The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-06-29

relatives. lie offered his mother Sa,Vut
more, and when she refused it he pre-
scented the check to Yale college fol
the benefit of the library. But the
magnitude of the gift hurt the feel
ings (more human courage dares not
say the vanity) of one of the elder
trustees, locally illustrious gentle
man who had just donated $1,000 for
the same purpose. Consequently Sec
rotary Goodrich and Treasurer Hill
house called upon DeForest, and re-
quested him to withhold his check I'M
til the aforesaid dignitary could be
recOnciled to it. A year later fearful
of losing the money, they called again
and suggested that it should be given
in another way.
Gentlemen" said Don. 1.-The trus-
J tees returned my check when | offered
! it. Now they want it for purpose
which fails to interest me. l will give
| it; but l will not give it outright to
/ the college, l will give it for the bene-
fit of my own flesh and blood"
Thereupon he proposed that the
money should be held at interest until
it amounted to $4,000 when the in
come should be devoted to four schol-
arships for DeForests, and an annual
| gold medal, worth $780, for superiority
in English composition and declama-
ton. The proposition was accepted
and the check was paid over on the
18th of September 1928. A vigorous
opposition was offered by the afore-
mentioned local grandee and one Of his
personal friends among the professors,
1T is contrary to the spirit of our
American institutions" declared the
venerable worthy. TT Is an attack
upon republican equality; its young
men are to be made literary aristo-
Gratis. AS an American | protest
against it."
But he was voted down; the De
Forest scholarships (now three in
number) have done good: the DeForest
medal is one Of the chief prizes of the
academic course Of Yale.
The Don had his defects; he was
quick-tempered, arbitrary and haugh-
ty; but he was generous, charitable
and affectionate, No beggar entered
his kitchen without obtaining a meal
and a silver half dollar Every Febru
AIRY he sent fifty dollars to the aims
house in order that the inmates might
NCASpIh.tN w etoilills5 WI = VIZ tiIbS'S ~
having one good dinner and a glass of
wine each When Howe, the publisher
and bookseller, failed, he attended the
auction and bought everything that
nobody else wanted, to give his I'M
lucky friend good closing out. His
affection for his family and for his
brothers was remarkable. He furnish
ed the latter all the money they needed
to establish and advance their business
affairs.
Hearing that his brother Benjamin,
in WATERFOWL, was dangerously i'll of
typhoid fever, he ordered up his costly
span of greys took in knight, the
then famous doctor of New Haven,
and set off for the invalid's residence
1t was springtime and the roads were
horrible. But when the greys couldn't
trot they might run. In two hours he
had covered the twenty eight miles be-
tween New Haven and WATERFOWL.
Then, when the news met him at the
door that his brother was still living
the big, swarthy, stern-eyed man tot
tered into the house, threw himself on
a sofa and sobbed for joy.
cloud from his South American
ueyp SpbtItu INC fIetNlt IiIplilHH VI tllo |
life The sailor of that age was still |
something of a buccaneer. especially |
when he had commission to range the |
sea for plumber, Notwithstanding the |
minute regulations which DeForest |
had distributed with his letters Of !
and Notwithstanding that the |
crews and officers We're largely honest |
Yankees there had been irregularl- !
ties. One privateer, the of |
had captured a Spaniard |
under illegal conditions, All the same
the Buanos Ayres courts condemned |
the vessels, and the proceeds were dis
tributed to the captors. The owners
Of the prize eventually brought suit for
recovery and damages. The outftterS
Of the privateer evaded consequences
by means Of bankruptcy and emigra-
ton. Thereupon the suit was turned |
against David G. DeForest, on the
ground that he had signed papers of
guarantee, in which he was named as
the Buenos Ayres, hacker of the pri-
vateer. The Spanish minister at Wash
ngton did all in his power to forward
he prosecution. The public was APP
oealed to through forensic oratory and
!
~! pirate! were literally used. Even
yet d. C. DeForest bears a traditionary
popular fame of having been cor
;air.
He defended the case, sending for
persons and papers in evidence, and
that he should win. But one
,hilly, stormy evening of February,
1926, he felt ILL., There was an invita-
ion to a party. but he sent his wife,
ind remained home. Towards eleven
lie became anxious about her, and
vent repeatedly to the door to watch
or her return, breathing in the sour
,leet laden blast OF stormy night.
The next day he was a sick man and
N the 22nd of February he died. aged
ifty-One.
Some hours earlier on that anniver-
AIRY of Washngtons birthday, the
own paupers had had their annual
timer and glass of wine at his ex-
,ense Sam Mix, the veteran of the
lmshouse, rose in his place at the
ead of the table, and, after announc
ng to his humble comrades the dan
erous illness of their benefactor, pro-
osed the toast of David DeForest,
he poor mans friend" A few days
alter these objects Of charity drew up
nd forwarded to the widow their la
oriouSlv signed expression Of Svmpa- \