The Irish standard., 1888-09-15
MOSES TAYLo R's WIDOW
Her One Remarkable yVhiln of Extiava
eance Diagnosed by q Correep0nGent.


gance Diagnosed by Correspondent.
There is a wealthy New Y ork widow who
has d church and 6 chaplain Of her own,
writes a New York correspondent. She Is
Mrs. Moses Taylor. The church was built
by her at Long Branch at a cost Of about
$4,000. Tt is Presbyterian, and there is a
paid every dollar of the cost and is the
owner outright. 1t is an ornate edifce, and
one of its features is memorial stained
glass window inscribed to her dead hus-
band. "Blessed are they that die in the
Lord" it says. The sinner might add that
they are considerably blest who live possess
ors of the enormous wealth accumulated by
Moses Taylor. He was rather loose and
luxurious in his earthly methods of blessed
ness, 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 "a Rev. J. 81. Young, who
conducts the services in the church during
the summer months, but it is at her co,n-
mand the year round, for she pays his sal
airy Of S, 500 out Of her own pocket. This
religious, benevolent and amisble 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 execu-
tors Of the will has just been telling ma
about it. The document cid not enumerate
the testator's possessions, but merely
Jumped the personal property, consisting
Of bonds, stocks and other securities" Tho
general impression had been that Taylor
was worth fifteen to twenty millions. He
had made great property by i'm
parting foreign goods in his own
ships, but as to Ills Investments he had
never been communicative. On an APP
pointed day tine widow and the executors
opened the doors Of the particularly solid
vault which the old man had built into his
Office. This structure was pank-ltles in yul-
nerability. 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 in-
uermost compartment was large enoug h to
mold certificates of stock and the Ike Sc
curities without folding. There was high
stack of these papers, lying nearly top Of
one another, unwrinAled and increased.
They represented Taylor's investments tn
hundreds Of railroads, banks, insurance
companies and all manner Of the soundest
financial ventures. The amazed finders 81
this store Of wealth handled them over in q
haif-da2ed way for an hour Or two Then
they set about making an inventory. When
they came to odd the totals it was seen that
the market value Of the lot1gas about ttitty
millions, and when other property was
added 10 this the aggregate reached forty
millions. or more than double 5he currenz
estimate. Taylor had disliked to figure as
a superlatively rich man, and, therefore,
without any Of the niser's INSTINCT had
concealed the facts from even his most III
innate friends. AS to the wiagw axd
heiress, she denies herself nothing chat saer
fancy demands, but she is as unostenta-
tious as. her late husband. and her inaul.
gence In chr,ch and chaplain Of her own
constitutes her one remarkable whim OF az.
travagance