Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-25
GOULD'S COUSIN
DIES A PAUPER
SCION OF RICH FAMILY MAY
LIE IN POTTERS' FIELD
Relative Of Railroad Magnate, PhiIan.
throplst and Princess Expires at
County Hospital After Appeal
Ing In Vain for Aid

Melvin a.. Gould, II years Of age, q
cousin of George and Howard ana
Helen Gould of New York and Of the
Princess de Sagan, died pauper at
the county hospital yesterday, and un-
less wealthy relatives claim the body 1t
will find a grave lin the potter's field.
Although an invalid for the last sew
eral years, the old man had made a
hard fight to overcome the difficulties
that beset him. He was compelled to
use a heavy walking stick, and for
seveIhl months prior to his death was
hardly able to walk. A man of superior
education and a relative of one of the
richest men in America, the old man
tried hard to earn livelihood and up
hold the name of the Gould family, but
he was ignored b his wealthy rela-
tions and allowed to die at a charitable
institution.
A short time previous to entering the
hospital Gould lived in a small building
In the rear of a cottage at 1858 East
Fifty-eighth street, where he was taken
care of by Mrs. J. M. McDivitt, a kind
hearted woman, the owner of the prop
erty. Mrs. McDivitt has taken care of
the old man for the last seven or eight
years, and whenever the invalid was
unable to earn any money at the real
estate business the woman would fur
nish him with the necessaries of life
ana nurse IiIu WACu liS was tOO III "
get about.
Mrs McDivitt became i'll herself and
was taken to hospital, and the invalid
was compelled D go and live with an
other friend on Maple avenue, where
he stayed up to The time he became so
sick it was necessary to send him to a
hospital.
Although he threatened to end his
life IL taken to q charitable institution,
the old man was persuaded to allow
attendants to place hin on a stretcher,
convey him to an ambulance and to the
county hospital. This was two weeks
ago.
Ignored by Relatives
Although upon number of occasions
Gould had attempted to obtain funds
from his wealthy relatives, he was un-
successful. A sister of the late Jay
Gould, living in the fashionable West
lake district, who is worth several hun
dred thousand dollars left her by her
husband who died a rev years ago,
was appealed to by the old man a
short time ago, but without success, he
said.
Two years ago Gould borrowed mon
ey and bought ticket to New York.
Immediately upon reaching the metrop-
oils he called on George Gould and
asked for assistance. The interview
that the old man was not only roughly
treated but was told to leave the city
at once.
In talking to a Herald reporter who
visited the invalid last March, Gould
said: when I visited my cousin,
George, in his office in Wall street he
was not glad to see me, and after
scowling at me for a few seconds
roughly inquired my business I told
him that / was in poor health and
asked him to give me q clerical posi-
ton so that could earn my own living
comfortably In my declining years. He
replied that I had no business In New
York, and the quicker left there the
better 1t would be for me. I told him
I would not leave, but IL he would not
help me intended to remain there and
die. He evidently did not like the pros
pect of my dying on his hands, SO he
gave me ticket back to California and
told me IL I would return to Los Ange-
les and stay here he would send me an
allowance each month. / came back
here and was quite Ill for several
weeks. No remittance came and when
/ wrote and asked about II received a
curt reply to the effect that I need not
Look for a single nanny-"