The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-08-21
Seth b. Howes Left Bequest to
Daughter Friends Did Not
Know He Had.
HIS PICTURESQUE CAREER.
Began Life as Bareback Rider and
Acrobat, Owned Circus, Dealt
in Real Estate and Be
came Rich.

New York. Aug. 3.-The discovery after
hitherto unknown to the public of Seth b.
Howes. the late w~ell-known Snowman Of the
village Of Brewster. In the township of
Southeast. Putnam County, ". y. has
created no end of comment in the village
and throughout the neighborhood for miles
around. where Mr.. Howes was known by
almost everybody. from the Oldest citizen to
the youngest street urchin in the place.
Mr.. Howe died on May Ii last. In his
will. which was recently filed and pro-
bated. he beaueaths valuabl real estate
In Chicago and in Putnam County, New
York. TO Julia II. Boisse. whom he charac-
terized as his dear daughter" As intimate
friends OF the family assert that they had
never heard OF this daughter until the pro-
visions Of the will were made public, there
has been much headshaking and whispering
In consequence.
Mrs. Julia Boisse Is the wife OF Professor
Lewis Boisse OF this city. Nr. Howes had
been married twice. His first wife died and
the daughter. Julia. then a child, was
taken abroad to be educated. Professor
Boisse married her In Paris. There Is also
another daughter by the first marriage.
Mr.. Howes left property variously esti-
mated at from $l.00o.0oo TO $l.500.o0o. Com
mon gossip had 1t that he was even richer
than that. Although a great traveller. he
built a magnificent mansion at Southeast.
where he lived during the later years Of his
life.
Attends to Details.
That Mr.. Howes did not believe in allow
ing anything TO be left to chance in the
making of his will. Is also evident from a
clause in which. after giving to the Mill
town Rural Cemetery Association a large
parcel Of ground and some valuable stocks.
he specifies that the trustees of the Gene
tery shall expend annually $l50 Of the net
income OF the real estate devised in annual
improvements and adornments with vases.
shrubs or other as they may see
MT. Of the grounds known as the HoweS
PLOT. formerly purchased and selected by
me individually for the interment Of myself
and wife. and on which my mausoleum Is
erected. And that they have the walks and
bordering said grounds and lots
Kept In good Order. and al the proper sea-
son have said grounds and lpts adorned
will flowers and shrubs" II further states
that the devise is maze upon, the condition
that the chairman or president OF the
trustees be himself the caretaker Of the
Keys OF my mausoleum and OF the mauso-
itself. And that he see to IL that no
one Is inferred in said mausoleum. except
and wife. Also that the inside gram
tie door and grating are always kept last
with three locks when not opened Tor
lnterment or for inspection. TO See that 1t
10 clean. SAFE and in proper order, or for
The purpose Of putting proper Inscriptions
On the tables at the opening OF the two
TERED"
In the third clause of the will he says:
Il give and devise unto my dear daughter,
lula H. Boisse. and to her heirs forever"
certain lots which he Describes. and which
are situated in Chicago. Also the rest
ienHs 1" COUNTY Sy e. y. i S%oWH as G sto.e:
henge. together with all the land inc,osed
BY the fence surrounding the same. IN;
Atn SfanAhonUA I1roA and haE, - and 4
certain other lots in Cook County. Illinois.
Provides for Daughter.
1t was the third clause which surprised
Ihould have another daughter of whom
hey had not heard seemed strange to them,
they did not hesitate to say so. ON
bat they had all along been aware Of the
of this daughter. They declined.
however. to make any further comment on
he ground that 1t was a family matter.
are anything about this. It was no, a
on for people to gossip about IT."
Mr.. Howes's life, from boyhood. was more
ban usually romantic; 4 descendant OF
tated to have been a large immortal
older in England. he. himself. was for a
hort time a carpenters apprentice. but
the sawdust Of the circus ring. He was
orn at Southeast. August IS. 1915: When he
.2s about 10 years old a travelling circus
itched its tents near his home. 1t was
he first show of the kind seen in the neigh
and 1t fired the boys Of the village
nth ambition to emulate the example OF
he gayly dressed performers. at whose
eats they marveled. BARNS and farmyards
ecame improyised gymnasiums. and. In the
pen lets and the farmer boys
acks of raw-boned pillow horses.
His Circus Carer.
Young Seth. as he was then known. sue
"A DahoA q "a tha SaVna f.<stna tim ~, hi. n.a-
ades. He learned to tumble and TO ride.
nd when his brother Nathan A. Howes
rganized a little one-ring circus to travel
trough the country, Seth was easily per-
iaded to Join it. In 1A1 he performed In
he circus in the Bowery on the East Side,
here, with the Turner brothers. he was a
D somersault feats from his horse. but
Iade a feature of a Classical Riding Act"
which he posed as Mercury and other
figures. while the horse sped
He was afterwards associated with p. T.
arr ardpuP; and in s company IayI NTH hin man,
urope. 4
After retiring from the ring he devoted /.
mseif to the business affairs Of the show;
Jagged in the real estate business there ,
18th Paul Crane as a partner. During !.
,ms per Sr.n ne a ar s s,s Ps1saer purchase : ms OF
iant in Chicago. a tract Of land I'm what I
now known as HYDE Park. Later he in
'Sttu heavily III property Wltnfn The q,
FUNDS OF the city proper. During a four ,
~ through England and France he met !.
enry. Franconi. proprietor Of the Great
and conceived the idea OF I
-insins the show to this country. On the I
{ OF May. 1853. the exhibition opened here.
I'd It was the first Roman hippodrome
'er exhibited in America
II was situated on grounds now occu- .
ed by the Fifth Avenue Hotel. Some c
ouble. was experienced in getting the site. c
Mr.. Howes's home. at Southeast, Is a
agntficent structure Of cut stone. In
II suggests an old fuedal castle.
Ith great turrets. Many stories abound
at Illustrate Mr.: Howes's peculiarities. =,
though a wealthy man. q friend who Z
him some years ago said that he
kept only one buggy ana one horse,
ID the horse was a very inferior animal.
lille the house contained much that was
re and beautiful. Mr.. Howes would never '
the use Of lamps or gas. He chung 4
candles for Illuminating purposes, and v
the occasion of a dinner some ffty or A
,re wax candles furnished the light in
. dining-room. o