The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-30
A RICH MANS FATE
How the Relatives of a Half-MillOn-
naire Gave Him Surprise.
JONATHAN TREMAIN WELLS HISTORY
roty Years of Penunous Toll Closed by
Lunacy Commission.

More than forty years ago an active stirring sue
cessful business man hoistsd plain board sign OH
the front of No. lit Maiden lane Oh which WAS
painted ~. T. Wells" In lott OF that building Mr.
Wells accumulated bonds. cash. HEnALps. IrtdaHes,
Expresses. old straw hats and fortune Of half a
million dollars and there he remained until the day
before yesterday. when, on endcavorne to enter his
place of business. he found the old fastennes had
been apart. and brass paddock prevented his
opening the door, Thunderstruck and alarmed, lie
staggered into the Office of gentleman adjoining.
and with the burden of seventy nine years upon
his shoulders. sank exhausted in chair.
Shortly after this great crowd gathered about the
outer door, and box after box was brought out
and put upon cart it rumored that officers had
taken possession of the old mans effects, and that
of thousands OF dollars being carried on
TO place of safety, and that the piful remnant of
the old time ~. I. Wells to be scnt at once to
a retreat for the of the insane.
The ioc,lm teaens in which Mr.. Wells made the
greater part OF very large fortune is on the first
floor of OF the Oldest buildings Maiden lane.
and is simply one long loft. extending through to
Thames street. In it desks and several safes.
one of which is the old-fashioned kind.
with imitation knob-bolts on the front.
long boxes filed with straw hats, fashion
able thirty years ago bundles of HERALDs,
1rib9nes and Expresses far back as 1S40 and on
10 date On the desk used by the occupant every day
copy of the HERALD of 1860 and one of the En-
press of 1855. No Anticipated room familiar to the
readers of Dickens looked more odd There was no
carpet on the floor, curtains 70 the windows, no
lamp gas fixture. stove. no chair of comfort.
1t looks like DID, unused garnet in which the lum-
Der OF long ago been covered with cobwebs and is
thick with dust. The long boxes in which are
dozens of hats, look like collins in vault. Appa-
renty they rested undisturbed for years. and it
IS probable their contents have been brought
to light. The fastenings the door were OF the
most ordinary kind. Any one with chisel or
hammer could have found access with ease, and now
that it is known that there was immense treasure
there it is wonder that the old man not robbed
of all he had years ago.
Is Mr.. WELLS?
In all the forty years OF his occupancy Of the loft
Mr. Wells had fire. In the coolest weather
he sat and worked, wrote. kept his books with
vellous neatness and correctness. made and saved.
invested and tucked away, bu: spent His
neghbors thirty years ago considered him careful
business man, though triie eccentric; his neigh
bors to-day consider him miser with a strange
tone OF secretveness, an utter abnegaton of self in
all that makes life comfortable endurable.
but withal pleasant. inoffensve. welincaning
On the books the Of Jonathan Trernain Wells
stood with the best. His word was as good as his
bond and his bond good gold. 1t
known that he owned real estate in Now York and
Connecticut, that he had considerable inter-
est in railroads, that he was an investor
IN mines and that he long ago put money in ship
canal scheme AS years rolled the eccentrcities of
the lonely became habits. He the last of
five sons no of whom married. He not
a woman hater. still less aswoman lover. He spent
nothing on himself. became more and more .penuri-
Gus as he grew Older and grudged every cent he
compelled to pay out SO far known he had
relatives. but it noticed that hard characters
occasionally called to him. This attracted the at
tention of his neighbors, and of them several
took the trouble to follow suspicious look
ing people up the and give by his suggestive
presence a hint that the old man was not unpro-
tected. During the present winter Mr.. Wells has
made himself unusually neighbory with other
pants OF the building Nos. l15-ll, and often went
into the Office OF Mr.. Alden s. Swan to warm him
self AT times his memory seemed impaired, but
his head was clear and all his faculties they
should be-
twenty-five years ago Mr.. Wells took board in No.
