The evening times., 1900-04-16
ROMANCE OF AN ALLEY.
Devotion of a Woman Revealed by
Death.

Death.
NEW YORK. April lG.-In the death OF
Ovington c. Benedict. formerly a 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 TO the
place MIR. Benedict called home it was
learned that the wretched quarters had
been shared by q woman who said she had
kept house for him for years. She gave
her nnme Annie Green. She is short
and slight of figure. and her shock Of grey
hair. with her emaciated features. gives
an 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 and, she said. ne had
given her a troth of marriage. This was
after the firm he had established when
he left his brothers had met with disas-
trous reyerses and, the woman said he
kept pos, Ioning the fulfllment of the troth
until his business affairs could be mend
ed sufficiently 10 support them in suitable
style. She said her family had landed
possessions In 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-
tributed to the support OF the place.
When reporter went to the boX-like
hoyel of Mr.. Benedict yesterday afternoon
be found a porter from the hrm OF Bene-
dict Bros. there arranging for the removal
of Mr.. Benedict's effects. He said that
Mr.. Benedict had been in receipt OF reg
ular allowance from the firm every week
and that the firm always paid the rent OF
the place, 81 month. He had been urg-
ed repeatedly to move to a better place
but he had always refused. He also de-
clined an offer Of suitable furniture.
There is only one close stuffy room for
living. eating. and sleeping in the place
1t is a space rooted over between brick
walls. with a floor Of sandy soil admitting
plenty 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 a dry piece of
roll. Old clothing. packages of papers. and
trunks were stored about the place. crowd
ing the narrow quarters SO that mere than
two persons could hardly move about at
the same time. Access to the place is diff
cult. Entrance through an adjoining apart
ment house leads into a yard. and brok
en- gate in fence admits to the aFeyway
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
had lain on the rude bed. too i'll to eat
Neighbcrs assert that they had been awak-
ened during the night 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. Benedict of Jersey City.
and Read Benedict. of New Brighton. Sta
ten Island. brothers of OvingJon C.. aud
the Rev. a. J. Kerr. pastor OF the Broome
Street Tabernacle where Mr.. Benedict WAS
a frequent worshipor, denied yesterday
that his death was due to starvation. The
brothers declared that the family had
made him weekly allowance for the last
twenty years and that S57i 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.
"OvingtOn was of a peculiar disposition
said Read Benedict, land lived in his little
shop in Hudson Street from choice and not
from necessity. We have many times Of
feIed to provide good home for him, but
he always declared he was happy where he
was. We therefore did the best We could
under the circumstances, regularly paying
his rent and providing him with sufficient
money for his needs perhaps more 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"