The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-28
HEDNII 0UT OF L0TE
Heart Tragedy of BILLY" of
Sleepy HaIIow.
is DYING OF OLD AGE
And CheriShing Picture of
Former Sweetheart.
New York. May 27.-"Poor old Billy"


him abroad. for he quit tbs world thir
ty-seven years ago anu has been self
clustered ever since.
As the trecluse of Sleepy Hollow h,
is known all over the countryside.
The tiny red cottage in which he sit.
alone hides from the happy village a III,
Of romance to stir the heart
When Catherine Cdeu persisted in =
fierce storm that swept the Hudson river
Billy Fisher was in the fun flush Of
manhood
Now he is 2. but ever since the dav OF
the tragedy ne has kept brightly burnins
the altar fires for the love that was lost
Catherine CdeH was his first and only
sweetheart and upon her he had centered
the affection Of his naturer years. Her
death blighted his life forever For two
or three years he struggled to face the
world and its gaieties: then he surren-
dered
Recently the good people OF Ardsley de-
termined that Billy should not longer
be left to live alone The butcher who
now and then left bit OF meat at the
kitchen door Of the cottage ard the grocer
who took TO him the few simple groceries
he needed reported that he was very frail
and feeble.
They said that he evidently needed
/ comfortable clothing. good food and med
zeal attention, and that If it were not
( locked after he would be found some
morning stark and cold in his lonely
4 home
Billy" has been declared incompetent
! to manage his little estate of about Sc. 600.
/ but Ardsley resents the imputation that
/ he IS insane. Hes just eccentric, is
/ Billy the people say.
! Nothing could be done for the pathetic
old fellow until the courts lent aid He
aatly and fiercely declined 70 leave his
cottage. declaring that if he went else
where ne would be all alone-as if it were
possible for him to be more alone than
he then was.
Some of the kindly people appointed to
rescue him OWNED what he meant They
knew that in a drawer in the cottage was
a doll dressed by "Billys' own hands. as
was his sweetheart on the fall morning
when he said good bye to her on the
wharf at Dobbs ferry; that on the wall
there hung a picture, painted by Billy
himself. in which he had sought to put
on canvas the face Of his dearly beloved.
You shall take your pictures with you.
and the things in the bureau" they told
him, and Billy" became intensely inter
ested. When he was told that the court
had appointed his lifelong friend. J. p.
King. TO be his guardian. and that he
would have to do as Mr.. King directed,
he bowed to what he saw was the newt
able.
.Bnlv's no fool" said those who re-
scented the idea Of insanity; he knows
better than to buck against the law
So Billy is soon to be removed TO a
room that has been comfortably fitted up
for him in Mr.. Kings carriage house.
and he win have the best OF care. The
trip up the hill for a quarter of a mile
to Mr. Kings home win be the first that
the recluse has taken for seven or eight
years.
The other day Mr. King took the writer
for the Sunday World Magazine to call
on the recluse. The cottage is perched
upon a cliff. where a roadway has been /
cut leaving It high above tho thorough !
fare. and is approached only through the I
yard OF a neighbor.
squatted Moorish fashion before a chest +
OF drawers. He had evidently closed a
drawer at the sound Of approaching foot I
steps. and there was no doubt that he (
had been looking at the doh fashioned /
TO represent his dead sweetheart
Above the chest Of drawers on the wall .
was the painting OF the girl. II was crude
" done. with colors strangely blended.
but its idea was a buxom, fair and brown
eyed young woman OF an olden time with
her kerchief crossed Ger her bosom and
4 little square OF lace on her head
Despite its roughness and the absence
of artistic skill. the painting undoubted-
" pictured a sedate and pretty Dorothy
whose costume would seem 20 antedate
tina, Of forty years ago. when she had
lived and had smiled on Billy"
The feeble rccluse tried 90 rise from his
stooping posture. but Re could not do 50.
AR King helped him 10 his feet.
i've brought you a visitor. Billy
said the guide
pity looked al the visitor with uncis-
yuised fear IN his eyes. lie was assured
that NJ harm YVES meant ard that the can
was merely % congratulate him upon the
comforts in store fer him az ,Ir. kirss
home.
Vow. John" sald he TO Mr.. King. II
want to talk with you more ahogt th7t-
was thirbinr thst VIII SIX alone good
deal especially III day long. won't
..yvhy. Billy replied the g-ardi1n. ll
be around most Of the time vorSins %
The garden. and Won car work tae-e, goo
Tnen there are the chickens
-z--t+ INV ---aafrrr.- .frfr-r
was thinking of the lore uishts whrn
viii ne al alone 10 1881 - rerv hr-i
And thus tie o,d fellow eout'usci on ln
,iaintire voice. sometimes tca-fuil,-. tcii-
ug q the greet fear ~ loneliness 10 MS
sew home
EIuv Fisher was born in New YORK
-ltv. IL Second strect then -cs'3enti7l
.,larter fer PROSPEROUS msdtie-c,ass c.tI-
-ens lis father vas cerm-n - .aat
.ay. nearly lao years $50. when NeW York
vas less r-e,entioas. ard vh>n a carmen
,sgring his evn cart and other carts he,4
Il enviahle place fl he society that
yorked with It's hands
The boz went e. TIE rubiir schools ard
vss graduated az 3 frcm ~ highest &
lass. which rspreseztc5 the h.Eh school
{ to-day. IT tho completion g Bis st1i-
IS bis father planned - make over -
~, a horse and esrt ard start hin ca z
L bstanttal. = hu1h career
AZ shat very u1emert fse father dlsa-
70 his widow taki-s hsr ser removed :
5 Aras3sv. whence che has -cue ana ;
ghe-e size had relatives - ca-r1a h1- =
IT Quite 4 f'rtEre fer -ses- laTs. s-
Is w.6a7s ard SOB were AeFore want
Mrs Fisher was 81 ever-.-l1 neither 3