The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-04-24
BE LOOKED IN TO FIND THE OLD MIsnR's
STRONG BOX.

STRONG BOX.
ter steps to protect himself. While
they could not legally compel him to
do anything, the case was put to him
SO strongly that he finally consented 70
pay sturdy young man a small sum
weekly for sleeping In the house with
him at night and acting as a guard and
defender. This service continued for
two years, and then the end came. The
guard was not there in the daytime,
and one evening when he made his ap-
pearance at the usual hour he found
the old man dead III his rocking chair.
He seemed to have passed away while
sleeping.
The proper authorities were notified
at once and took charge, and the curl
osity Of a whole county was excited
would be found In the house. When 1t
came to that, the guard, whose name
was Henry Davis and who was known
to be honest and truthful, stated that
during the two years he had been there
he had not seen the old man handle
more than $40 in cash. He knew that
In that time he had loaned and receiv-
ed thousands, but where he kept his
hoard was matter that could not even
be fathomed. All money transactions
had been made In the daytime, when
the young man was absent
People who borrowed and repaid had
always to give two hours notice They
then found the old man ready to And
or receive. 1t was judged from this
rule of his that he wanted time to dig
his money up or to produce 1t from
some secret hiding place outside the
house. This theory, which seemed quite
plausible, led to some funny results
Every farmer for two miles around be-
gan searching his barn and sheds,
thinking they might have been made
the depository, and scores Of men look
ed for hollow trees and stumps and
went digging in what they thought
were likely places.
In the meantime the old house was
submitted to the most careful an5
thorough search. 1t was q cottage.
with parlor, bedroom and kitchen be-
low and a half garrett upstairs. The
miser occupied the bedroom and the
guard the parlor, both sleeping on the
floor on straw beds. The kitchen was
furnished with an old rusty stove and
meager supply of dishes, and Jake
cooked what he ate.
| Beginning at the cellar bottom, the
searchers worked up. The bottom of
the cellar was dug over to depth Of
two feet, but nothing was found. Then
the baseboards were torn or the rooms
and before the search ceased the very
shingles were taken from the roof.
One reason why the search was so
keen and thorough was because Of the
number of heirs who came forward
Plenty of people had heard old Jake
declare that he was the last of his race
and If he had any blood relatives at all
some province In Germany, but no
sooner had news of his death travelled
about than kinsmen began showing up
and filing their claims.
Van Girten was German born, but
Englishmen, Frenchmen and Italians
came forward, to say nothing OF Amer
leans, and none of them, according to
his account, was anything less than
first cousin. All insisted on the most
rigid search. and, although not allowed
to participate in 1t. the sheriff did his
whole duty. When he had finished
with the house II was a wreck, ana all
agreed that dollar bill could not have
been hidden away and escaped the
search.
AS nothing was found In the house,
the heirs" insisted on the grounds be-
ing searched. Diggers threw up the
earth at the foot. Of every tree, rocks