Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-09-11
A WOHANS STRANGE FREAK.
Stimulating Poverty All Her Life and
dying Wealthy.

A WONAN'S STRANGE FREAK.
srmuIatIrg Poverty All Her Life and
dying Wealthy.
New York Times.
The developments in the case of W.
W. Richards against Peter B. Vermil-
va grow more curious and interesting
with every bit of additional testimony
Emma Richards, the deceased wife of
the plaintiff, was supposed by every
one who knew anything about her
her husband included-to be very
poor woman, In California, where
She was, born and where she spent
most of her life she worked hard for
a bare living, apparently, and always
seemed on the verge OF of poverty.
She was always complaining of the
difficulty she experienced in making
both ends meet, and never refused to
accept assistance when it was offered.
She seemed to have been born with a
passion for the stage though she was
never able to crafty it.
Her first engagement that smacked
of the theatrical was with the coma
pany that sailed for Havana, Cuba,
on the steamer Newport, in the fall
of 1883. She was engaged as dane
err. During her brief stay in New
York she seemed to be very poor.
Some people whom she had met hcre
took pity upon her, in her seeming
poverty and lonelin ess and collected
a sum of money for her. From one
person she borrowed 25 cents. When
Just prior to her departure for Hava-
ma, she called upon Mrs. Eva Golfer
man and asked her to take charge OF
a package and box, she laughed and
said they weren't worth much, when
Mrs. Coleman inquired if they were
of any value. Up to the time of her
death, at Havana, she successfully
pretended poverty. and. so far as
known, not a single person was aware
that the woman was worth dollar.
The discovery that the box and pack
age she had deposited in Mrs. Golfer
mans care contained collateral worth
at least $25, 600 surprised the Golfer
man family not bit more than it did
the husband and mother of the dead
woman. OF their existense nothing
was known at the time of Mrs Rich
ards death, or for some time after the
discovery of her little fortune.
Had it been known at the time that
the woman had relatives her
money might not have been
squandered as the testimony in the
case proves it to have been. The lit
tie coterie in whose hands it had un-
expectedly fallen seemed to consider
it windfall out of which they were
to make all they could, and the law
yers who now have charge of Rich
ards affairs promise to make 1t I'M
pleasantly warm for some of their
predecessors, as well as for others who
have enriched themselves at the ex-
pense of the dead womans' legal heirs
William S. McFarlane, who was late
ly secured by Richards as his counsel
stated to Times Reporter yesterday
that supposing Richards to be his
wife's legal heir the expenses OF trans
ferring his wife's property to his
hands should not have amour ed to
more than $500 This he considered.
would have been most liberal allow
ance. Instead of the expenditure of
this amount, lawyer Peter B. Verm-
ilya, who constituted himself Rich
ards partner, paid the Colterman fam
ily and lawyer Albert l. Cohn s., 500
before he secured the property, and
all that Richards has so far secured
has been doIed out to him by Verm-
ilya in sums which aggregate a coup
le of thousand dollars. 1t was gen
orally supposed, until yesterday,
that Mrs. Richards left bonds of the
value of about $4,000 and savings
bank deposits amounting to SIS, 000
Yesterday Mr. MacFarlane presented
memorandum which had been
found among the dead woman's
effects, and which shows that her
bank deposits probably amount to
over $50, 600. According to the mem
orandum there is deposited to her
credit in the San Francisco Union
Savings bank $4,000 and in the
Hibernian Bank "a, 900. On differ
ent line from the deposits are the
amounts $692 and 1854 So These,
it is supposed, represent interest. The
books show that the woman had been
depositing money in these banks from
her 18th year. Nothing was known
of any other bank deposits until this
slip was unearthed, but according to
it she had on deposit in the Nevada
Bank $4,000, $1,000 and 1854: in the
German bank 81, 900 and 81. 600, and
in the American Loan Bank 50, 600.
1t is not known among the lawyers
in the casa whether these banks are
in California or Nevada, and the bank
books showing the deposits are not ia
Lawyer NSrmilya's possession.
To this he testified in positive terms
yesterday. He said he found Rich
ards al Jacksonville, ILL.,, working for
a Prof. Yeager Richards told him
he was without money and that he
was working for Yeager to liquldate
a debt. Vermilya also testified that
he has deposited in the Park Bank in
trust for Richards 81, 736 60. This
amount he obtained, he said. from
the sale of United States and District
of Columbia bonds How Mrs Rich
ards became possessed Of this money
her husband says he has no idea The
publicity given to the story of Mrs.
Richards and her curious career by
the Times has caused her mother,
who lives in California, to take steps
to secure a share Of it. By the law of
this State Richards would be the heir
of his wife's personal property, but
the law of California would only
allow him one haf. As nearly all
the money that remains is deposited
in California, the fight for possession
will probably be transferred to that
State after the battle now raging be
fore Referee w. FL. Hamilton has
been decided. The contest will Be re-
sumed on Friday afternoon at 2
o'clock.