The evening times., 1900-04-16
ROMANCE OF AN ALLEY.
Devotion Of Woman Revealed BY
Drnth.

Death.
NEW YORK. April 1C-In the death Of
Ovington c. Benedict. formerly partner
Of the jewelry house Of Benedict Bros. in
the Hudson Street Hospital on Saturday.
after living more than twelve years in a
miserable hoyel in an alleyway. there was
revealed a romance which had bound to-
gether two lives in lasting ties.
When curiosity was attracted 10 the
place Mr. Benedict called home il was
learned that the wretched quarters had
been shared by a woman who said she had
Kept house for him for years. She gave
her name as Annie Green. She is short
and slight Of figure. and her shock Of grey
hair. with her emaciated features. gives
IN appearance Of age. but Of her thirty
eight years she said yesterday eighteen
had been spent in companionship with Mr.
Benedict
She had been a widow for three years
when she met him AMI. she said ne had
given her a troth OF marriage. This was
after the arm he had established when
he left his brothers had met with disas-
trous reyerses and the woman said. ne
kept postTouing the fuIfllment OF the troth
until his business affairs could l- mend
ed sufficiently 20 support them in suitable
style. She said her family had landed
possessions Ia Wisconsin and her mother
Is now in Providence. r. l. where she
lives with another daughter. She had not
seen them in eleven years. She some
times did housewOrk and sewing and con-
Fiouted TO the support Of the place.
When reporter went TO the box-like
hoyel Of Mr.. Benedict yesterday afternoon
he found porter from the hrm OF Beue-
dict Bros there arranging for the removal
OF Nr. Benedicts effects He said that
Ar- Benedict had been IN receipt OF a reg
ular allowance from the firm every week
ana that the firm always paid the rent OF
the place. 81 a month. He had been urg-
ed repeatedly to move TO better place.
but he had always refused He also de-
clined an offer Of suitable furniture
There Is only one close, stufIy room for
living. eating. and sleeping ia the place.
IL is space rooted over between brick
walls. with a floor OF sandy soil. admitting
nlepty OF cold and rain, but little light
There WAS dying fire in a small stove.
over which the woman had been trying to
brew tea aud close by was dry piece OF
-oL Old clothing. packages of papers. and
trunks were stored about the place. crowd
Ing the narrow quarters SO that more than
two persons could hardly move about st
the same time. Access to the place is diff
cult. Entrance through an adjoining apart
ment house leads into a yard and a brok-
en- gate in a fence admits TO the aHeyway
in which the hovel is built The visitor
must pass beneath bars and wires before
BE reaches the only door Of the place
Miss Green said that for two days before
his removal TO the hospital Mr.. Benedict
bad lain on the rude bed too IN TO eat.
NeighbCTs assert that they had been awak-
ened during the pight after his death By
her grief She visited the Hudson Street
Hospital yesterday before the removal Of
the body TO the old homestead on Staten
Island.
Frederick c. Beredict. Of Jersey City.
and Read Benedict Of New Brighton. Sta
ten Island. brothers of OvlngJcn C.. aud
the Rev. n J. Kerr. pastor OF the l. some
Street Tabernacle. where Mr.. Benedict WAS
a frequent wOrshipcr. denied Yesterday
that his death was due to starvation. The
brothers declared that the family had
made him a weekly allowance for the last
twenty years. and that S5.74 was found IA
his pockets in the hospital They said
they had always been on friendly terms
with him, and his separation from them in
business was due to his desire to start an
other jewelry house.
"OyingtOn was OF a peculiar disposition 90
said Read Benedict and lived in his little
shop in Hudson Street from choice and rot
from necessity. We have many times of
feTed 10 provide a good nome for him. but
he always declared he vas happy where he
was. We therefore d'd the best We could
under the circumstances. regularly paying
his rent and providing him with sufficient
money for his needs perhaps more. I pro-
vided him with a new OvercOat this win
ter. and he gave that away to a man in
the street. who appeared to be suffering
from cold"