The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-03
DEFEAT OF MRS. GREEN.
CURIOUS FEATURES OF HER
LATEST LEGAL FIGHT.
Some of the Peculiarities of the
Woman Who is Called the Richest
Woman in America

Woman in America.
From, the Neto York Times.
William S. Keiley's decision in the bank
ruptcy case of John j. Cisco & Son, which
was published Friday. is a defeat for Mrs
Hetty Rowland R. Green, whose financial
feats and reputation as 1.-THE richest woman
in America" are familiar to the readers of
this paper. She was allowed to make her
contest on condition that if unsucce sful she
should pay all the bills. 1t will cost her not
less than $4,000, and perhaps $4,000,
which, as she is parsimonious to an extra
ordinary degree, will by no means please
her.
Mrs. Green is about 40 years old, and is
supposed to be worth about $30,000,000.
Her father dying when she was very young,
she was adopted by her aunt, Sylvia Ann
Rowland, a rich old maid. They lived a
strange life together. Sylvia Ann was a
miser, and she brought her niece up to be
one too. 1t is judlcially recorded that often
when they would arrive at the Rowland
mansion in New Bedford from a visit to
New York, Hetty would run out and get an
ounce of tea and a loaf of bread, and of
these frugal materials they would make
their supper.
SYLVIA Ann Rowland died about 1865,
leaving a will by which she bequeathed
about 81, 200,0 600 to Hetty and about $780,
UCO in legacies to other relatives and de-
pendents Hetty was greatly chagrined
because her aunt did not leave her every
thing by this will. She produced a will of
later date which did leave her everything,
or almost everything, but the probate
court of Bristol county, Massachusetts, in
which New Bedford is situated, rejected the
will produced by Hetty and admitted the
other to probate. Hetty moved to New
\ ork and brought a bul in equity in the
United States circuit court for Massachu-
sets TO have her will declared to be the last
will and testament of her aunt. An I'M
mense mass of testimony was taken in this
case, and such eminent lawyers as Sydney
Bartlett and Benjamin r. Curtis led the
opposing forces. A very vivid picture of
the life of the Rowland family was brought
out. and a great deal of expert testi-
mony upon forged signatures was given.
The proponents Of the will, which was ad-
United to probate, asserted that Hetty had
forged her aunt's signature to the will
which she had produced by tracing-tak
ing real signature and tracing the false
signature by superimposition. Some Of the
expert testimony was very curious, partlc-
larly that Of Prof Pierce, the celebrated
mathematician of Harvard college. The
signature of Sylvia Ann Rowland on
Hetty's will was exactly like a certain
genuine signature of her aunt, which was
in Hetty's possession. 1t was contended on
behalf of the proponents of the probated
will that this very identity of the writing
of the two signatures was III favor of the
theory of tracing, and they sent Prof.
Pierce on the stand, who testified that by
the law of probabilities person would only
sign his name exactly alike twice in so
many million times.
All the testimony was taken in private
be fore master in chancery, and then the
arguments we're made before Judge Nathan
Clifford, of the United States supreme
court, sitting in the circuit court. Hetty
had been married during the progress of
the suit to E. H. Green Of this city, man
much older than herself, who was not much
more than 81. She was quite pretty then,
pale and slight, and resembled Christine
Nilsson good deal. She seemed timid and
anxious to avoid publicity. Now she is fat
and coarse, and possessed of a tongue whose
lashings the hardest lawyers and sharpesU
operators of Wall street dread.
Judge Clifford decided against Hetty,
holding that her will was not her aunts
genuine will, and that the other, by which
Hetty got only about 81 ,20O, 000, was Sylvia
Ann Howland'S last will and testament
Mr. and Mrs. Green went to France after
this decision and remained there for some
time. She goes to France now quite often
but, as she remarked during the hearing be-
fore Mr.. Kelley: ~ don't let it cost me 81
OF IS day. as it does most people. l can't
afford it. | manage to live in Paris for 81
or at the most 81 50 a day"
When Mr. and Mrs. Green were married
1t was said that he was worth SIS, 900, 900,
and the newspapers contained many para
graphs about this union of wealth with
wealth. Now Mr.. Green is worth nothing,
though how he lost his money nobody
knows With it he lost the respect of his
wife, and she speaks very cOntemptuously
of him. One day during the hearing before
Mr.. Kelley she said: my husband is of no
use to me at all. wish didn't have him.
He is burden to me-" He is very rarely
seen with her. She attends to all her law
suits and Wall street operations herself,
and does not call upon him for any assist
ance,
John J. Cisco & Son failed Jan Is, 1885,
having liabilities of more than SO 900, 900.
Lewis May was appointed assignee. He
found that Mr.. Green had a claim against
the firm of S556,85l 80, and the firm had
claim against her husband on account of his
operations in Louisville and Nashville rail
road bonds of 1920, 766 76 Mr.. Green was
the vice president of the Louisville and
Nashville. Mrs. Green at that time had in
vault in the banking house Of John J.
NlSCO O. Don dDOuU FSO,UOOOOO OI SECURITIES,
and there was also about $400, 900 of securi-
ties, mostly of Louisville and Nashville
which belonged to Mr. Green when the
firms claim against him should be paid
Mr.. May claimed that Mrs. Green was
equitably responsible for her husbands
debt to the firm, and refused to let
her take away her bonds or to
liquidate her claim against the firm until
she paid up for her husband. Her emotional
indignation was a spectacle. She made
daily visits to John j. Cisco 81 Sons banking
house and by turns wept and pleaded and
threatened and objUrgated. But Mr.. May
was adamantine At last one fatal day,
never to be forgotten by Mrs. Green, she
gave Mr.. May her check for S422, l43 AZ and
a receipt for half of her claim against the
firm, $3.50, 0l5 g. equal to a cash payment
by her of SOP, 1853 "a. Then she obtained
not only her own beloved securities but her
husbands Getting a cab-an unwonted
expense on her part, but the occasion was
momentous one-she bundled her precious
treasures into it and took them off. They
are now said to be in the vault Of trust
company. Mrs Green trusts banking houses
NO more
Mrs. Green had not done with Mr.. May
or the Cisccs by any means. She bided her
tlme and "got in her work" where she
thought it would annoy them the most.
She waited until Mr.. Kelley, having been
appointed by the supreme court referee
for that purpose, had carefully examined
Mr.. Mays accounts as assignee, and had re-