The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-09-23
Fortune Spurned
Anna Doag, HOusekeePer, Refuses
Her Late EmpI oyer's Legacy.

MiIlerton, n. Y. Sept. 15.-As a result
of>the remarkable refusal of Miss Anna
Doag TO accept the handsome house and
grounds and $500 in cash bequeatAed to
her by the late Milan Brown, an AGED
resident Of this village for whom Miss
rDoag acted as hcLsekeeper for eleven
years. she is now in receipt of letters
from all parts of the country.
Every mail brings letters from all
sources and from divers specimens Of
cranks, ali of whom gently insinuate that
If Miss Doag has No use for the money
herself it could be used TO advantage by
the writer. One individual wants her
not only to reconsider her decision, but
TO come to New York, wed him and then
set up in the res aurant business with
Browns money. Others write pleading
poverty and asking pecuniary aid. Miss
Doag is kept busy from morning until
night attending to this correspondence.
Miss Doag's refusal of the generous
legacy left her by the old man is sill
the princIpa. topic of conversation among
the eight hundred Inhabitants of Miller
ton. The resiIeuCs recall the day more
than twelve years ago when Anna first
came 10 Millerton and went to work in
the CHIEF industrial establishment of the
village, the shirt factory.
she was then a bright, winsome =irl,
hardly more than twenty years old, all.
and pltmp, with raven black hair and
t:nny black eyes Her good looks at
tracted general attention and she had
many admirers But she was austere Of
manner and retiring in disposition. She
lived a quiet and demure life with her
only brother, who has since gone to
Brooklyn to reside. Father and mother
she hal none, for both were dead
Anna Doag had been employed a the
shirt factory only a short time when
her qualifications as a. housekeeper were
brought TO the attention of old Milan
Brown. He was then seventy-three
years old and had grown tired and lone
some at his big far house. Negotiations
were opened which resulted in Miss Doag
going to Browns house at Spencer Cor
ners, some four miles from Millerton, and
there settling down as his housekeeper.
OF course people talked, but old Milan
Brown ignored these comments, and
Miss Doag was smilingly Indifferent
Browns immediate family consisting Of
two grown sons and a married daughter,
interposed no objection. They recalled
the fact that opposition to his second
marriage had been sternly rebuked and
that thereafter none of them dare visit
him unless invited.
This second marriage was a strange
one. One day early in the eighties a.
young and pretty book agent-Flora Bur
roughs-came to Millerton and in the
pursuit Of her calling visited Brown.
Would ne buy book? He looked at
her sparkling eyes and fluffy hair, and
Flora Burroughs went back to the VII
lage inn with a smiling countenance and
very large order.
Much smitten with the pretty book
agent, but with all his years of exper-
fence, too bashful 10 do his own court
ing, Brown deputized an old friend Of
his-a brother farmer-to hunt up Flora
and sound her upon the matrimonial
question. Flora, when she heard Of
Browns wealth, declared that anyway
selling books was dreary work but coy
~ admitted that she was widow with
four children This fact, however, did.
not deter Milan Brown, for was he not
a widower with three grown children
The ceremony occurred or. a Tuesday.
and the old man and his bride went off
a honeymoon trip that lasted twenty four
hours. Then they returned to the farm
house and on Thursday night Mrs Brown
reappearsd in the village of Millerton
and asked that a liveryman be sent to
the farm house for her trunks. Then
and there the bride and Bridegroom sep
arated for all time.
A legal separa ton was effected, Mrs
Brown accepting $1,000 in cash and 1920
counsel -ee, and waving all claims
against the cid man and his estate.
Neighbors said that $500 was pretty
high price to pay for a bride of three
days but old Brown never referred to
the subject
Three years after this episode Miss
Doag became Browns housekeeper. Be
yond village gossip everything went
along peaceably in the Brown household
until he announced his intention Of leav-
ing the farm and settling down in the
village of Mlerton. From his son
George a prosperous business man OF
the village he six or seven years ago
purchased a comfortable house in Park
avenue
When it was learned that Brown had
placed the deed of his new house in the |
name of Anna Doag, resentment broke |
forth in the Brown family. George took !
the matter philosophically but William. |
who was a high school professor, did not |
disguise his feelings. 1t is generally IN /
derstc0d that al this time scraps of con- |
versation were conveyed to Miss Doag /
-, a.
resolution not 10 accept the house or a |
cent Of the old mans money upon his |
death.
The Browns finally accepted the inc |
vitable. and even made no comments /
when it was learned that their father /
had made a will dividing his estate into /
four portions. one each for the three |
children and one for Miss Doag. plus the |
Park avenue house.
The unwearying attention bestowed upon 1
Brown in the last three or four years OF |
his life broke down every barrier of re- !
sentiment that had arisen between his |
children and Miss Doag. Their relations +
became friendly and satisfaction was /
generally expressed that the elder Brown |
had made such provision for his faithful 4
housekeeper.
Tuesday morning a week ago Milan /
Brown died. He had attained the age /
of eighty-four years and old age more 4
than any tangible complaint was re- I
sponsible for his death.
Members Of the Old Mems Union. uni
que association Of octogenarians and
nonog peculiar 10 AIillerton, OF
which Milan Brown was one of the
of their comrade. With all his peculiar
itiaz and thew vvara manifold he vas