The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-09-09
THE EARLvILLE HERMIT.
His Way of Life. His Miserliness and
 His Estate,

His Estate.
 George Carncross, the Earlville her init, died at his hovel a few days ago. For forty years he had lived alone with his gold and had admitted no one be- yond his doorstep. He hated women, and his stock soon shared his aversion. Once his sister from Iowa heard that he was sick and came to take care of him. but he would not allow her to enter the house. After his death the animals about the place could be caressed by 6 man, but fled at the approach of a wo- man.
 The hermit was found dead in his chair by neighbor who had seen him creeping across the hills In the after noon, so weak that he could not stand erect, Concealed in his dwelling, which | was on road that had been deserted for fifty years, were money and securi- l ties amounting to ten thousand dollars Perhaps the old man had had his TO- | nance. Neighbors who prepared the body for burial found a small bag tied | to his neck. In it was woman's ring i in which was set @ diamond. It had been rumored for years that in early 1 life he was disappointed in love, his bride fleeing on the day fixed for the wedding.
 l He lived in abject squalor and had as 1 little to do with his fellowmen as possi- ble. He kept few cows and made but l ter. which he sent to New York, to
 avoid trading near by. Once he had ! 4a Al hs1f hn LafNf tha spective purcnaser on the doorstep with the door closed while transacting busi- ness with him.
 | His money was concealed in odd places. In the room where he died was ! found an old rubber boot containing one hundred silver dollars and one hundred
 dollars in bills. Tn the bottom of an old
 flour sack, half filled with hops, was an
 old tin can in which was q roll of bills
 amounting to nearly one thousand dol- lars. In an old cracker box were money
 and securities worth six thousand dol-
 lars. All of his wealth has not been ted seventy-f1ve thousand dollars,
 which must be concealed somewhere.
 He often changed bills for gold at the
 bank, yet little gold has been discov- cred in his house.
 l Old-timers say that when Carncross
 came to Earlville forty years ago, he
 was a good-looking man about thirty
 five years old. He wore broadcloth
 then and a tall beaver hat of the pre- vailing style. He asked if there was any
 farm land for sale near by and chose
 the piece on which he died. The furni- ture he moved into the old home inclu-
 ded few straight chairs, cord bed
 stead and an old stove. He had flint
 lock musket, a revolver and big club,
 with which he used to guard his pos-
 sessions. In his declining years he
 spent hours counting over his money.
 Carncross kept a few COWS and fast
 horse His horse could beat anything
 in the country and when he had to go
 to town he drove like the wind. He ex- changed his eggs for groceries. If he saw a woman i'll the store he would go away and volt until she had gone. Af-
 ter finishing his trading he would go to
 the hotel, get his whiskey jug filled and would buy one glass of beer.
 People used to crowd the bar-room "to
 see old Carncross pay for his beer"
 The operation consisted of the unwind
 ing of several yards of string from his
 leather wallet in the remotest corner of the room taking out g. nickel always
 the exact change, and slowly winding his pocketbook up again. Then he
 would pay, jump into his buggy and
 drive home as fast as the horse could go.
 l The hermit always slept with his gun,
 revolver and club by his side and he
 never left the house without his gun. Neighbors feared him and none dared address him. The interior of his house
 was poor and filthy. In one corner of