The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-06-23
Tales of Famous Misers

lives IN abject wretchedness, while pos
sessing sufficient money to enable him to
I've in comfort and even affluence. History
records many such instances. where
| The miser true
Starves midst his plenty. from the slavish
fear
OF wasting what he heaps"
Thomas Guy, the founder Of the hospita.
| in LONDON bearing mis- name, lived in the
meanest manner, dreading to spend a pen
ny on his personal comfort. He used TO
| sit In the dark when the sun went down
because he would not purchase candles In
| winter he went 10 bed at shutdown TO save
fuel, and often he had been known to creep
| into the area way OF some large mansion
to catch a little fugitive warmth from the
kitchen Yet he endowed Guys Hospital
| in the sum Of nearly million and quar-
| ter dollars One of his friends was the no.
| torious m:ser, John Hopkins. a wealthy
4 London merchant, who earned the sobri-
| Guet Of .'Vulture" through his rapacity.
| The acquaintance began in strange but
| characteristic manner. Hopkins paid an
| evening visit TO Guy. On entering the room,
Guy lighted a farthing rushlight, and de-
sired to know the object of the gentleman S
| visit, secretly hoping that it related TO
1 suiLc new investment dt large INTEREST
| 81 have been told" said Hopkins. "tha:
you, sir. are better versed in the prudeu
art of saving than any man now living,
and 1 therefore wait upon you for lesson
II frugality; an art in which used to think
I excelled, but am told by all who know
you that you are greatly my superior"
And is that all you came about?" ask
| ed Guy. why. then, we can talk this
I he Aar L. NH he
| Immediately extinguished his newly lighted
| fartr;ng rushlight. That was a lesson for
| Hopkins. He rose up and acknowledged
| that Guy possessed superior methods of
| thrift. Never afterwards did Hopkins burn
| candle in the evening. This miser inter-
| ested himself in politics. and Pope vente:
| his spleen in this coup!et:
| when Hopkins dies, thousand lights at
tend
The wretch who living saved a candies
end
When Hopkins died it was found that ne
| bad left his wealth, amounting to s, 500,-
| 01o, 10 relatives, but they could not touch
| it until the second generation. He added
| an explanatory note to the effect that they
| would then be as long in spending II as he
had been in getting it,
never been three successive generations of
misers but in the case Of the famous En-
glish miser. Daniel Dancer. it could be
| truly said that grandfather. father, and
all the children were strictly entitled 10
the appeilation Of misers. OF the family.
Daniel was the most famous. In 1886. when
twenty years old, he succeeded to a large
estate. which brought him an income OF
10000 year. He would often go without
food, unless he could beg it, and his daily
ablut;ons were performed at a neighbor
ing pool. He dried himself in the sun, so
saving himself the cost of a towel. He was
so afraid of being robbed that he nailed
up his doors, and by means of a ladder
which he drew up after him, entered his
house by an upper window. But with ali
his precautions. he was robbed fourteen
times, the amount stolen being valued at
$4,000.
When his sister died she left him all her
wealth, which doubled his income. Out OF
gratitude to her, he assured his friends that
he should wear mourning. He searched
the stores for several days, and at last
bought pair of secondhand stockings OF
e rusty black, which constituted his only
mourning garb. Lady Tempest often gave
him food and cast-of clothing before she
knew his wealth. Afterwards she contin'
ued the donations. but spoke 10 him about
his manner of living, and urged him to
give up him misery habits. and partake OF
proper food and wear decent clothing. He
listened to her advice, but SO long as She
fed him and gave him old clothing he took
no heed, and went on his old way. During
his last sickness Lady empest nursed him.
and contracted disease from which she
died few months later Dancer bequeath-
ed her his copyhold estates. worth about
sl5. 900 year. 1t was the only time be had
ever shown any gratitude.
HIS fear Of thieves led him TO find strange
hiding places for his money. When the ex-
ecutors searched the house, a task which
occupied several weeks, they found in an
old teapot bank-notes worth 5000. In the
chimney was Si.0c0. but the dung-heap in
the COW shed was the richest safe, for they
found there nearly sl2, 500; in Jacket nailed
to a manager they discovered in gold and
tank-notes $500. HIS only enjoyment n
l:fe was the boarding of money. his chief
pleasure and amusement in counting his
boards. He starved himself, and shivereG
all through the winter. having a fire only
when he could get some logs OF wood from
the forest. He spent days in walking along
he roads TO find bits Of iron and horse
shoes, which he sold to neighboring black
smiths, many buying from him worthless
things, because they believed he was starry
ing.
The base rniser starves amidst his store.
Broods DER his gold. and gripping stiil al
more.
Sits ably piriag, and believes he's poor"
The name of John Elves has become pro-
81 - -
ELVES was the son of a London brewer.
named Mesgot. who died when his son was
only four years old. His mother was an
Elves, the sister of Sir Henry Elves. who
was himself miser. Johns mother was
possessed OF large property left by her
husband. but she nearly starved herself TO
death. and only through the interpretation
OF neighbors was she rescued from such a
fate. So John inherited some OF his rniser-
Illness from his maternal ancestor. SIR Har-
vey Elves lived on 400 year, though h;s
income was t.rty times that sum. John
early courted this uncle. and would dress
in the oldest, threadbare clothes when he
went 10 Sc him, and often would scold
some one IN his uncle'S presence for ex-
travagance. Harvey, thinking his nephew
i man after his own heart. would talk 10 |
him about the sins OF the world. not be- |
cause they were sins, but simply tha; they |
led 20 the expenditure of money. Sir Hsr- |
Ney was delighted with his nephew. and /
when he died Jeff him al his wealth. |
to Sl,25oU GO. with the sole con- I
d.tion that he take he name of Ewies. and 1
discard nj fathers name Of Aesgot- JOHN 1
was perfectly willing 20 10 80. and he So
cured royal ltters patent authorizing the /
change Of name.
SIR Harvey Elves had been pronounced 4
a. incurable consgrpfive in rs youth. 5u; \
Re proved the doctors wrong and IveI 1
nearly nlnaty years Young John was FAR
from being a -eciuse In his early Efe- re