The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-04-30
STRANGER THAN FICTION.
A Large Fortune Tied Up In .
Handkerchief.
The Remarkable Incident Recalled by the
Death of Charles r. Chickering-
Queer Methods of wealthy
Old Mlser.

cord, says the Now York Recorder.
James Henry Paine, who died in De-
cember, 1885, in an attic on Bleecker
street, this city, was known as "Old
Miser Paine" He was the grand
nephew of Robert Treat Paine, one Of
the signers Of the declaration of inde-
pendence. He received, on reaching
his majority, largo property from his
fathers estate and began then to loan
ing money on the streets at high rates
of interest. He soon gained on the
streets most unenviable notoriety for
his practice Of loaning money on stocks
and then bearing the stocks through the
columns of the newspapers on which he
was employed as financial reporter, so
as to keep his securities as long as
possible while vigorously collecting his
monthly per cents.
For nearly thirty years prior to his
death Paine was estranged from his
family and lived absolutely ON charity.
But he was a mine Of wealth in musical
knowledge, possessing fund Of almost
inexhaustiblo character. This trait at
tracted the attention of Mr.. Chickering
and he aided Paine in many ways.
At that time every one supposed him to
be penniless, as he lived by begging
what he ate and what he wore. But
few years before his death his brother,
Robert Treat Paine, of Boston, said:
"James ought TO be worth two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars in his own
right. What has become of it?"
The question puzzled many head
after its utterance, for there was no
answer given nor any explanation from
the miser. James Henry Paine was
buried by the same charitable people
who donated to him his means of pre-
carious existence, and scarcely had he
been placed in his grave when con-
test was begun in this county on the
missing will of the deceased. The case
dragged on nearly year, when
Attorney General Russell, who was
conducting the case for the hefrs-at-
law, asked his opponent, Gen. Chamber
lain, of South Carolina, If he had any
objection to witness he was about to
call. This was December 15, 1887. Mr..
Chamberlain replying in the negative,
counsel for the heirs called upon
Charles Chickering, who was seated in
the court. Mr.. Chickering rose quickly
from his chair, and, lifting big bundle
that he had been carefully guarding,
walked up to the witness chair. After
answering a few questions he was
asked to tell what he had to say.
Quietly and without the slightest sign
of excitement he said:
81 knew James Henry Paine for years
before he died. I was brought into
communication with him often through
his love for music. Though had heard
that he was supposed to have some
money hidden away somewhere, real
ly knew nothing about it. One day
near the close Of the '60's he came to
me with this bundle in his hand. This
is the bundle. He asked me if he could
leave 1t in my possession, and I told
him yes told him would put it in
my safe. He objected to this, and asked
me If had private safe at home
which none of my employees ever
opened. said yes again, and he said
he would like me to place it there. /
took the bundle and locked it up, scarce
ly ever again giving the matter a
thought. Once, years afterward, he
asked me if that bundle was all right.
said certainly and he did not allude
to it again during his life. After the
old mans death I remembered the
package and took it out Of it's hiding
place one day to see if itcontained any
thing worth keeping. supposed 1t
held nothing more than some old musi-
cal papers. Tearing open one corner I
caught sight of roll of bank bills. 1t
seemed to me in the hasty glimpse I
caught of them that they must amount
to many thousands of dollars. tied
the bundle again quickly and took the
next train for Boston to see Robert
Treat Paine, who, thought, was the
nearest relative. He said that there
were nearer heirs-at-law than he, and
he named the Claggetts of that city.
March 1, in the presence of Sumner and
Charles Claggett and my attorney, Mr..
Swift, we opened the package. Gold
and silver dollars, bank notes by the
thousands, certificates of stock and
scrip rolled upon the table. The little
old green handkerchief with which the
bundle was wrapped for nearly twenty
years had closely guarded the treas
ure, amounting to something over four
hundred thousand dollars. About one
hundred and forty thousand dollars has
become outlawed."
The heirs-at-law subsequently OBJ
tanned the money, bank notes, scrip,
ETC., surrendered by Mr.. Chickering.
EQUINE Pensioners.