The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-08-11
RICH MEN IN CARPETS
MlLLioNAIREs WHO CHOOSE 70
LIVE LIKE HERMITe.
Eeeentrleifiss 81 q. 3. pee,Ns ard Or
Henry Delvss orouehten q Eng
iand-oolodovnikol1, tHe Mlsor
KIM 81 SF. P0E6F56UF1.

The vanity OF riches has never
been moro strikingly demonstrated
than By the story Of G. e. DerinS. who
died ct Lockley Hall. Walwyn.
For the greater part Of half : CEN
fury this lord Of many acres and OF Z
quarter Of q million Of money has
been content to lead the life Of .
hermit In his magnificent homo sur
rounded by thousand acres Of park
land. Hts valuable pictures-by Hol-
bein, Fra Bartolomeo and other old
masters-have stood for generation
stocked three deep with their faces
turned to the walls; . generation Of
dust had settled undisturbed on Ores
den vases. gold and enamel clocks.
statuary and costly furniture.
Gorgeous carriages, rich with her
aldic painting. lay rotting in his coach
house: his front door was overgrown
with ivy as high as the stone shield of
arms that crowned 1t. Not even a
lamb was allowed to bleat within hear
ing of the lord of this desolate man
sion; and even the high road was d.
verted, that no sound of traffic should
vex his ears. Thus, amid dust, decay
and desolation, lived and died the
owner Of G25,000 year, stunning the
world and scorning his wealth.
And SO it has always been and al
ways will be. One man squandered
his gold; another boards or despisea
1t. 1t is but few years since one OF
our wealthiest baronets-a man with
a rent roll Of 100000 q year-died
In a miserable attic near Water
loo Bridge. His sordid room was pa.
pered with illustrations from the week.
ly papers: he never crossed ita
threshold except for an occasional
solitary ramble by night; no one was
ever allowed to enter his dreary sane.
tum. his meals being left for him out
side the door; and his long days were
spent looking through his attic win.
dow on the moving panorama Of the
Thames.
While Sir Henry Delves Broughton
was sitting at his attic window q man
Infinitely richer was walking the
streets Of st. Petersburg in the guise
Of beggar. pocketing the aims Of
charitable passers-by. and gleefully
carrying back his spoil to his miser
able two-storied cottage in one Of the
city's slums.
That was the only palace" Of the
multi-millionaire Solodovnikof, where
he lived among his decrepit sticks Of
furniture with an old housekeeper
Here he would sit shivering through
tho cold winter days, too misery to
allow himself ire or even to bright
en- the dark house with the light Of q
solitary candle. For 20 years he waa
only known to wear one suit. thing
of shreds and patches" scarcely .
vestige Of the original cloth remain
ing. And yet this sordid-living her
NIT was one Of the greatest landown
ers and railway magnates in all Rus
sia-a man who left behind him hun
dred million roubles. Far Weather
than many kings. he led a life from
which most peasants would have
shrunk.
A few years ago there was nc
wealthier man In all Paris than NJ
Colasson. who for q generation had
lived az . pauper in two rooms Of hii
magnificent palace In the Rue Galilee
During all this period he never once
left his splendid prison. and no one
was ever allowed to enter It except
his one faithful attendant. who kept
him supplied with his daily food Of
bread and eggs. Al in Mr.. Dering'l
case, It was the death Of q father that
consigned him to his hermit life. %
with M. Colasson 1t was the tragic
death by 'fire Of loved nephew and
heir in 1874 that decided him to for
swear the world and all its vanities.
Within few weeks Of the death Of
M. Colasson there died In an attic In
a Berlin slum one Herr Schwarx. who
was known to and pitied BY his neigh.
bors as the poorest Of the poor. He
sailed out daily into the fashionable
quarters. dressed In rags and carrying
sack in which he collected cfusts.
He lived alone and died alone, 4
mere bag Of bones surrounded BY
riches. for In his room was found
f80.000-in gold coins. stored in
scores Of Jars and bottles, and In bank
notes, with which his pillow and mat
tress were stuffed.-Tit-Bits.
Corrected.