The Washington times., 1906-01-27

NEW YORK. Jau. 27.-The success Of
the stock speculate OF the Dead Man
Of Wall street" be cane known yester-
day when after years OF litigation the
safety deposit box in which Alphonse J.
Stephani locked up his worldly posses
sions before his life Imprisonment be
gan, was broken open and il was found
that during the years which he had
been cIvilly dead his fortune has almost
doubled.
Fifteen years ago Stephani was con-
victed Of the murder of Judge Clinton
q. REYNOLDS He entered a plea Of in
sanity ard was sentenced to life impris-
oDment. For years he conducted a
brokerage Office in his sell in Sing Sing,
and not only made immensely profitable
investments himself, but directed the in
vestInent of hls mothers fortune TO
such advantage hat her wealth was
greatly increased.
Put Stocks in Safe.
Shortly before the murder of Judge
REYNOLDS Stephani invested $4,000 in
stocks. which, with $31 900 in other So
curfties, he locked up IN a box OF tle
state Safety Deposit Company When
the box was broken open yesterday on
| the order OF the courts it was found
/ that with the accumulated dividends
( and the greatly increased valuation OF
I the stocks, this fortune OF $4,000 had
/ been doubled.
/ The stocks which Stephani owns are
| largely New York Central and Pennsyl
vania railroad shares For the eight
years that he was in Sing Sing he re-
| celYed regular dividend checks, and this
money was reinvested to remarkably
| good advantage
! Stephani has the marvellous record o.
never investing in a stock which has
brought loss to him. Wall street mer
declare that IL this dead man" Of TIT
street had been alive" and free Il
watch The market and take part in th'
! manipulation of the market he cOulC
now be many times a millionaire.
Prisoner Had Agent.
The agent who carried on his prison
speculation for him was j. Lynch Pen
dergast, manager of the National Safetl
Deposit Company. who was a clos
friend of Stephan At Stephani's re
quest all the stocks which were pur
chased in this way were sent 70 Frank
furt, Germany. and locked in safety de
| Losit boxes. Proceedings viii now b
begun in Germany TO get possession o
these securities.
When Stephani was transferred from
Sing Sing to the State hospital a
! Dannemora seven years ago condition
changed and he no longer had money t
take flyers" in Wall Street. The New
| York Central and tne Pennsylvani
stopped paying the dividends on hi
stock holdings, and, being civilly dead
he could not bring suit to force then
TO pay up.
The relatives Of this dead" ma
were fighting for the Management o
his property With the death Of hi
mother two years ago, however thi
fight ended, and an uncle who was tn
only remaining contestant. had tn
Trust Company Of America appointe
guardian Of this property.
In this tight for the control of Step
hanis wealth the contestants ha,
figured without the dead" man. II
held the key to the safety deposit vaul
in which his treasures were stored, ant
he refused TO give it up. The Stat
Safety Deposit Company also decline
/ to permit the box TO be opened with
out the consent of Stephani, and it wa
/ only after a legal battle lasting tw
| years that the opening of he treasuF
! box was accomplished yesterday.
Stephani's rapidly increasing wealt
| gathered in an additional $4,000 froT