The Delta independent., 1888-10-16
MOSES rAYLoR's WIDOW.

Her Ono Remark able whim OF Ex-
travnr ance Diagnosed by a Cor
respondent.
There is wealthy New York widow
who has a church and chaplain OF
her own, writes New York cor
respondent She Is Mrs Moses ray-
lor. The church was built by her at
Long Branch at a cost of about SO.
600. 1t is Presbyterian. and there is o
nominal board of trustees, but Mrs.
Taylor paid every dollar of the cost
and is the owner outright. 1t is an
ornate edifice. and one of its features
is memorial stained glass window
inscribed to her dead hus band. "Blsss-
cd are they that die in the Lord" it
says. The sinner might add that they
are considerably blest who live possess
or of the enormous wealth accumulat-
cd by Moses Taylor He was rather
loose and luxurious in his early meth
ods of blessedness. but he professed
Christianity little while before he
died, and so the witness of the window
is not to be impeached. Mrs. Taylor s
chaplain is Rev. j. H. Young. who
conducts the services in tho church
during the summer months, but is at
her command tine year round. for she
pays his salary of So. 500 out of her
own pocket. This religious benevo-
lent and amiable lady does not put on
airs over being the richest widow in
America The fact is, she and every
body else were astonished by the
amount of fortune left to her. One
of the executors of the will has
just been telling me about it. The
document did not enumerate
the testator's possessions. but merely
Jumped the personal property. "con-
sisting of bonds. stocks and other Sc
curities." The general impression had
been that Taylor was worth fifteen to
twenty millions. He had made great
property by importing foreign goods
in his own ships, but as to his invest
ments he had never been communica.
tive. On an appointed day the widow
and the executors opened the doors oi
the particularly solid vault which the
old man had built into his Office. This
structure was bank-like in vulnerable.
ity. and the Investigators expected to
find the proofs of ownership to the ex.
tent of many millions in it. But they
were not prepared for what they
found. The innermost compartment
was largo enough to hold certificates
of stock and the like securities without
folding. There was high stack of
these papers. lying nearly top of one
another, unwrinkled and increased.
They represented Taylor's investments
in hundreds of railroads banks. insur.
ance companies and all manner of the
soundest financial ventures. The
amazed finders of this store of wealth
handled them over in half-dazed way
for an hour or two. Then they set
about making an inventory. When
they came to add the totals it was seen
that the market value of the lot was
about thirty millions. and when other
property was added to this the aggre-
gate reached forty millions. or more
than double the current estimate. Tay.
lor had disliked to figure as superla.
lively rich man, and, therefore, with
out any of the miser's instinct had
concealed the facts from even his most
intimate friends. As TO the widow and
heiress. she denies herself nothing tina:
her fancy demands, but she is as un-
ostentatious rs her late husband, and
her indulgence in church and
chaplain of her own constitutes her
one remarkable wliim of extrav
agance.