The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-31
AVARICIOUS HETTY GREEN.
A Fifty-Year-0ld Widow Who Is Worth
at Least Thirty Millions of Dollars.
Her Railway Investments and Her ParsimOny
"A Financial Amazon Who Has No Fear
of Wall-Street Sharks and Schemes.
A FINANCIAL QUEEN.
A Woman Worth Thirty Millions, and Is No
Afraid of Wall Street Sharpers.

A Woman Worth Thirty Millions, and Is Not
Afraid of Wall-Street Sharpers.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
NEW YORK, Oct. 3d. see that Mrs. Hetty
Green has secured the control of the Georgia
Central railroad. She is also closely identified
with the Louisville & Nashville railroad, owning
a large amount of it's stock. She is a remarkable
woman. She is the wealthiest in the United
States. She has reduced parsimony to fine art
and let avarice curdle the milk of a womans
highest attributes. She has unsexed herself for
gold, and stands Shylock in crinoline, the OBJ
ject of smiles and sneers among those who see
only the moral hideousness of such a Walpurgls
trick of witch-ike transformation, and do not
pity the victim of this moral cancer, an eating
avarics that no wealth can satisfy. This seems
severe language in speaking Of woman, but
there is too much bowling and cringing before
wealth in this country; too much crooking of the
knee that thrift may follow fawning. There are
several classes of women whom society condemns
with locke of stone, but the female miser is re-
ceived in polished circles, though morally meaner
than some of her sisters who cannot here be
named
Mrs Hetty Green is worth 0000,0 She
is rather handsome, of robust build, about fifty
years of age, with iron gray hair, strong features.
and keen, penetrating eyes. She is the daugh-
err of a New Bedford whaler who left her $9,000
900; not long after an aunt died and bequeathed
her 81, 600, 600 more With the $4,000 600 she
is credited with making 500, 100000 more Yet
she feels poor. On one occasion, several years
ago. she came down to her bankers In Wall
street. in stage with valise containing several
hundred thousand dollars worth of securities.
"Why did you not come down in a carriagel" ex
postulated her banker.
~ can't afford it," was her remarkable an
swer.
Once one of her children was taken with con-
WILSON'S during stay at Babylon. Long Island,
and she sent for physician. The child recov-
cred before he arrived. and as his carriage DIRE W
up to the gate it is said she called out from a
window with an economical view: ''The child is
all right, doctor. Don't come in!'
Wall street has many stories to tell OF this
woman's ecccntricities. A leading banker said
the other day: Years ago, when was
living up town in boarding house, had hall
room with board for Sc week. Harriet II. Rob
inson-for that was her maiden neme-was stop
ping at the same house at the same price in spite
Of all her wealth." Her father +. NJ. Robinson
from whom she seems to have inherited her bus
mess genius, was as close wise and was one
of the shrewd ignorant fools who devote an en-
tire life to the piling up OF useless millions and
who know nothing. through their boorish litter
acy as TO aow wealth may be made to minister
to the HIGHER spjoyn1ents of lfe-men who never
look into a book who read little but stock re-
ports even in newspapers, to whom sclence iSAa
sealed bcal and to whom in art a chrome Is quite
as acceptable as o Corot, even il they know the
difference between the two. 1t is significant
doubtless by pure accident, that the name of
thn fahlsd goid~prodneing King Midas has been
anpiisd in science TO certain inferior species OF
ape.
Mrs. Green, the financial Amazon, who has
proved herself match for the schemsrs and
sharks of Walt street, who occasionally enei-
neeEs'rn ysterious movements tsore, VINO has sew
eral times put the bears to rout in corners on
BENDING, in which her clutch on the Threats of
her unfortunate shorts was none the less stron
because it was that of woman's jeweled hand,
was really the cause it has always been held, of
the failure Of John J. Ciscos Sons, the bankers,
last year. A Wall-street shent circulated a ru-
NOR against the firms financial standing. Mrs.
Green heard of 1t. She had deposit there of
$475 0o0 besides millions iu securities in the
firms vaults. She came down town at once in a
cheap cab and demanded her money In full. 1t
was useless to tell her that tine firm was solvent
but that the withdrawal Of 80 large sum at all
would cause embarrassment, and that with
little forbearSnce towards house that had
served her interests faithfully for twenty years
with very inadequate compensation all could
he satisfactorily adjusted. They might as well
have talked TO an iron statue of Minerva. She
demanded the pound of fash, although her own
husband it was claimed. was a debtor Of the
firm to the amount Of $500. 900. The bankers
went to the WALL and have nayer reeained their
place in the financial world. If they ever do
they will probably be wise enough to adopt the
rule of many sagacieus men-"Never have any
business transactions with a woman"
When she married E. H. Green he was worth
three-quarters of a million, and it was sort of
matrimonial partnership strictly business
principles, though it is understood that the fort
unes of the two were to be kept entirely dis
tnct He came from Bellows Falls, VT, where
as boy he was esteemed chiefly for his good
nature He is a changed man. He scans dol