81 Woodruff street. Brooklyn. with Miss Sophia H.
Ruckel and there, in the same room, he has
manned till now. Always methodical and careful in
his personal expenses, as he got older his care be-
came parsimony. 1t was difficult to induce him to
purchase necessary clothing, and under pretext
would he spend cent Tor personal enjoyment The
other boarders respected his qualities of head, and
while there was nothing especially attractive in his
manner he made many friends. His quaint express
sions and practical suggestion were peculiarly
entertaining. and in fact outside Of business and
Office dealings he was simply quiet. upobtrusive,
queer old man. Recently his landiady and his
follow boarders noticed change in his manner. He
careful III dress, but of late his
carelessness became marked. His memory. too.
seemed wavering and his personal habits subjected
the people i'll the house to considerable annoyance
PROCEEDINGS.
Suddenly and without warming To him proceedings
were brought before Judge Jasper T. Gilbert of the
Supreme Court, in Brooklyn. and the petition of
Wells. backed by afidavits made by Roswen G.
Roston. president Of the Farmers Loan and Trust
Company; g. p. FISH secretary of the same; A. N.
Smith, teller of the Union National Bank George l..
kiDley; Miss Sophia f. Ruckel, his landady; Joseph
j. Clarke and ID. II: Gray, commission To inquire
into the mental condition of Mr.. Wells, ordered.
Judge Gilbert designated Frederick a. Ward, lawyer
formerly partner of the late q. L. Jenks DIR.
Daniel Ayres. a physician In Brooklyn, and Charles
A. Townsend, gentleman prominent in the social cir
Giles OF the City or Churches the commission, and
they will sit such next week. On Thursday last.
for some reason not ascertainablc at present, but
which apparently has connection with approximations
of fraudulent dostruction of account books Mr.
Sbley lawyer at NO. "a Wall street, second cousin
or Mr.. Wells. weht before Judge Gilbert and asked
for some relief. Judge Gilbert suggested that
ceiver should be appointed to act until tho commits
sion should decide to the sanity insanity of Mr..
Wells, and at the suggestion OF Mr.. sbiey who said
Mr.. Wells had no living relatives appointed Adrian
vansinderen. a lawyer, OF No. "a Wall street. also
resident of brooklyn and president OF the Mercantile
Library Association. Mr.. VansindereA promptly
on hand aud gave bonds in $4,000, with franklin
Woodruff aud u. W. Coriies as bondsmen, WHO were
approved by Judge Pratt.
armed with tho authority of tho Supreme Court
aud accompanied by Mr.. Sibley. Mr.. Vansinderen
went TO the old mans Office. Ii was fastened but tho
expert blows of q locksnth opened IL, and
weird sight disclosed. Colin like boxes doomed
up in the dark distance, huge rat scampercd
dusty pile of ancient HERALDs. dark safes, covered
with dirt stood armed like scntinels and general
atmosphere OF neglect and squalor peryaded the
place. Retiring the receiver directed the smith IA
put ON new brass paddock, OF which ho took the
key. The next day he called again with retinue
like that of which Mile. Jarbeau sings Of in pima
tore" Ills sisters and his cousins and his aunts,"
especially his cousins. whom lie numbers by the
nozeus He found the poor old man in the spita~
bic retreat OF Mr.. Swans Office rho receiver In
tall gray haired gray sidc-whiskorcd man, with n
genial manner, that rather the old mans conf
tence, that after very little talk lac gave UP the
keys OF his safes. Meantime IL was bruitad about
that something strange going in No. 115 and
crowd gathered about the door, and expressions OF
sympathy. indignation and disgust were freely made.
pOUED.
Whatever may be the result OF the lunacy commits
siois deliberations IL is very evident that MIR. Wells
has been offering heavy premiums to burglars for
years. Hs safes old aud unsafe. Even those
that were lockc.yere not pfouf auangt BURGLARS or