OLD NEWS: Who was the loner in the houseboat?

The front page of the Dec. 11, 1917, Arkansas Gazette reports that — among other bigger news — the old man who lived in the houseboat at the foot of Gains street had died.
The front page of the Dec. 11, 1917, Arkansas Gazette reports that — among other bigger news — the old man who lived in the houseboat at the foot of Gains street had died.

Going door to door to deliver the paper in 1917, newsboys got nosy if certain customers weren't awake at dawn. One such case wound up smack in the middle of the Arkansas Gazette's front page 100 years ago today.

Aged Recluse Is Apoplexy Victim

When a newsboy delivered a paper yesterday morning at the houseboat in the river at the foot of Gaines street, occupied by Henry Geise, he peeped through a window and discovered Geise lying on the floor surrounded by dogs, who were the sole companions of the recluse. The boy telephoned Dr. W.A. Snodgrass, Mr. Geise's physician, who hurried to the houseboat and found the aged man had suffered an apoplectic stroke when he got up to build a fire. He was rushed to City hospital, where he died yesterday afternoon.

Hmm. This "curio collector, fatally stricken at his boathouse home," was no nobody or his demise wouldn't have been front-page news. And Dec. 11, 1917, wasn't a slow news day, either. Little Rock was shivering and low on gas; a soldier had been court-martialed at Camp Pike; the Allies had captured Jerusalem; a young farmer froze to death in his field; the Bolshevik revolution was engulfing Moscow; Fort Smith's general labor strike had shut down the power plant ....

What made one dead loner so interesting?

[INTERACTIVE TIMELINE: Henry Geise through the years]

Mr. Geise conducted a bicycle repair shop at 700 West Markham street for several years, but very little is known about him, as he lived alone and confided in no one. He was known as a collector of rare coins and as a dog fancier. He had coins from all parts of the world, in addition to many designs from the United States mint. Among the latter was a collection of all the gold coins for the past 60 years, which is valued at $2,700. Mr. Geise also had a collection of old fire arms and several Mexican hairless dogs.

He was survived by a wife and two sons who lived in Quincy, Ill., and a nephew was at Camp Pike. One of the sons was coming to take charge of the body, which Healey & Roth would ship to Quincy. The report concluded that he was 61.

More likely he was 68; and he had a daughter, too.

We know Geise lived in Little Rock as early as 1908, because the Arkansas Democrat published his letter to the editor that Aug. 16. It complained that two recently defeated candidates for justice of the peace in Big Rock Township should not be trying to get themselves appointed to replace Judge W.M. Kavanaugh, who had resigned his JP post.

In all conscience, Mr. Editor, it seems that the people of this township settled definitely in their own minds whom they desired to hold office by their votes in the recent primary. These discontented individuals certainly ought to know when to quit.

In November 1908 (on the front page), the Gazette reported that a dog of his had puppies. Together the three pups weighed 10 ounces -- 6 ounces shy of a pint.

The father of the puppies is a black and tan terrier, two years old, and he has reached the "massive" size of two and three-quarters pounds. The mother is four years old, answers to the name of "Little Rock" and weighs a trifle more than three pounds.

Geise had taught his teacup terriers to fetch coins tossed in grass.

They are strictly house pets to him and only play ball and hunt for money. If a visitor happens in and drops any money on the floor, the dogs will go after it and politely return it to -- their master.

At some point in 1911, Geise submitted a testimonial for Doan's Kidney Pills that was used in advertisements in 1911, 1913 and 1916:

"For a long time I suffered from lumbago and my back became so stiff and painful that I could not stoop or sleep well. I had many other annoying symptoms of kidney complaint. After I had tried numerous remedies without benefit, someone told me to get Doan's Kidney Pills and I did so. The contents of the first box relieved me greatly and by the time I had used three boxes I had no further trouble."

In November 1912, the Gazette Personals reported he had an operation at the University Training Hospital; 10 days later he was "recovering rapidly."

January 16, 1914, he appeared in the Democrat among a vast list of white residents of Pulaski County petitioning the county for the "local option" -- to open Little Rock for "the sale of intoxicating liquors of all kinds including alcoholic, malt, vinoes and spiritous liquors of all kinds, and all compounds and preparations thereof."

In July 1915, Geise began trying to sell his bike shop through both newspapers' classifieds:

FOR SALE -- Eleven year established business; bicycle shop; power sundries; excellent opportunity.

In July 1916, a Gazette reporter noticed a sign in the shop:

The sign reads, "For sale -- Contents and business of shop, reasonable; owner bad health; going to die."

"We are all going to die," he said. "That is simple enough, isn't it? I am all crippled up following an attack of typhoid fever and won't live much longer. I am going to enjoy the rest of my life in a boat.

"I am not poor. I have enough to live on as long as I last, but I want to get away from this shop, where I have been for 12 years. Come in here and I will show you a model of the boat I am going to use when I sell out."

The model was in a window amid revolvers, rifles, shotguns and many other queer things which the old man had collected. The history of each is attached in the form of a clipping from a newspaper or on neatly printed card. The latest addition to the collection is a bullet to which is attached a clipping from the Gazette telling of the shooting of Frank Seymour, Mexican, for whose murder "Mexican Sam" Robertson is now being held for the Grand Jury. Mr. Geise says the bullet is the one that killed Seymour.

In 1917, after his son Henry A. Geise came for his body, the Gazette reported that this character had owned "about five" Mexican hairless dogs, none larger than a housecat, and he carried them in his pockets. One pup wore a woman's gold bracelet as a collar.

His well-known collection of rare coins and guns included flintlocks possibly used during the Revolution and pistols used by pirates "on the Spanish main." He also was an amateur taxidermist. Stuffed animals had decorated his shop, as well as a collection of rare insects pinned to a board, including different colors of tarantula.

This story could end here, but I found online one other bit of evidence from the life of Henry Geise (1849-1917). Three decades before he came to Arkansas, he had his own entry in The History of Adams County, Illinois, published in 1879.

The quirky old man had a whole career in Illinois as a banker and broker in partnership with his father and brother. You can read about how that broke up here: bit.ly/2koW7Zt. But how he came to Arkansas, and why his wife Agatha did not, I have no idea.

His estate proved complex and tricky to probate, and so his amazing coins and relics weren't sold until 1919 -- after an exhibition by the Union Trust and Mercantile Bank, so his many acquaintances could see them one last time.

Read the original articles used in this column at

arkansasonline.com/henrygeise

ActiveStyle on 12/11/2017

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