Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-08-16
4 WEALTHY WIDOW.
She Has a Church and Chaplain of
Her Own.
Mrs. Moses Taylor the Wealthiest Lady
III AmePican-Peculiar Traits
of Her Husband.

There is wealthy New York widow
who has 2 church and chaplain of her
own, writes Clara Bell. She is Mrs. Moses
Taylor. The church was built by her at
Long Branch, at a cost of about $4,000.
1t Is Presbyterian, and there is nom
inal board of trustees, but Mrs. Taylor
paid every dollar Of the cost, and is the
owner outright. It is an ornate edifce,
and one Of its features Is a memorial
stained-glass window inscribed to her
dead husband. "Blesed are they that die
IN the Lord" it says. The sinner might
add that those are considerably bles5 who
live possessors OF the enormous wealth
accumulated by Moses Taylor. He Was
rather loose and luxurious IN his earthly
methods Of blessedness, but he professed
Christianity a little while before he died,
and so the witness of the widow Is not to
be impeached. Mrs. Taylor's chaplain is
ths Rev. |. Il. Young, Who conducts the
services in the church during the summer
months, but is at her command the year
round, for she pays his salary of S., 500
out of her own pocket.
This religious, benevolent and amiable
lady does noS put on airs over being the
richest widow IN America. The fact is
that she and everybody else were aston
lshed by the amount Of fortune left to
her. Csc OF the executors of the will has
been telling me about it. That document
did not enumerate the te5tatOr's posses
slon., but merely Jumped the personal
property, consisting Of bonds, stocks
and other securities" The general i'm
preston has been that Taylor was worth
$15,000,000 to $20,000,000. He has made
great property by importing goods i'll
his own ships, but as to his investments
ne was not communicative. On IN ap-
pointed day the widow and executors
opened the doors of the particularly solid
vault which the d man had built into
his office. This structure was of bank
like invulnerability and the Investigators
expected TO End the proofs of ownership
to the extent of many millions in it. Bat
they were not prepared for what they
found.
A HOARD OF EORTY MILLIONS.
The innermost compartment was large
enough to hold certificates of stock and
the like securities without folding. There
was high stack of these papers lying
nearly atop of one another, unwrinkled
and increased. They represented Tay-
lOr's investments in hundreds of railroads
banks, insurance company's and all man
ner of the soundest financial ventures.
The amazed finders OF this store of wealh
handled it over in half dazed way for
few hours. Then they set about making
an Inventory. When they came to add
the totals it was seen that the market
value was about $3O,OOO0OO and when
the other property was added to this the
aggregate reached $40,000,OO0, or more
than double the current estimate. Taylor
disliked to figure as superlatively rich
man, and therefore without any of the
miser's instiG ct he had concealed the fact
from his most intimate friends. AS to
the widow and heiress, she denies her
self nothing that fancy demands, but she
is unostentious as her late husband, and
her indulgence in a church and chaplain
of her own constitutes her one remark
able whim of extravaganza.