The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-13
WILL OF 4 WOMAN MIOBR
Almost Starved Herself to Save a
Fortune for Charity.
Lived Alone With Maltese Cat for
Company After the Death OF Her
Husband-Her Money Hung on a
Tree at Night-RemaIns Cremated.

NEW YORK, March 13-Although Mrs
Marietta D. lay, an aged and eccentric
widow of Tarrytown, lived like mlser
in two rooms Of q mansion she owned on
Grove Street in that village, and almost
starved herself, II Is revealed by her
viii, filed in the Westchester county sur
rogate office at White Plains, that she
leaves an estate estimated at 100000
Mrs. Hay was the widow Of De Witt c.
Hay. who died about ten years ago At
his wife's suggestion, he saved and
bought railroad bonds. and after his death
she continued 10 save up = fortune.
She seldom spent more than g a week
for living expenses Al night she gather
ed her money and jeweiry to5etler and
placed them IN small black rag which
she hung on the limb OF a tree outside her
bedroom window, so that. shz laid. if
burglars entered her home, she could
tTCthfuIiy tell them she had no money
in the house. This bag often contained
many thousands Of dollars. IS she did
not believe in banks
She leaves the bulk OF her property
consisting OF railroad bonds and gilt
edged securities, 10 charitable institu-
tions. Not long before she died she went
before the Tarrytowu assessors and swore
off a $4,000 personal assessment. claiming
she was poor It was then believed that
she did not own much property, but after
her death a key TO q drawer in safe de-
post vault box in New York was discov-
cred, and in this thousands Of dollars
worth of bonds were found.
IN an old silk dress a Large amount Of
jewelry and S50g in bills were found sewed
UP IN the rufTles. Crisp bauknotes were
fact, her entire costume was padded with
banknotes
The requests in her viii are: To Beach
Ever, of Sackett's Harbor, a niece, the
Pickering homestead at Sackett's Harbor.
To the TarrytOWn Historical Society $500
shares OF Northwestern Grand Trunk
Railway Company bonds To Rosetta Bea-
man. colored. 81. 900 in Duluth and Iron
Range Railroad Company bonds. To
Mary C. Ames, of Whitehall. $1,000. of
Milwaukee. Lake Shore and Western
Railroad Company bonds. To Allan C
Beach, of Watert0wn. and Walter B.
Camp. Of Sackett's Harbor, 100 shares Of
American Bank Note Company, also y
shares OF New York Central and Hudson
River Railroad Company stock To the
De Witt c. Hay Library Association of
Caldwell, Lake George. y Y, 1OO shares
of American Bank Note Company stock.
also So shares of Chicago, Milwaukee and
St. Paul Railroad, preferred stock and
/ 3, 900 Of Duluth and Iron Range Railroad
bonds To the United States Cremation
Company, Limited, at Fresh Pond. L. l..
/ s. 600 fl American Dock Improvement
bonds, also sl.090 in Chesapeake and Ohio
Railroad Company bonds To the SaratO-
/ ga hospital. at Saratoga Springs. 50
/ shares Of Chicago. Rock Island, and Pa
! cific ana Ohio Railroad Company bones 10
/ endOw bed in the hospital. To the New
/ York City lnhrmary Tor Women and
/ Children. $2.000 in Chicago and Eastern
/ Illinois Railroad Company bonds. also
! $3.50 in Duluth and Iron Range Railroad
/ Company bonds
Mrs Hay at her own request was ere
mated at Fresh Pond and her ashes were
! taken 10 Sacketts Harbor for burial Be
! fore her death she decided the Grove
| Street residence to the TarrytOwn Histor-
! icaI Society for use after her death as q
museum.
/ From the time Of her husbands death
( Mrs. Hay Stunned society. and her only
companion was a maltese cat
J So far as can be learned. the only reIa-
/ tives left by Mrs Hay are a brother and
! Il niece. who reside at Sacket's Harbor