The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-07-20
AN OLD LADY RECLUSE.
SIZE LITEs IN Il COTTIGE ON THE
BANKS OF THE RARIT1N.
Her Dogs, Cats, Goats and Crippled Ser
vant-RumOrs of Hidden Wealth-A
Few Pleasant Features of Renting a
Country House.

Her Dogs, Cats, Goats and Crippled Ser
v~ant-Rumors of d WeaIth-A
Few Pleasant Features of Renting a
Country House.
From the Ne1c Brunswick Fredoniun
In a quiet, secluded nest along the
banks of the Raritan River may be
found a quaint old structure that has
often occupied the attention of the
traveller.
A singular old house, with its gabled
ends and windows, its porches and
verandas, and the old fashioned well;
with cattle grazing in the distance be-
side the long, winding river, with the
old grist mill in plain sight on the OPP
posite banks of the stream, the long
rows of tall and stately elms and
ancient oaks serve to form a picture
as rare as it is beautiful.
Approaching closer to the spot OF
seeming quietness and seclusion, it
may be seen that the doors and wind
ows of the structure are closed, while
about the window stills and under the
| caves the clinging ivy forms a rare
frescoing that reminds one OF a de-
serted castle in days of yore. 1t occurs
to one that there must be a legend
connected with place the.
Approaching the door, which is
creased with age and covered with
moss mould, the writer knocks for
admittance. A hollow sound reverbe-
rates through the old house and the
rattle of bolts and bars follows. Then
a hideous looking object protrudes
her head from the upper part OF the
doorway. 1t is the hunchback ser
want.
The writer asks to see the mistress.
This old recluse is very wealthy and
it is stated that through a disappoint-
ment in love thirty-three years ago,
she shut. herself out of sight OF the
world.
In her younger days she had been a
reigning belle and heiress. She had
won the admiration of the hand
soonest among the gay cavaliers OF the
country; The finest dresses and jew
els are in her possession as trophies OF
many a social victory.
Her time is occupied in reading liter
airy works, of which she has thousands
of volumes, and in caring for her pets.
She has twenty-eight cats, fourteen
dogs and a goat. Some of the animals
have been in her possession for twenty
years. They are fed on the choicest
viands and when they die are placed
in fine collins, made by an undertaken
of this city, and buried in the plot
assigned them.
A complete record of the lives OF
these pets is kept in a journal by the
recluse and an obituary is always
written at ones death.
NIL o11 ,aiIa hos nnxror 0fnrNt in q
bed since her disappointment in love
thirty-three years ago, but sleeps in a
chair with her pets around her.
Her meals are partaken of from solid
gold and silver plates, and for every
meal she dresses accordingly for it
from her most ancient and costly
wardrobe, as in former days. Her
imagination runs as if she was still in
actual society life, and she will often
dress for an imaginary reception and
60 through motions and actions and
talk to imaginary beings as If present,
although many of these have long
since been carried to their graves.
When one of the pets dies her
mourning dresses are worn. 1t is
stated that on every anniversary of
her lovers death she places herself in
a large, dark closet and bemoans her
disappointment.
The furniture in the building is of
the costliest kind, but it is covered
with dust. The room which she &C.
cupies has never been left by her for
twenty-five years.
She seems very well contented with
her lot and exists on food used prin-
cipally in Bible times and obtained
for her by relatives.
She is possessed of enormous wealth
in Jewels alone, which are kept in a
trong. iron bound box, which is
apparently locked, although no place
is visible where a key can enter.
Some say she is insane: others say
she is eccentric and morbid, and it is
only recently that attention has been
attracted to her singular case.
The hideous looking dwarf in her
employ from childhood has been seen
digging at midnight in the woods by
fishermen, and it is claimed that q
vast amount of treasure is buried
there under the instruction of the old
maiden.
The place is supposed to be haunted
by many, and many chilling tales are
told by the neighbors. Some say that
murders have been committed there
that have never been brought to light.
The old maiden calls New Bruins
wick a Sodom and thinks it a wicked
place. Perhaps upon the death of the
maid or servant some revelations will
be disclosed to the public of a surpris-
ing as well as horrible nature, as many
look upon the spot with the greatest
suspicion.