Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-06
oNtinAea on page IS

, OAlO TlONuH
in Homespun Dress" 1t is a conglomeraton
of incidents and reflections put together with
, the least regard to form, punctuation spell
ing capitalization. At the end is a group of
various punctuation marks with the instruc-
ton: the Moving ones cOmpane of my book
i the fust edition had stops | put in A
| Nuf here and thay may pepper and sot it
as they plese." Thousands of copies of this
remarkable attempt were printed and given
away broadcast
But of the oldest caprices of this excep-
tional man was his building of tomb for the
reception of his own remains. A handsome
coffin was made at his direction, with rich lin
. ings and pillows and soid-silver handles Invi-
tations were then issued for a rehearsal of his
funeral After the mock ceremony at
the tomb, the company was led to the house,
where they were served to costly wines. In the
midst of festivities, cries heard issuing
from the kitchen, and upon investigation it was
found that they OCCasiOned by a beating
that Dexter dealing out to his wife for
shedding tears at his funeral services
His eccentricities did not end, however, with his
fantastic home, his mock funeral, his coach with
coat-of-arms copied from book of heradry and
the -colOred horses did his financial
terminate with his sale of the Continental securities.
Having acquired a small fortune by this means he
set to work to increase his 1t is said that
he cornered whalebone, opium and other articles,
selling at his price when he had monopolized
the market. And, what would i'm
probable it is told that he bought forty-two thou
sand warming pans and sent them to the West
Indies where they were sold at a good profit
ladies in the sap industry. This story is vehemently
dscredited by William c. Todd, who has called into
question several points of knapp's Life of Timothy
Dexter. He doubts also the tale that Dexter sent
several thousand Bibles to the West Indies where
they sold charms against the evil spirit but
Judging from his numerous outlandish actions one
could believe almost anything about this counter
felt lord. A shipment of red wooden nightcaps to
Guinea also strangely resulted to his profit did
almost everything he handled.
He had a genius for bargains but super
stitious that before making deal he always con-
suited two sorcerers, among whom were
Madam Hooper of NeWburyport and the famous
Moll Pitcher of Lynn The most influential of
these fortune-ellers was Lucy Lancaster, colored
woman, Who having nursed him through a serious
illness, at last made her home upon his estate.
Timothy Dexter the father of two children
a and a daughter, who both mentally
deficient and after leading melancholy lives died
somewhat immaturely. Lord" Dexter, having
taken to drink when he became wealthy, also spent
was shortened by his ntemperance and ended in
1906.
His WILL in which he left fair proportion of his
property to charity, remarkably sane docu-
ment evincing none of the eccentricites that had
characterized his whole This circumstance,
together with his business shrewdness and the
benevoence that attended his acquisition of wealth
(although it was often concealed by his gross odd
ity) lead one to think that possibly Lord Timothy
Dexter not the fool he supposed to be, but
rather the who fooled, binding the public with
his Queer WAYS while turning to gold everything