The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1906-04-11

HE LOOKED IN TO FIND THE OLD MISER's
i~.s-." STRONG BOX.
thorough search. 1t was a cottage,
with parlor, bedroom and kitchen be-
low and a half garnet 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. - 3D..
Beginning at the cellar bottom, the
searchers worked up. The bottom of
the cellar was dug :overeto depth OF
two feet, but nothing was found. Then
the basebOards were torn off the rooms
above, the walls pierced here and there,
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
they We're second coa;ins living in
sooner had news Of his death Travelled
about than kinsmen began showing up
ind 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 it, the sheriff did his
whole duty. When he had finished
with the house it was a wreck, and 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
were rolled over and mounds burrowed
into, and another two weeks were
wasted in vain.
The searchers hated to let 60, but
they had to, and then the only thing
remaining was to sell the old mans
personal property at auction and turn
over his real estate to the law and let
the heirs prove their claims. The term
personal goods and chattels'' made
everybody SMILE The straw beds and
dirty blankets, the two or three old
chairs, the rusty and broken old stove
and the few cracked dishes were val
ued at 81 at a liberal estimate, and
when farmer named Robinson bid
them in for 70 cents he was made the
butt for many jokes. He loaded up his
bargain and carted it off, and the
case was considered closed. r..
Many people continued to search for
year, taking in woods and hills four
miles away, but at last it was dead
subject and was not heard OF again for
ten years.
Then very singular thing happened.
Robinson, who had removed to another
state, met with fatal accident. but
before dying made confession. He
passed for and really was wealthy
man, and as to how he had made his
money no one knew. In his confession
Ne Sdlu that dlIer geLlllS Tue Olu stove
home he found the oven doors wired
up. Loosening one of them. he looked
In to find the old miser's strong box
resting there. By the use of brick and
mortar the oven had been SO shut off
that fire in the front of the stove
would not warm it. While the stove
was the most conspicuous object in the
kitchen, it was at the same time the
safest hiding place for miles around.
There was over $4,000 in the box, and
the finder simply kept quiet until he
could arrange to move away and enjoy
it. At the auction sale, when that old
stove was bid in, there were at least
200 men in attendance, any one of
whom could have got the fortune by
raising Robinson's bid 10 or Is cents.
and now, after twenty years have
elapsed, none Of them still living has
forgiven himself.