The Saint Paul globe., 1899-02-26
e MHDE HIS ILLION IN MhNILh 6,
C. Famous Took -
y Philippines Years

NEW YORK, Feb. 23.-Forty years
ago there came out of the little vii
lage of Bellows Falls, VT, young man
who was destined to become famous
In several ways Like the prince in the
fairy tale who died famous without
ever knowing ii, Edward II. Green has
won reputation along lines of which
neither he nor the world knew any
thing. ParadoXical as this may seem
it is a fact that Edward ii. Green
might make a name for himself upon
any one of the many things which have
come to him by fate, or which he won
by fortune He is the husband of Het-
ty Green. who is the richest woman in
the world. He is extremely good
friends with wife With whom he does
not live because she is so wealthy. He
was the first American to make for
tune in the Philippine islands. He in
troduced into the United States certain
varieties of Manila hemp rope and
paper, which have become very val
nable in the commercial world. Though
the husband of the richest woman in
the world, he lives on few hundreds
year.
AS the husband Of Hetty Green Ed
ward II. Green has achieved more no.
toriety than will come to the husband
of Wi)helmina of Holland. By notoriety
is meant a certain amount Of fame both
enviable and unenviable; for at times
Mr. Green has found the fact of his
relationship so unpleasant that he has
bribed the attendants of the hotel at
which he lived to keep out interViewers
and turn visitors away.
AS the maker of million in q strange
land, the name of Edward H. Green
was So well known twenty years ago
on Wall street that millionaires and
bankers We're proud to receive letter
in one of his business envelopes; and
the greatest of them was willing to
take oft his hat to the tall, we'll built,
self-made man Of millions. But riches
fed, and as they vanished Edward II.
Green lost his family with them.
All New Englanders are wealthy.
Born upon q hard soil into which they
must dig deep for the slender rewards
that come forth, they learn to pinch
and to save. Soon they have a comfor-
table thousand where the young man
who is born upon more generous soil
has not dollar.
Edward H Green was one of these.
Endowed with some money and adding
to 1t by his own efforts, he sailed in
his young manhood for what was then
remote corner Of the earth-the
Philippines. Today the Philippines are
still al the antipodes, but they are not
nearly SO far away. You can go to
Manila now in a month. Then it took
Edward Green three times as long, for
he went In a sailing vessel and the
journey was fraught with danger.
He went to make a fortune al Manila
for he knew in & business way Of the
great chance there was to deal in hemp
and rope, in Manila fax and paper
and all the products of that wonderful
plant, the Musa teXtilis, the plant which
is so closely allied to the banana,
which grows in wild state in the
Philippines. They had never succeed
any other place, and young Green un-
derstood this and wanted to take COM
merciai advantage of it. He also dealt
In other commodities Of the Philippines.
1t did not take him long to make his
million. A man can make million
quickly in this world: at the time 1t
seems slow to him, but when he looks
back upon it, at the age of sixty years,
he feels that he made it very fast.
Young Green, little older and lit
tie grayer, came back to Vermont
with his pile. His exact age at this
time X is impossible to tell for family
reasons which will soon be evident
Soon after his return he discovered
that he was in love with pretty, SEN
sible Hetty Robinson, the daughter of
Bellows Falls millionaire, and like
any man in love he wanted to get mar
ried. But here the trouble came. Her
folks We're violently opposed to the
daughter: gay, generous and the type
Of the good New England woman. Ed
ward Green was twice her age, man
of the world, Worn out with fortune
seeking, and ready to settle down in
life. The Robinsons felt that it would
be an uneven match and they could
not bear to sacrifice their daughter
Yes, Edward Green was too old and too
settled to make a young girl happy.
But true love, after suffering as only
true love can, and surviving as true
love always does, carried the day and
saw the white feather of surrender
raised over the Robinson homestead
HettY Robinson and Edward Green
were married, and, after a honeymoon
went to London to live. They had too
many interests to remain long in New
England. or even on one continent.
Two children were born, Edward H.
Robinson Green, and Sylvia, and the
Green family was happy one.
But the fever of speculation spread
over the country and the germs attack
ed Edward Green, the father of the
family. Twenty years ago he went into
Wall street, and Wall street did for him
what it has done for many another
man, it sent him forth penniless. Lur-
ed on by the fortune which seemed
ever within his grasp, he spent money
freely and became known for his gen
erosity to public charities and to the
street poor. Commodore Vanderbilt
once called him "Spendthrift Green,'
and the name clung to him. 1t happen
ed in this wise:
A visitor said to the commodore:
Green was in to see me today
What Green?" asked the commo-
dore. DO you mean spendthirft
Green?" and the visitor replied that
he did.
When Edward Green lost his money
the Green family might have been
straitened in circumstances had it
not been for the wife. Mrs Green, who
had some money left her from her
father which she had wisely invested
suddenly discovered that the money
had been turning itself over to very
good profit. She also found that by as
ssting it in its revolutions she could
adG a great deal to the bulk; and sc
she and the money together could lxeeI
rolling the sum into a vast fortune
She turned her attention to Wal
street. But, instead Of speculat ting, she
studied up good investments. and was
anxious to loan little here and there
The agents of millionaires would quiet
ly notify her when their patrons were
out of money. and she would Just as
quietly loan them $4,000 or so with a
good rate of interest.
She did nothing illegitimately, taxed
nobody unduly, and though she drove
hard bargains. she kept her agreements
and did all she promised to do and a
little more.
Meanwhile Edward Green, overcome
by the lack of his fortune, desired quiet
He needed constant care and the rest