Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-02-16
Americas Richest Woman.
WHO SLEEPS II A BACK ROOM AND EATS IN
THE KIrCEES.
[From the New York World. I

[From the New York World
With fortune estimated at $50, ooo, 0oo, Mrs
ietty Green, the richest woinan i'll America.
ives in dingy hall bedroom in brooklyn
boarding house. and eats in the Kitchen, pay
in. )! week for board and room. Although
she has husband, son and daughter, Size has
40 home. but migrates f:em boArdin. house to
boarding hose, caring for two things-her
money ana her privacy.
| The eccentricities Of this Crosus in petit
coats are sands OF the sea She lives the
life of a rowing hermit because it gives her an
| excuse to refuse to pay taxes ON her personal
property. Whenever Tax Collector is fortu
nate enough to locate her she sends him away
empty handed on the ground that she is a non
esldent OF the city or county or State. She
has been SO shreW,t in her endeavors to conceal
her temporary residences from the public that
at no time within 10 years have more than a
score OF persons known where she slept or
where she ate her meals.
| her present residence is room nine feet
square. 1t is in no use on Brooklyn Heights
kept by Mrs. Bonita, whose mother was sec
ond cousin of Mrs. Green's father. 1t is
four-story old-fashoned house, with 1--WE rooms
OH ottCfI HUUi, VIC pl fCcS ol WHICH range from
$12 a week down to ST. The
LOWEST PRICED ROOM
In the rear hall is bedroom and this is Mrs,
Green's. There is an ancient bureau in the
room and a rocking-chair that has gradually
descended from the best room in the house
| The bed is a small single affair and the wash
stand is nothing but 4 frame work to support
large bowl and pitcher, Overhead is a
swinging towel rack which has often served
to support the clothes she washes. She is her
own laundress, and the result Of her industry
in this direction is often displayed not only
ON the towel rack, but On the cane-seated chair
and the foot of the bed. Mrs. Green hasn't an
extensive wardrobe. She has no trunk, and
Tugs around her clothing in paper pareels
from one boarding house to another. She has
an old carpet bag which sometimes is used to
carry wad of bonds, and OH anothcr occasion
as likely as not the receptacle for pair of old
rubbers she has picked up at a bargain She
is not particular about Keeping buttons sewed
OH her shoes. Her general appearance is SO
shabby tina. Tie landlaty refuses to allow her
to eat in the dining room, and the richest
woman in America eats in the kitchen. She
does her own washing. Her day begins in the
kitchen of the boarding house after she has
made her bed She finishes her breakfast on
the rough pine table and hurrles out.
Here is pen picture of the woman in
HER DAILY GARB.
She is we'll above the medium height, with a
large frame and plenty of flesh to cover the
bones Her hands and feet are of generous
proportions She is not only square ia wed.
but her whole head is singularly square. She
has high cheek bones, a firm, straight nose,
thin lips and keen, gray eyes, set we'll back
under the broad forehead, Her hair, once
brown, looks as if it had tinge Of green in
it. 1t is combed down straight Oil each side
of her forehead aggressively.
There is an aggressive air in the poise of The
head and the we'll squared shoulders and
erect figure She walks with a quick, vet
shifting stride. Her features are not coarse,
and an expression of good nature, sharp and
shrewd, yet kindly, is on the face that haunts
many mortgage debtor in his dreams.
She wears a faded black cloth dress that
she paid 81 for at a secondhand store in 1892
1t is frayed around the bottom and the skirt
| is rusty Over this was 80 black cloth
Jacket, bought two weeks ago after she had
called once week for three CT four months
to inquire the price, which was originally S.
After shop wear had brought the figure down
to $3.50
SHE TOOK THE JACKET.
Her bonnet Is small and black, and unob-
trusiye enough in appearance from the front,
but the ribbon with which it was faced can
not conceal great patch of faded yellow at
the back, WHICH you can recognize anywhere.
She wears heavy overshoes over her thick
button boots. Three OK four buttons are gone
and the woman's feet look o,trusive under
The short skirt. Her oyersioes are loose too
AID her shoes OF coarse leather Tightly
ciutchcd under her left arm. this golden Pfn.
cess il peasant dress carries a black cloth
bag, with pickering strings, which is iier CON
tant companion out of doors.
Once i'll very great while Mrs. Green
dresses up" She has a strange passion for
diamonds, ami ketpsa marvellous array OF
icE, locked in her strong boxes in the Chem
| i>:aI Bank. Once upon tine she welded to
'ila heseecilng> Of her landla.iy's daughter
and brought from the bank an immense bun
die. She uncovered ON the kitchen table q
collection of diamonds and precious stones
such as they had never seen. There were dia-
mond brooches and necklaces and a string Of
pearls, which Mrs. Green admitted was worth
great many thousand dollars, and, in add
ton, a very handsome black satin gown with
black lace flounces On it foot wide.
The old lady (she is over 60) was persuaded
, to 60 up and put on the dress and diamonds
when she looked like queen of wealth, as
she is. Even then she wanted to
EAT IN THE KITCHEN
| INT 4!a lnI ms cta ba. x,,;+
The other boardtrs. But Mrs. Green quick y
donned her old garments saying she felt like
), Il fool III the others.
The rich woman's life is the most humdrun
possible. She rises early, and after breakfast
Ing in the kitchen walks across The bridge tt
i New York, unless it is stormy when she will
4 spend three cents for carfare. Once over the
river she goes straight to tie Chemical Bank
where she has her Office. She is one of the
i*rgrat stockholders in that Institution, and
lppl,- her spdrs Cash there, amounting t.
s; 010,G30 or ST 900 go.
In the vaults Of the bank are Mrs Green's
-tfong boxes, v here are some S25, Gn9, $50 woltl
- Government bonds, securities, mortga ges
and a niaenice.lt col lection q: diamonds All
iis. Green's ittivr$ no matter how addressed
% to the Chemical Bank. She GETS hundreds
# heaaing ril>ties every week. and they in
variatty each The waste basket. She takes
her lunch at the bank to save money, and
spends the day at her desk locking er pare Is
and scheming for gain. She leaves for home
about C o'clock. ana after supper spends the
evening In the kitchen to save burning gas in
her room. Then she retires to the little back
room, the window shutters of which are tight
e.. -,
light.
There are mid Tx 2cd people In New York
who remember Hetty Green as a comedy
graceful gill, a social belle in tile long ago
:, sEo gayo 10 indi cation that her maturei
years Guild 5c !!;;a..S.;.. -. such extraordinary
money making power. Coupled VIZ, extfaer-