The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-01-21
ONCE FAMOUS,
AGED, IS DYING
IN POVERTY
Father Agapius Honcharenks
Friend of Famous
WAS FIRST TO BRING
GOLD FROM KLONDIKE
May Lose Little Mountain Home
Asks Only Place
to Die

HAYWARDS. cal. Jan. 2l-High
up on the backbone of rocky ridge
OF hills, 30 odd miles from the Pacific
ocean, Is ala open. empty grave.
Farther back and below the summit
Of the ridge is lone gigantic pine
tree. IL towers high above the sur
rounding shrubOvry and its scraggly
branches sh, tier a tawdry. squatty
little White house at its base,
Surrounding the house are 90 acres
OF rugged, mountain ranch The bot
toms OF the rayines are thickly grown
with uuderbrush and TEEN with game
The land slopes away from the ridges
down 10 San Francisco bay and the
Pacific, IN rolling undulaung sweeps,
dotted here and there with farm
houses Here and there farm house
cots the landscape and occasionally a
cluster OF buildings slistening in the
sun indicates town. The bay
stretches out in the distance, SHIN
mering in the sun like streak OF sill
YER IL is one OF the most wonderful
views in the world.
Father Agapius Honcharenko. lin
bassador 10 Greece, now a Russian
fugitive from Justice, confessor OF
Count Leo TClstoy, and friend OF
Henry George. Horace Greeley, james
Gordon Bennett and Eugene Schuyler,
is one OF the most remarkable men in
the world
He owns the open grave, the lone
pine tree, the little white house, the
mountain ranch, ana the view And
there is a mortgage on them all The
grave was dug by MS best friend. The
house has sheltered him for 40 years
The pine tree, he planted with his own
hands and il has stood guard like a
sentinel since 1873, hooking the raw
ages OF time and the intricacies of law
that have claimed both the little old
house and the little old man as vic
tins. The mortgage amounts TO 81.
AS Father Agapius is past 80 years
old now, and the interest on the mort
gage has not been paid for 10 years.
II amounts 20 si,025.
DO you think that they can take
my place." asked the little old man.
II want TO live and die and be buried
here In the grave my dear friend dug.
Why, IL | had a hundred dollars a
week, would not be happy elsewhere,
and besides | do not need money.
have plenty make a dollar and a
quarter a week and II is enough"
In 1867 Father Agapius brought the
first nugget out OF the Klondike 10 the
tuited States. Through information
given TO the Tacoma chamber OF com
merce by tho aged priest, expeditions
1,a 20 Il
dixie gold rushes, and resulted in the
development of the gold fields of the
north.
1T cost me 80 cents TO discover
Alaska said the old man. holding up
1915 New Years card from the Ia
coma chamber OF commerce. and they
still send me greetings-what greater
reward could one ask?''
Perhaps the most sacred friendship
in the eventful past OF the aged priest
is that OF Eugene Schuyler. transla-
tor OF Turgenieff's masterpiece, Faith
er and Sons"
why, we translated several Russian
novels, as we sat talking, just as you
and | sit now"
In 1853, Tolstoy, then a young man,
confessed to Father Honcharenko in
Alexandria.
Il did not coincide with his views,
said the priest.
Persecution by the Russian govern.
ment because he has devoted his life
70 helping free the slaves Of the ST.
berisn mines has not soured the ma
ture of Father Agapius. His love for
mankind has never faltered
But, don't want them to take my
place. My beloved pine tree, my
house, my grave love Them air
OF the 50 acres the aged priest has
he wants 10 sell all but o. II he sue