The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-08-07
FAMOUS eEooARs
Many Found at Death to Be Men Of
Riches.

The recent arrest in one Of the large
cities Of a beggar found TO possess
fortune Of $4,000 in his own name IS
forcible reminder that there are to-
day, and have been in the past many
wealthy paupers, if the paradox be
permitted.
One readily recalls the case Of the
notorious Jean Baptiste Roateau, who
died in gypsy caravan outside OF
Paris not long since, and who had
begged for livelihood for twenty
years or more In Roateau's hand aft
er his death the police found gripped
tightly the key to a Tong box in
Paris bank. This box was. found to
contain $4,000 in gold. no'es and Sc.
curtes, all the property Of the pseudo
mendicant
Then there was Thomas Cctke,
known as the Isl ngton miser.'
Cookies life was one of penury, saving
and petty trickery, and when he diea
Ihc ,eG for his hers to squabble over
fortune of mare than 100000. by
the old and yet ever new trick of fall
ing in a pretended fit in front Of a
house at dinner time Cooke got many
mca's free Of cost. He would be car
rled into the house and then, on max
ing his usual quick recovery he natu-
rally would be asked to share the
meai
Before ,he war there died in Der.
lin garrett one Herr Schwarz, known
TO and mtied by his neighbors as one
of the poorest Of the poor. He sal
| lied ont daily into the fashionable
quarters of the city CARRIED in dl'hy
rags and carrying a sack in which he
COLLECTED crusts and her scraps Of
| food. He lived and died alone, a
mere bunch of bones. In his wretch
ed quarters we're found 100000, moss
iy in gold concealed in jars and bot
tiles. and in bank notes, which served
las stuffing for his bed.
In a remote village in Ireland an old
woman, supposed TO be pauDer, was
knocked down in the roadway and in
stantly killed When the authorities
inspected the hole in which she lived
/ they found it packed almost 10 the
Idoor with branches from trees for win
tier fuel, behind which they discovered
| two large buckets and a tin trunk
/ filed with curren CON Searching
/ further they came across a wooden
1 box and some earthegn ware jars al
so containing silver and gold. so that
when the money had all been collect
ed and placed onto the scales the total
weight exceeded hundred pounds.
Jeremiah Monihan died in ~ Louis
and was about to be buried in the pot
ters field when the keG to a safety
deposit box was found among his few
effects in the hut in which he lived,
apparently in the most abiect poverty.
The safety deposit box contained
100000 in perfectly coed, interes bear
ling bonds, and. strange to relate, nc
body came forward to claim this
wealth as the misers next to kin.
/ A ragged recluse named Marshall
! McMurrm was found in starving
lconditi.n in his tumblcd0wn shack on
THE outskirts Of Evan yills Ind. He
was taken before a commission for
4 examination as y his san y and when
Inc %as Searched s22000 was found in
the lining Of his coat and in his peck
1eth
! 1t is related that Samuel Rogers liy-
ed the life of tramp at )ng Branch
'bN. 3 and that he used 10 walk from
tina city to New York in order 10
blank his money. He lett $4,000, al
Though he Away considered himself
too poor to buy fo-.l or clothing. He
encased his feet in old pieces Of bur
Hap and ate whatever h could fnd
even 70 ape cores ana crusts from
the street.
A strange charac or kncwn as "the
lhag OF Bald HIP died at Souh Nor.
walk. Conn. Local tradition had il
that in her youth the old woman was
noted New York belle. but unrequit-
ed love caused her to withdraw from
the gay world and shun society. For
years she lived in an old shanty
searching the woods near by for medi-
cinal Il OTIS and herbs, which she sold
She boarded every cen, and had il
not been from the CLEAN of bank
notes through holes eaten by moths
$4,000 would have been Burned in the
few shabby garments she left 1t is
believed a considerable sum in her old
clothes went up in smoke before dis
coyery OF the greenbacks was made.
Near sharon, Pa the local oyerseei
Of The pclr was reated to a genuine
surprise when he attempted to remove
an aged couple to the almshouse after
they had been living on the bounty o.
neighbors for thirty years. The wife
prevailed upon the officer to permi
her to so back into me house af,el
! her money A search revealed nearly
$4,000 in currency hidden in th(
shanty.