Year: 1869




Hotel, in Jersey City, \. j., was found dead
sitting in a chair in his own room. His death
was duly reported on the following morning.
but there We're circumstances developed on
Friday which surround his life and death
with peculiar interest. His brother Thomas
Allen, OF Groton, Conn, i'll company with u
sister, the only relatives Of the deceased NJ
rived on that day and took charge OF the
corpse. They examined also the two dllapi-
dated trunks that We're standing in a corner Of
their brothers bedroom, and in one of them
were found stocks and bonds, deeds and Sc
curities of various descriptions representing
5000, 900. The New York Times adds


His life during the last five years had been
most remarkable. lie was u man of over sey-
enty and so inlirn that he consumed half an
hour if not more in coming down from his
room to the dining room. Yet he lived upon
the highest floor to save money, and WAS
never known when upon the streets to use Il
horse car. saying that they had the effect 10
make people lazy, and he would not patron
ize them. He came from his room to his
meals but once 4 day, eating the very small
est quantity of the cheapest food He sought
no society, and would permit no person to
enter his room but the chambermaid and she
but once a week. While she arranged his
room he invariably watched her closely.


TO an observer the room contained very
little that was worth watching. Two old
trunks, a scanty wardrobe, made up Of cheap
ready-made coats, two hats, one white, the
other black, and both thirty years old ; patched
shoes and boots, q copy of fWebstor's Diction-
ary, a Bible, and medical book, were all
that the room contained, and its situation and
interior desolateness made III dreary abode.
The old man had lived here alone for nearly
six years, declining all the while to see any
visitors, for, he said they came only because
they thought he had money; that they were
mistaken; for he was very poor, and had
great difficulty in paying his board bills.


His brother and sister, who took charge Of
his effects, yesterday gave our reporters brief
sketch of his life. He was born in Groton,
Conn, in 1877, and was sent at an early age
by his father to work in q grocery store in
New London. Finding that his employer
was dishonest and that he used false weights
and measures, the boy ran away and returned
to his home. He soon procured situation in
a store, remaining there fora number Of years
until in 1927 he came to New York and en-
gagged in business as u commission merchant.
Becoming interested in stock speculations,
under the advisemcnt and in partnership with
Jacob Little, Mr. Allyn amassed a large for



to reduce.


He was a bachelor, and had for thirty OF
forty years been in some degree averse to all
society, but his cccentricities Were not so
marked as they were during the six or seven
years preceding his death. During his stay
at Taylors Hotel he was occupied entirely in
looking after the value OF ana the interest
upon his bonds and stocks, keeping his busi-
ness, however, in so great secrecy that not
even the proprietor of the hotel had the faint
est intimation that his guest was a wealthy
capitalist His bills were paid with the great
est promptitudc, but beyond this fact no per-
son in the hotel had grounds for supposing
that the old man had Il dollar. His occupa-
ton, meantime, was entirely unknown, and
many speculations were indulged in by his
fellow boarders touching the work which
kept the recluse so much confined to his gar
ret.


Wednesday afternoon the bill collector took
Mr. Allyn's bill to his room, knocked, received
no answer, and could gain no admittance.
He threw the bill into the room over the door
and went away. The day wore away, and at
the office it was remarked that the old gentle