Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-03-10
THE DANCER WILL.
The Romance Of Mary NJ. Dancers Iife..-
Her Property Bcauenihcd to Charity.

The Romance Of Mary NJ. Dancers Iife..-
Her Property Bcaueathed to Charity.
The New York Heraid says: Few
wills have come 80 prominently before
the public as that of the late Mary NJ.
Dancer. The accumulation Of tho large
property by her father and the singular
manner in which she has disposed of it
have created an unusual interest i'll the
public mind. Matthias M. Dancer was
gambler singular in many respects.
He seemed, unlike many of his class, to
be able to keep the money that came to
him over tho green table. Tho remnants
of many shattered fortunes were to him
tho foundation of an immense one.
There WAS hardly dollar in his struc-
ture of gold that did not have history.
On some of them was craven theft, on
others embezzlement, suicide, murder.
No one knows, no one could know, how
many broken hearts and ruined livos
were represented in his wealth. Dancer
steadily pursued his course and his
hoard constantly increased. He married,
and again, unlike his class, he seemed to
separate his vocation from his domestic
life. He lived quietly and unostenta-
tiously, and the chance caller at his fam
ily circle saw nothing but all apparently
happy family. 1t is now known to the
world tl,at his family were bitterly OPP
posed to his mode of living. Particular
ly was his daughter, who, going to the
other extreme, was firm believer in the
Christian religion.
In July of 1875 Dancer was forced to
abandon his calling by the police, and it
seems he converted his spare cash into
bonds. About this time his house was
robbed of considerable property, and
Mrs. Dancer never fully recovered from
the shock and sank slowly and died. 1t
was always supposed by the police that
the robbery was effected by gamblers,
who were aware that Dancer had prop
erty of value in his dwelling After this
Dancer disappeared from the public and
lived quietly until his death, leaving all
his fortune to his only child, Mary NJ
Dancer The life of Miss Dancer was
even more retired after the death of her
parents than it had been before, and her
time was devoted to the church of which
she was member. She became almost
a recluse. 1t seemed as il by her seclu-
sion she wished to wipe out the memor-
les of her fathers career. She lived
plainly, and, although possessed of over
half million of dollars, she spent only
what was necessary to keep her. Some
years before her death she became ac-
quainted with Mr.. Stevens, who at-
tended her church. This acquaintance
ripened, until they were engaged to
marry. Everything was prepared for
the nrptials. But on the evening she
was to have been welded she was borne
to the grave in her bridal garments.
BY her will she leaves to thirty-one
religious societies and churches bequests
varying from $4,000 to $20,0 900 each.
The other portion of her will, which has
never until now been made public, shows
that when it was made she had lost none
of the desire to palliate her fathers
faults. The money that had come from
the people went back to them. 10 her
relatives she left small legacies. AT the
time of the burglary Il family living op-
posite her residence had been kind to
her parents and to herself, and in conse-
quence she leaves to Mrs. Mary White
$4,000. To Mrs. Adele Oakley, of Nor
wood, Bergen county, N. j., she gives
$500 to aid in building a church at Nor
wood, in which she was interested. TO
her executor, Thomas F. jeremiah, in
consideration of many acts of kind
ness,' she gives $4,000. TO Adeline
Sandford, of Woods Hole, Mass, a
relative, she leaves $4,000. To her
aunt Mrs. Mary Ann Colder and her
children she leaves in all $50, 900. To
her aunt Susan Robinson, of New Bed
ford, Mass, she gives $4,000. Mrs.
Frances T. Avery, Cordelia Briggs and
Alexander H. Cubberly, cousins, receive
$4,000 each. TO George H. Stevens,
the man to whom she was engaged, she
bequeathed $50, 900, and 81, 900 each to
his two sisters. To Rev. Henry Lee, of
Pottstown, Pa, who is the clergyman
who conducted the funeral services over
the body of her father, she gave $1O,-
600. TO the clergyman whose church
she attended, and at present the pastor
of the Central Methodist church ia Sew
enth avenue, she gave $40, and to
his sister, who lives with him, $1,000.
Whatever may remain Of her estate
after all bequests have been satisfied she
bequeaths to her administrator to be dis
tributed among charitable associations
Thus it will be seen that the great bulk
of her property collected by her father
in years of gambling passes from her
family.