The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1893-12-04

cation of rewdn When Financial
Transactions Are Involved.
Not a small part Of thefame of Brook
lyn can be laid 70 the credit Of the ra-
women who have lived and
live now within its borders-women who
have taken rank and honor in almost ey-
cry walk of life. It is a we'll known fact
that a very large proportion Of the real
estate Of the city is held in the names of
women. 1t Is not a widely known fact
that the woman who is reputed b be the
richest IN the United States lives in the
City Of Churches and right in the clas-
sic section known as the heights too.
Her wealth is %variously estimated at
from $4,000, 900 to $50, 900, 900, and her
name is Mrs. Hetty Green. Her name
and personality are more familiar to
wall street than they are TO Brooklyn
society. That is because Mrs. Green has
chosen to devote all her time to the man
1pulatlOn Of her fortune and has let So
ciety get along without her. Hetty
Green at an Ihpeton~a ball would Gre
ate a sensation indeed, but it is not like
ly that such an occasion will ever be re-
cOrdeu by society writers.
Hosts of people nave brushed elbows
with a shrewd and rather calm faced
woman, apparently so years old, rather
short, wearing a plain, old fashioned
shawl and a bonnet so far beyond fash
ions pale that no ~ would ever suspect
1t had been in it, even years ago. No
body ever saw her with a dress which
was not severely plain, and seldom has
she been noticed when she did not carry
an old style and we'll worn black satchel.
Her appearance would never cause the
uninitiated to think that she was any
thing more extraordinary than an old
fashioned OIna of moderate means
and simple tastes, who was on her way
to the corner grocery or the bakery on
the block below. Yet, if money is pow
er, this same staid looking person is one
Of the most powerful human beings in
the country.
In an old fashioned house on a corner
in Pierrepont street Mrs. Green and her
daughter Sylvia have lived for several
years. The modest apartments they &C.
cupy are hired from a pleasant faced
woman, who keeps the house and who
has an admiration for Mrs. Green,
which she does not conceal. The rich
est woman in the United States has a
son., who has been spending some time
in Florida seeking to improve his health.
Mrs. Green has been a widow for many
years, and her daughter is about 90
years old. Since the death of her hus-
band Hetty Green has become a fnan-
oIa- of ,,n,,Cy1o1 hrou-Iyoco Che hoe ~
Dictated by her actionst that she has small
faith in brokers, and that if she wants
anything done the best way is to do it
herself.
The weather beaten satchel has carried
securities representing millions of dol
lars. 1t has knocked about New York
and Brooklyn and other big financial
centers with precious burdens, and Het-
ty Green has always had a tight grip on
it. She does dot believe in spending her
money on things she does not want, and
as she wants very little she spends but
little. Her children and her fortune are
the sole objects of her solicitude. Mrs.
Green is said to be very anxious to have
her daughter become one of the leading
actors in the famous Four Hundred of
Manhattan island. Something Of an OBJ
stacle in the way Of this is the daughter
herself, according to report. Miss Green
is credited with caring as little for the
dazzle and newspaper notoriety of a So
cial career as her mother. She is a girl
whose tastes are quiet and to whom
dress is q matter of little consideration.
Mrs. Green, by way of a foundation
E. - l~--.l+1-f1 eNnInl 1nh14 cnDon
time ago settled a large sum of money
on that young woman in government
bonds. The amount is stated to be
s., 900, 900.
Incidents in the career of this remark
able oma have stamped her as a bold
yet cautious operator IN stocks and Sc
curities. When the financial panic Of
1884 occurred, Mrs. Green had a large
deposit in a firm of Canadian bankers
named Cisco & Co. of New York. In
formation reached her that the bank
was in an unsafe condition, and without
waiting to hear more she went to the in
stitution and withdrew her entire de-
post. The firm had no alternative, and
after paying her her money was COM
PEELED to suspend and finally failed COM
pletely. Hetty Green is the largest
property owner in the city of Chicago.
She holds title to block after block of
land in the business section. and her son
assists in looking after her interests
there. For many FEARS h lived IN the
western metropolis, and she spends much
of her time there when away from Brook
lyn.
Her characteristic bargain with ex-
Judge Henry Hilton is fresh in the minds
of inanciers. The money which the
Judge wanted so badly is generally con-
coded to have been used IN buying ont
the interest of his son Henry q. Hilton,
in the dry goods firms of Hilton, Hughes
4 Co. and Hilton Bros. He went to
Mrs. Green. or his lawyers did, and made
4 request for a loan of 81 ,2J0,0oO IN cash.
Mrs. Green was willing TO lend, but in
sisted on having q mortgageon the mar
BILE palace at the corner OF Broadway