The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-16
PASSED AS
A PAUPER AND
SAVED WEALTH
Strange Life of Mrs.
Domingarill.
FEARED THE POTTER'S FIELD
ENDURED PRIvATIoN TO AVOID
FANCIED DISGRACE.
On Her Deathbed She Revealed to
Her Husband the Locality
of Her Buried
Treasure.
FEARED THE P0TTER'S FIELD
ENDURED PRIVATIoN TO AVOID
TANGLED DISGRACE.

ALAMEDA, Jan. 15.-The death of Mrs.
Isabelle Domingarill, which occurred in
this city January Z, has revealed a
strange story of a strange woman. For
over twenty years Mrs. Domingarill lived
with her husband in an unpretentiouS
little house on Centennial avenue, near
EncinaI Park station. They were looked
upon by the neighbors as poor people.
Although they never sought charity, 1t
was frequently volunteered them and
never refused.
On her death bed the woman revealed
to her husband that for years she had
lived in dread of being buried in the pot
ter's field and that to prevent what she
considered a possible disgrace she had
boarded every penny she could lay her
hands to until her treasure had reached a
sum exceeding $1,000. 1t was bl-.ed, she
said, and she refused to tell the location
until she knew for a certainty that there
was no hope of her life being prolonged.
The woman was 60 years old at the time
of her death For years she had been a
familiar figure in West Alameda. 1t was
her daily custom to gather wood along
the southern shores of the Encinal. Rain
or shine she used to trudge along the
sandy beach filling an old sack with the
sticks and chips washed up by each sue
ceeding tide. She was always poorly clad
and was an object of pity. 1t was while
SH6dR6u III 1ltL Odlly NOSullOll LAchb oilS
succumbed to the exposure of the wind
and rain. Even after she was taken sick
she toiled on gathering the wood for the
family freside, until her constitution
could no longer stand the strain and she
was forced to take to her bed.
Charitable people of the neighborhood
rendered her every assistance possible.
Her home was sparsely furnished, devoid
of almost every comfort, yet withal a
model of cleanliness. She told these
kindly people of her dread of the potter s
field but she did not hint to them that
she had deprived herself almost of the
necessities of life to provide for better
resting place for her earthly remains
After Mrs. Domingarills death the
neghbors undertook to carry out her last
wishes and give her a decent burial. The
husband refused their assistance, and the
neighbors marveled when the remains
were taken away in an expensive casket
to the Portuguese Catholic Church at
West Oakland, where mass was said for
the repese of her soul. The body was in
tered in ST. Mary's Cemetery
Just before her death the woman re-
vealed the hiding place of her treasure.
1t was in an old coal oil can under
the flooring of her bedroom. 1t was
the floor. which Mrs. Domingarill
had made herself, so perfectly
that 1t would be impossible for one to find
1t If they did not know of its existence
and locality. Part of the treasure was in
gold, but a large proportion OF 1t was
silver coins of small denominations.
The husband was employed at one time
in the lumber yards of Derby g. Co., but
of late years has had but little work.