was
He'd In. Steubendorf had but one suit of /
0thes, and that was in rags. He was
ressed in bagged undershirt His body |
as wasted TO skin and bone, and his face /
as terrible to be seen. The rooms were |
can, and arranged with preciseness
oFire Tor Many Years.
Until the fire the doctor ordered was
gilt there had been no fire in the stove for
.ur years, and before that for seven wears
he bachelor did his cooking on a little
orn oil stove.
Dr. Shulman found that Stuebeudorf
1uld not live, and on Tuesday told him if |
had any preparations to make he had |
stter make them at once Steubendorf
id he wanted to make will. The land
.dv brought notary and a will was made
hicb, so the housekeeper told the neigh,
DIS, left all the property to her AT
clock that evening Steubendorf died.
The other tenants do not like Mrs
uehne, and they were not pleased at her
35d fortune, so they made smiling inquiries
M Kuehne as to his present view.
pon the division of property, and asked