The New York herald., 1877-01-21

ion and attendant Then others living In the neigh
borhood say the old bachelor lives with his maiden
hold no intercourse with It The most generally ac-
copied OF all these stories Ii that which relates 10 tho
presentation OF an enormous miten years and years
ago.
During the year 1861 an old lady called upon real
agent In Yorkville and maze arrangements TO
hire house In East Eghty-seventn street, door
west OF Lexington avenue. In May She moved into
the house ana continued as Tenant until yuly, as.S
ferrous movements, coupled with studied avoidance
all the neghbors. caused curious interest among
her residence In the house Eighty-seventn street
made the acquaintance OF any one All that
was known oi ner was .nas sns came up 20 h
and number OF her former residence were
unknown. Onen at night alter the street lamps had
been lit. the old woman was seen TO emerge IRON her
house, basket In hand and wend hcr way 20 grocery
store Third avenue. She always closely vciied
and wore mems top boots. For years she came anu
used TO the sight and paid no attention TO ner
often at the still hour OF midnight visitors. or visitor
man, 10 the house and left before the breaking
OF the dawn In the latter part Of june In the year
1873, the residents OF the house adjoining that
In which MISS W,lets reside resided were @ mouo'sa
FIRST ascrbed TO detective drainage, but
all the sink pipes and the sewer were found upon n'
vestigaton TO be in perfect order St the offensive
odor vitated The arr and its source was mystery II
was thought perhaps, that something was wrong
with the pipes IN Miss Wilets'. and some went
her door and rang the bell No response was made,
but this fact eActcd Suspicion tor she had always
refused to answer the bell Finally II was remcm-
bered that had seen Miss Wiets going TO the
store for long tne and inquiry az the grocers re-
vcaled that she had not bought anything for
three weeks Then II was supposed that the old lady
had gone away and lett some meat In the
lardcr, and that its decay caused the smell.
This view OF the case was presented 10 the
police, and after much dclibcration II was decided
TO break the house open and abate the nuisance On
Sunday july 13 1873, the police went to the house
and broke down the basement door. This barrier
away gush oil warm, fetid air woed out OF the base
kitchen empty, and on mounting the Kitchen stairs
noticed that the parlor door was locked. An ofcer
sought escaade the door by the transon. but failed
When at last the door was opened by iorce,
intruders There on the floor lay the body Of MISS
Wcts and from the indications II inferred that
she had been dead ut least three weeks. The Coro-
ners inquest quickly finished and no light was
thrown upon the mystery.
''TME HOME THE CATS"
In Sixth street, between Second and Third avenues,
until quite recently, there lived pair OF maidens 80
similar IN appearance that one could not be dstin.
heard at night and other fanciu tales were rife In tho
neighborhood regarding this house Plainly told, the
story OF the strange occupants Is about as oows:-
These two sisters, twin sisters, and
for reasons known only to themselves they
retired from society," and thcnceorth devoted all their
energies to the cultivation OF cats. The maternal IN
stincts of the old ladies' found congenal care and
solicitude In looking alter the wants o their felne
family, which, according to tho police, al one time
tabled up tho respectable total OF forty-eght The
ladies wero seldom seen in public Twice year they
wont shopping--what models Of wives they would
have made-and on these occasions the neighborh0od
turned out to view them The old Indies are no longer
In Sixth street. and one knows whittier they have
gone.
These are but tthe OF all the eccentric abodes OF
single blessedness In New YORK.