The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-02-28
LIVED ALONE
ID a Hut With a Big Fortune
Near Her.
MISERLY OLD WON zN

Owed by Her Dead
Uncle.
The proceedings which have been
instituted before tas judge OF probate
OF Rtcalsnd County in Columbia hold
ing up a deposit Of $50, 900 in the Ma
tlonsl Losn AMI Exchange bank by
Mrs. ssllie A. Gibson uosil the result
can bs determined OF Efforts made to
receive al old judgment for $50. 900
secured agsinse Mrs. Glbson's uncle,
I'D "SquIrs" Levi Metz, will reveal a
picturesque story Ct an old woman
worth perhsps s100, 1000 living in q
tumble-do1n old house in az alley
alone for years with a fortune In cash
In al old greasy grip sack. The story
as told the Augusta Chronicle bg "
d. Meow, reads like fiction. Here II
Is:
Oae Of the most disastrous balk
failure this state has known vas that
of the old Commercial bank hare
abcus Is years ago. This was organ-
lied by c. J. Iredell, now living In
Virginia, and associates, who are now
prominent in Columbia business and
social circles, upon the wreck Of the
banking firm OF Me:z and Ire9eil. The
debts Of the Metz and Iredell. concern
were paid out CT the new bank, which
held nunber Of worthless claims
besides notes signed by Iredell as man.
sger Of the old fru. Suit was brought
against Me,z as the only financially
responsible member Of the firm. and
judgment was obtained against him
fo1 $50, 1000.
Metz, thrifty Jew from the Dltci
fork section Ct Lexington county
across the Congaree river from this
county, at the time owned perhaps
a d zsn plantations in this and Lex
ington and Newberry counties. When
he vas taken up in supplementary
proceeding, there was przcttcslly nc
property in sight to pay ths judgment
though his lawyers got fat fees. FL
nally the judgment was compromised
for about $4,000.
About a year ago Metz died and
his nisce, who had lived alone With
bin in the alley where she now lives,
brought in this Will drawn ten years
ago by Attorney Andrew Crawford,
and had it probated paying the tees
in nickles and dimes:
First, I give, dsvise aud biQ1eath
to my niece, Ssll;e A. Gibson, all OF
my estate Of any nature or kind what
soever and wherever the same may
be, whether 1t consist Of realty or
personality or chooses in ection, OF
claims which now may be dormant
but which later may be developed
against the Commercial bank Of Co
]umb;a OF other corporations or per
sons, or persons against wncm I may
have claims or demands.
And, secondly, / nominate, coGsta.
tute and appoint ny said nisce, Sallie
A. G:bson, executor Of NY will With
fall powers hereby vested in her to
settle, compromise OF Equidate any
ard all demands which I haze against
others OF which Others have against
me.
In testimony whereof I have here
under written ny name and affixed
ny seal at Columbia, in said state,
the 10th day Of D1csmher, 1897.
LEVI METZ -
The will Is witnessed by Judge
C-aTf )rd, John A. Civil and Judge
Duacan G. Rsy.
Abous six months sso, Mrs. Glib
son, on the advic. Of her attorney, de-.
posfted in the National L Lssn and Ez-
change bark over SO. .0G0 in cssa,
gold ana silver.
A few weeks aga cisy salesman
cslle5 on her to sell her soms sup.
plies for:a new frame house she was
building.
You look like young man could
trust with seoret," she said to him
n q confidential mood, after finding
out that hs was single man. I will
show you something tasb looks good
TO POOR man"
She dragged ous that old grip sack
and poured tee contents out on tie
bed in front OF his startled g>z,.
He helped her count 1t. There was
s3S, 1000 Of al In baak notes, IN de.
noninations up to $500.
The young man then dutifully set
about to persuade her TO deposit 1t
in bank. He told her hcw she might
be murdered and robbsd and how safs
ano reliable the bank was. She hao
had what she considered a bitter ex.
perience with banks and was at first
opposed TO chsnging the hiding plaee
OF the treasure. Finally, after sew
sral daye visiting her and talking tc
her the young man induced her to
out the money In bank. Then the
story of the big deposit get Gus from
|, she bank; and the lawyers got busy.
:@Mrs. Gibson has lived in a. very try
ing atmosphere fol many years, and
bang naturally Of a nervous temper.
ameus, this suit over her money viii
PROBABLY completely derarge her.
when carried that money to TIE
bank" SEE said to me, "one CT those
oark men tried to nip out $500 oil
With cnc Of those X rays. He go:
ors bill aod ran behind thcse bZIs o@
:ore could catca him. People used
10 always be after my money ct home
resching through the ceiling after it
with those X.rags."
Mrs. Gibson protests that this is
al her osn m0nsy; tnat she had
money and property before she cane
to Ii re with her uncle.
Sae does not hold Mr. Iredell in
tender memory. She rails agsinst
him and bis associates, claiming tina: