The Portland daily press., 1900-11-02
QUEER OLD DOCTOR.
Hts Dusty Drug store, Hts Pet Cat sna
the Chair in Watch He Died, as ne
Desired.
tFroin the New York Trbiune.)

(Fron the New York Trbiune.)
: DIR. Henry Moreton, for nearly three
quarters OF century resident Of the
14tn ward. Manhattan, was found dead
In n chair ct his drug store, 288 Centre
street, at 30 O'Clock Friday afternoon.
DR.. Moreton WINS 9s years oil, and was
familiar figure In that part Of the city.
The doctor was an EnRlishman. He
spoke with fiuency, French, German and
Italian, and was an authority on medical
and other scientific subjects. Seventy
two years ago he was graduated from a
college In Paris and soon afterward came
to this city with his brother, who was
also doctor. They opened drug store
and Office at Elm and Grand streets. For
SO years they occupied the Grand street
establishment, and then moved few
doors away. The brother died ten years
ago. The drug store is small, dingy
place with a curious collection OF old bot
ties ana other druggists articles. Every
thing Is covered with dust, and cobwebs
hang from the ceiling.
August Trenkman, a merchant ut 1903
Broome street, was one Of the doctors
friends, and aided him materially with
Substantial sums of money and, ut times,
with food, when the old mans finances
were low. MIR. Trenkman said: "The
doctor was one OF the oldest characters In
the city. He was fns physician and
at one time had among his patients
some of the wealthiest and best-known
people In this city. Mrs Paran Stevens
was for yea. under his professional care.
Another of his former patients, now an
old man himself and millionaire, lives
up town In q bachelor apartment-house,
and still another, q wealthy woman, lives
on Madison avenue. The old man had
an income of $3.50 year, which ne re-
oeived quarterly through Brown Bros. a.
Co.. from relatives In England. He was
never married.
Ellis father was q surgeon In the Eng
lish navy, and left him a set OF surgical
instrumental, used nearly 100 years ago.
DIR. Moreton often employed these old
lances and saws In his own practice
Some OF the drugs In his place he brought
from Paris more than 10 years ago. lie
was particularly attach sd to the old chair
in which he died. / once said to him,
Let me have that chair cleaned and fixed
up for you 'Oh, no. he exclaimed
II that chair were meddled WITH in any
way l would not be happy. I'm going
to die in that chair And he kept his
WORD, you see.
''rhe old man for years attic nded the
dinners OF the medical societies here. He
gave this practice up SIX years ago, be-
cause his dress suit became unit for
wear. Two years ago he burned all his
letters and papers relating to his wealthy
friends and patients. His brother lett him
a curious-looking box containing sscre5
drawers. DIR. Moreion threw the box
aside. ana 1t lay in his place for more
than a year. One day carpenter, seeing
the box, said: 'Ihst's very nice box
you've got there, doctor. Don't you wan
to have 1t rubbed up little bit;f Yes.
take it away answered the doctor. The
man took the box, and months afterward,
when asked about 1t by the doctor, told
him Ii contained many secret drawers.
He sent the box back, but the drawers
were empty. The Doctors brother was q
wealthy man. He did not bequeath any
money to his brother, Henry, but ne may
have left him somsthing in the secret
drawers of that OLD box.
"Tom, the doctor 8 cat, was as singular
as his master. Nine years ago the doc
tor found the cat In the street, choking
from a bone that was stuck in Its throat.
He extricated the bone, and the cat ever
afterward stuck to him as companion.
lie would go In advance Of the old man
when the doctor crossed the street or went
to his room, and he would await the COM
ing of the doctor in front of the drug
store in the morning. Once, when asked
why he paid SIS month for q store in
which he did no business, aud that was
buried in dust and cobwebs, he answered:
I'm keeping it for the cat The doctor
was q medium-sized man, thin and very
bald He shaved himself every day, up
to the time OF his death. He always wore
an old-fashioned silk hat ana dark clothes
OF professional out.''
MIR Trenkman sent word tosthe police
that he would care for his old friends
body and see that IL was properly buried
The old man had a handsome plot in
Greenwood cemetery, where his brother
and sister are buried. Until two years
ago he visited the plot once a year and
afravpad tfiOwara IN the uravaa