New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-15
DEAD AMONG HIS PICTURES.
LONELY END OF AN ECCENTRIC OLD MAN.
FOR FoETY.y1yE YEARS HE LIVED LIKE
HERMIT IN BACHELOR QUARTERS.

HERMIT IN BACHELOR QUARTERS
Peope in and about Washington Square have
long bcen familiar with the sight Of a tall, spare
man. with flowing white hair and haggard,
thourbtful face who at regular intervals passed
in and ont of the entrance to the big University
Building on the cast side of the square. Every
child in the ncighborhood knew him, ana III sum
mcr the appearance of his stopping figure. with
its white duSt-coat white hat and lghi-ercch UNI
brcla was the signal for a laughing crow" vi
Youngsters TO gather and follow hln' lhrou-"
nearly three generations eccentric Henry zen
Brook Gamage had been an object OF CURIOSITY
10 MANY Now his figure Will bc seen no more
On Saturday he was found dead in big room on
the top floor Of the University building "ilcIc
he had spent nearly fifty years OF ms me-
About Mr. Gamagc's exact age opinions dIiier
considerably Some persons believe that hc WAS
seventy Eight. others say that he was no IoIc
than seventysix. Mr. Matthews, the ianitor OF
the building, says that he was elsn'S-SeNc" S''''
old and he is probably right.
The old man led almost "A hermit HE ic
had occrpicd his one room just forty-nlne years.
but no one in the building knew anything oil Ms
history or of his family He never spoke oi MN
self and resented all inquiries INTO MS hS'o'S
or affairs as personal atrront II was known 'h''
he had relatives in Kentucky and in PcnliS%lN"hi"
but who they or where they were 10 Nv
found(.could never be learned from him. Some
times letters came from and went to the Rev H. >
| Gardener of New-Mton, Penn, ana IL WAS "S
| sumed that he was one Of the only ii'ndS "hon
Mr. Gamage cared TO have. The old mans languaee
| and bearing showed him to possess cohsideldo'c
| orIture and refinement and he had once admitted
| that ne was Il graduate of Yale Ill the ~ cIiSn VI
1927 and that with him in that class was "llii"m
| VI had
and had served in the Appraisers Department oil
| clio Custom House but was dismissed by the
| Cleveland Administration.
His manners i'm the University building were
~ nccnliar AS they were outside IT. No one was
| allowed TO enter his room. lie dSllked terNal'S
! and would not allow them to touch Anything w.
! loooin, TO him For the last three or four years
he had followed no occupation, ana II was sup
! posed that he lived on money inherited OF e'Nc'
| bv himself The fire collection of Old OIL PANT
| nrs stacked in his room caused INN 70 pe ~
eardcd a. wealthy man Nobody IN the ."''"-
/ iu, paid much attention TO his movements Every
morning at half past :, lie lcli the plilu'"7 ".' =
,ros seen no more until o'clock. Then at half
past he would 60 out again, returning ior "''
nigh, at about 10 o'clock. Before hc went 10
bed. he would 90 down stairs and draw bucket
of wafer This bucket of water hc carefully pu'
outside the door of his room. What it was used
for. nobody was ever able TO discover lie was
never seen in company with anybody, or talking
| TO anybody and no acquaintance OF his ever sa"
the inside of his room, far rs IS known.
Il was lust $50 o'clock on Friday night
when a houscmaid employed about the building saw
him climbing the stairs 10 his room. As he passed
into the room he left the door a few lnches aJar'
| That was according 10 his regular custom NO
| sound came from the room after he had eh'eIcu
IT, Saturday morning came and SUI the ooor unu
NOT move n was o'clock In the afternoon when
the houseecancr stopped outside Mr. "amage :
door and detected a strange odor, which seemed
| o. COM, from, within She called James Downing
| ono NJ the men employed about the bdidlpS
| lanes " she said that old man, Mr. uaihage
| has pevcr moved the whole of this day III
| afraid something is wrong with him. lie might W
dead. even" Downing pushed open the door anu
| n,ered in Then he uttered "A cry ana ran uo"h
| stairs 10 the rooms occupied by MI. ana MID
| Matthews. "
Tho bodv Of Mr. Gamagc found by them
sitting on the edge of his bed, the head oi WhI'n
fitted into "A small alcovc IN the Sdc wall VI '
room I'm front of him was llttlc lapio c"'c' -"
with prints medicine bottles ana Ola 'o"'S' % '
,r. from, If thc table stood small oilstoyc, stu
alicht Mr.. Gamagc was dressed III nl' "''
,.,ne overcoat. and with his hat on the ground IN
I %
tLa, the top Of his forehead tonched the ""'
frame The left elbow rested s1uarcIN on '"'
table. The right hand graspns s'r'"-"'l' - ,
lav IN his knee The eyes were Wdc "T" anu anu
,nrinc hui there was no light III th'h., l"c
| i;rs Gore nartcd and the teeth sci tg"'N -
Tho, Inst wien thc lonely man h9l rc"N 60
Ii Jc,th stroke no one could tell Dr riIlo!
,,L has AN Office in the building, thouSHl 10
nroboLlc that heart disease had struck MN %i'n'i
frv. minutes after he entered the room !, W."
| evid.ut that he had sat down on me 'nSt 'i ~
he'd and started 10 light the oirtoN'' ~ T'''II
article which gave heat - me roo"i .,, nr Ii
liz ono wick when the match dropped II"H "''
mcryclc.. fingers and his head fell forward
DR. Elliott lifted the heavy hciI anu s'" a
large brain hole oval in shane, on ~" ilEI, , .
s " I t',obcnd There the flesh had been burner
o,yav IN tbe bone In his big harn-hN to3hl u'
nIy bv a skvIpht the rccluS' had llNei ana or W
surrounded by the works OF genus VII w VIZ a."
AZ his feet on hi, bed. on his arlhr'r or ~ S'". ~
against the walls and piled up on IN t;,iob and
dozens OF oil paintings rrpi'IHrnitss". tLnsc nro
Italian masters II only halt oi ~ ;n
on,';n. Wr Gamagc's coll 'ctlon VIII JIM
| ttb"msande Of dollars. The room M,,'u'
cncrusted with the dust and dlrt o! Icn, T ,
| Scattered i'm corners were Stat 1,,i.., iI
| Iiiis hIncl, with age When l)r EIIl"'t hI,
,tcd tIe cousr of 4, aL the bodys"aS turie" w
20 Jamcs Brrton an und'rt'kcr' al ~. ,,, ~ -
yersity Place who obtained permit i "
TO his rooms. o ,,.bo know ar coul
\ll attempts to find any one w,o ',oro frnitass
| toll ANYTHING about tie old man "cI' ls"l.
W,r,om m oS cont telegram 10 Mr.. Gardener hiormn"
lin NJ the death 40 jrwelry, money or p!op',ra
| nf any kind beyond the pictures aH" i'"i'"'
was found in the room