Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-02-20
HETTlE GREEN.

to those who come to ask him for
Divine guidanee.
HETTlE GREEN.
The Richest Woman In America and
one OF the Stingiest-How she Caus-
ed the Cisco Failure.
New York World.
John J. Cisco x Son have nearly
eight hundred creditors. The report
that Mrs. Edward III. Green was the
heaviest of these received further
confirmation in Wall Street on Satur-
day. The amount of her deposit in
the bank is about S475, 900. Curious
ly enough, while she is creditor of
the firm, her husband is its principal
| debtor. The firm has an outstanding
loan to Mr.. Green of about $500, 600,
the security he gave being Louisville
and Nashville bonds. Mrs. Green
resides in Bellows Falls, Vt. Sine has
not been in this city for months.
The rumor circulated two weeks
ago rehecting on the solvency Of ]. J.
Cisco & Son reached the ears of this
remarkable woman even in that
snow bound village of Vermont.
Mrs. Green wrote letter to the firm
directing it to transfer her deposit of
about S475, 600 to two sound financial
institutions in this city. The firn
replied that it could not do that with
out sacrificing the interests OF the
other depositors. The firm called her
attention to the loan it had made of
$500, 600 TO her husband, and suggest
ed that her deposit be used in pay
ment to the firm of this loan. Mrs.
Green, it is said, then returned an
swer imperatively demanding the
transfer of her money to some other
bank, and, as one story has it,
threatening legal proceedings if this
was not done. This compelled the
firm TO decide at once on an assign
ment for the benefit of IFS creditors.
The friends of the house say that if
Mrs. Green had taken up the loan
made to her husband it would not
have been forced to suspend. 1t
makes her largely responsible for the
failure and subjects her to much crit
iclsm for the seltishness which actual
ed her conduct toward firm which
for twenty years has acted as he,
financial agent, collecting her interest
and locking after her interests, besides
guarding with honor the securities
held by it in trust for her amounting
to the enormous total of $25, 600, 000
Its friends say that if, under a strong
pressure, the frm had but used for a
day or two million or two of her
securities in its possession, it might
have bridged over the gulf and saved
itself from financial wreck. Bat with
scrupulous integrity the firm held her
securities untouched. and they are
now IN the hands of the assignee, sub.
ject to her orders.
Mrs. Green is one of the most ex-
traordinary women in America. Wall
Street has long been filled with stories
of her wealth, her penuriousness, her
| shrewdness, and her wonderful
financial operations That she is
the wealthiest woman in
the United States is without question.
| Her $22, 600, 600 of first-class securities
and Government bonds in the vaults
of John j. Cisco & Son are part of
her riches. Her wealth is believed to
be about $35, 900, 900 or $40, 900, 600.
To all intents and purposes she owns
a controlling interest in the Louisville
& Nashville Railroad, of which her
husband was long director, and for
short time the president. Most of
this immense wealth she has created
by her own financial ability, and by a
habit inherited from her father of
strict economy and accumulation.
The shrewdest brokers on the street
admit her remarkable business ability.
Her kno Wedge of Wall Street is ex-
tensive, but her quickness in discern
ing changes for making turns" AS in
avoiding pitfalls and ambushes
amounts almost TO intuition. Many
a mysterious but powerful movement
in the financial world has been traced
to her. Many of the stories about her
are, of course, romances, but enough
is true to warrant the statement that
she is a positive force in the street,
She is credited with even greater abll-
ity than her husband, who is level
headed and acute financier, and who
had created a fortune for himself be-
fore he married Mrs. Green.
Her maiden name was Harriet H.
Robinson. Her father whom she is
said to resemble, was rich old whaler
Of New Bedford. Mass. He made
50, 000, 900 in whaling vessels, and left
this amount to his daughter many
years ago. Following shortly after
his death was an aunt, who left her
1000, 000 Out Of this 5000, 900,
she has accumulated her present i'm.
mense possessions. This she has done
by patient accumulation and by sue
cossful operations in the street On
several occasions she has "cornere d >
Reading to hor profit and the discom
fiture of the unfortunate persons who
happened to be "short" OF the stock.
Sho dealt freely in Louisville and
Nashville when her husband was
prominent in the management
Mr.. Green had made a fortune oil
about $3.50, 900 in Manila, in the East
Indies, before he met his wife. Many
amusing and romantic stories are re
lated Of their courtship, and it is said
that though her wealth was twelve
times larger than his she had clause
inserted in the marriage contract pro
viding not only that her fortune should
De kept entirely distinct and separate
from his, but also tina. he should, Out
Of his own means, dcfray all the living
and personal expenses of both He
is a nan remarkable for his height
and figure He is a man of great in.
tell nee, affable in mis- manner, and
naturally of a broader and more lib.
eral disposition than his wife, t. ough
it is said ne has been more or loss in
fuenced by her character. He has
been a member of the Union Club
since 1860. It is understood that with
an income of millioR dollars year
their joint personal expenses do not
exceed Sc, zoo. While IN this city
they rehide at the Glenbam Hotel, but
Mrs Grsen spends mcst of her time at
Below Falls. They also have apart
ments in LoRdoz, England.
Many are the stories Of this tccen-
tric lady's &c snomy. s . is strictly
honest. bit demands the half cent
every time The ambition of her life
it is said, is to make her son, a GRIP
4 vlA old The r.nhac4 on