Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-11-07
HE BECAME A CIPHER
HETTY GREEN'S HUSBAND AN,
THE CAREER he MISSED
Lost His Fortune in the East Ind;,
Trade and Never Regained
Foothold.

Green, tne veteran East INDIA merchant
is termed whenever he is briefly alluds5
to- Mr. Green is supposed to be dying
here at the present moment He is "a
years of age or more and for all tho
world has heard of him for the past %
years he might have been dead ong
ago Even now, as his life is ebbn9
away. his wife finds the task of sooth,
| ing his dying moments one which in
terferes seriously with her business on.
gagements and the dying octogenarian
may be dragged from his old family
mansion to die in a New York hotel in
order to facilitate business.
"If you want to know what it means
to be cipher marry business woman
and give her control of the purse
strings" said Mr. Green some years ago
! in the course of confidential converse
ton. and there is no doubt hat he felt
what he said He spoke by the book as
! it were And yet Mr. Green has not
been cipher all his life. nor did it take
bad habits or misconduct of ans kind
to denude him of the many millions
that he once owned on his own account
| for Mr. Green has always been pretty
we'll balanced individual like his won
derfully constituted wife.
When Edward A. Green married Har-
riett H. Robinson, between 40 and 80
years ago. he was in a fair way to be-
come the richest man in America Asa
pioneer in the East India trade he had
built up an enormous fortune and that
was possibly why the alliance was
formed between him and the New Bed
ford heireSS, who at that time owned
50 900 900 in her own rights
Mrs Green. or her guardians. took
care to have the money which she had
inherited strictly tied up so that under
no circumstances could any portion of it
be used to liquidate any debts of aer
husband or help along any of his en-
terpriseS.
For several years after the marriage
of the young couple who started out
under such favorable auspices Mrs
Green retained her place in society and
| both the son and daughter had been
born before she set her face against the
frivolities of fashionable existence
and took up the grand passion OF her
life.
The East India trade had suffered
severe blow and many who were en-
gagged in it in this country had been
/ practically ruined.
Mrs. Green seemed to foresee the
coming crash and prepared herself for
] it. TO all of the plans proposed for re-
building her husbands fortunes she
turned Il deaf ear. His money might
go. but hers was intact and should re-
main so or she would increase it by her
own business aCumen.
| Then came the resolve that she would
d IN, hat V q IA. M a IN arioh h
/ est woman on earth. Before venturing
I into Wall street Mrs. Green consulted
/ her husband and learned from him
many of the ideas which she has since
! turned to such golden account In fact,
Mr., Green acted in the capacity of adj
/ wiser and secretary to his wife during
! the period when she was laying the
/ foundations of her colossal fortune and
4 it is related that his shrewdness and
tact on many occasions saved her from
heavy losses, if not from total ruin,
( II was not until Mrs. Green developed
such exceedingly parsimonious habits
/ that he two drifted apart
/ A separati@u-b bad been imminent for
Some time as the tastes of the couple
had become almost entirely opposite.
/ Mr., Green had always been liberal
/ liver and when the smallest table lux
uricS We're denied him rebeled He left
/ his million making spouse and took up
mp his abode in a private apartment IN
upper broadway trying out the remnant
OF his fortune to build up for himself I
new career and new fortune. In TINS
attempt he signally failed and his lie
for years past has been an effort 10 turn
the tide backward which seemed always
to go against him.
To Mrs. Green the loss of her husband
as companion meant nothing, except
the getting rid OF an incubus. She alb
Solutely forgot that he was in existence
al one time and once when asked What
had become of him is said to have re-
piled that she thought he was still nv
ing but had not had time to inquire
about him for a long while
All the busy woman's attention has
for years past been given to building uP
the character ana fortunes of her soo'
II. r. Green, the Texas millionaire ran
road magnate and politician. for whose
interest she has invested $40 900 WV ~
Western railroads during the past dee-
AIDE
For the past few years Mr. Green mas
resided in the old Green homestead ~
this place The house is built IN %
colonial style and is quite dilapidatet
II belonged to Nathaniel Tucker Crane
father of Mr.. Green. who built II cen
fury and quarter ago. Mrs. ufeei
has been much with her husband siho
II became obvious that his DAYS wei,
drawing to a close and she has ever
shown some tenderness to the lover y
her early days But this VIII palla'
little the life disappointment which ~
old man has borne with the knoWie3s'
that from the one whose duty i was "
help him no help was vouchsafed "a.
career might have been great one a.
he hats always RS5n considered poLa
financier and most enterpusing an.
careful operatgor He will always
remembered as the man who was SAT,
feed in order that his wife might
feed in order that his wife mish' Wv
a great politician.
RALPH HEWITT