The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-03
POOR TOY DEA"LERSH0ARD.
NEARLY 10000 IN CASH FOUND
UNDER COGHILL's BED.

Business HAD Been Dreadruliy Bad In the
Rowery, as He would Have Told You any
Day These Twenty Years-But no LEFT Hts
Mother Money to 1--we On, to Her Surprise.
For noarly twenty years Frank Coghill kept q
little shop at 40 Bowery. 1t was n dirty, stuffy
place, Allied with q confusion of all manner Of
toys, to which was added, on occasion. a stock
of fireworks. Coghill did q jobbing business.
The first floor OF the building was his salesroom.
the second his storeroom and on tho third no
lived with his aged mother and his clerk, q
woman named Cohen. The toy merchant had
not occupied o largo place In the world, and so
when he died, on June 16, of heart disease, few
persons knew 1t, or cared.
Coghill was a Scotchman by birth. Early in
his young manhood he married n Scotch girl,
who lived a few years and died childlcss. Then
oil that was left to the man war his old mother,
now nearly eighty: an aunt In Philadelphia. and
some cousins of his own name in Jersey City.
When he first opened tho shop no did business
on q small scale. but never as a retailer. when
asked one day why he preferred to DO q iobber,
he said:
ITS just as easy to soil $40 worth of goods al
10 cents worth, and the man who buys tho
larger quantity 10 usually the better able to pay
for them"
After q time he increased his stock. engaGed
Miss Cohen as q clerk, and went about tho city
soliciting orders. When anybody asked how
business was his invariable reply would be:
"Businessi There Is no business. Tn getting
poorer every day. II I could get rid OF the store
and my goods I could make more money sweep-
It was noticed. however, that whenever no re-
plenished his stock, no matter to what extent.
But ever, his mother thought he was Just man.
aging to live.
He never was known to take a vacation. or
indeed to leave. tho city. He worked early and
late on week DAYS, and. 80 the story goes. he
sRFsnfs hi Fo su oSsf s IN gst taking his health en linv sa a Ssyeo of ta HI.
ing: His heart seemed to DO affected, and no
had promised his mother to take a two months
the promise he said he ddidnff know mosn who're he %t the
money was coming from to pay his expenses.
up in the morning, the old pains In his heart
game back: He was standing near his bed part
81 roa aFSsse Ms. ScS ossn tg the he r SaTs g co cry T3 Maa
t %s Se fsi, S SssRu shs M TGmn Go FsSch SSar the .; hoG n
her arms: He died q few moments afterward.
After the funeral a search was made OF his Of.
feets to see what there was to 20 on with, An
was 30 heavy his mother could hardly lift 1t, and
she called Miss Cohen. The two women opened
u 1ho IN ne Mrisinr II p %ps n9 mo!t f of tho of p PsSSs K s done
the length OF a bank note. There were others
which, In size and shape resembled the large fire.
The women opened one of the larger packages.
Il contained greenbscks, with a $40 bill on top.
the package. The bills were mostly Aves and
tens with a few ones. They opened one Of tho
smaller packages and found that II, contained
silver coin. The women concluded that tho
valise was filled with greenbacks and coin, and
took 1t downstairs and locked 1t in tho safe that
night The next day Mrs. Coghill consulted q
lawyer and then took out letters OF administra-
ton. The valise and its contents were taken
down to the United States Trust Company,
where the money was counted and deposited.
1t was found that the accumulations OF the toy
merchant amounted to So. 954. 90.
/ Some of the bills were nearly Hffy yAara old.
Some were badly torn and most were widowed.
They were done up chiefly in packages OF $500
each. Most OF the bills were flves and tens. but
there were a few ffties and hundreds. There
was $50 in gold and a quantity OF silver. A
few OF the bills were Of the old State bank Is
sues. Two or three OF the gold pieces were worn
smooth. What else may be discovered among
the effects OF this Door man who couldn't make
a living out OF his business is n matter OF pres.
the few relatives who may come into the estate
after the old lady.