The Washington herald., 1907-04-01

Philadelphia. Pa. March 5l.-Under the
blight poor old Matthew landlord,
forgotten Of men. starved himself to death
in "a bare room on the top floor at 223
Spruce street. where he had lived alone
for fourteen years.
After all his stiHting and salf-deniaI,
the miser. in his seveRty-third year. died.
leaving all the gold and bonds and bank
bills behind him. He took with him the
/ precious memory Of q romance OF his
youth. when the belle Of the old yellow
mansion the Lippincott house. al Broad
and Walnut streets, Bliss Anna Maria
/ Dundas-L.lctncott smiled al him out Of
/ the window ana. if is said. secretly
/ favored him with her regard.
/ Only one person now living could know
much Of the love affair between young
landlord and the beautiful young girl
who was the very apple of the eye OF
James Dundas, the builder Of the ''Yel-
low mansion
! This one person. who was landlord
! eonhdant IN his reckless youth. is Hand
I fords sister. Dr. Mary Pratt but, I'M
/ fortunately. this witness is victim Of
] softening OF the brain and is confined
in the county institution at Blackwood
y J.
Tells Of Brothers Love-making.
But before she went 10 the asylum. Dr.
Mary Pratt told her sons and her grand
/ children OF the days when her brother.
Matthew landlord. used 10 make love
to the bright-eyed. handsome girl whose
! home was in the Dundas mansion.
And now that Handford is dead and
/ his treasured thousands in the hands
tof the coroner. the children Of DR. Mary
[ Pratt have told what they know of the
! romance.
/ Tie day when landlord tried 70 win
over the girl who made her home in the
Dundas mansion was some years prior t8
/ her marriage in 1865. The girl was as VI
vacious then as she vas attractive.
Handford loved TO tell his sister. and she
delighted in repeating 10 her children and
grandchildren many tales of the DAYS
when the little 2fiss Lippincott would
( ran through the garden iu the eaJy
evenings 90 reach the tlgsting place.
where she was to peep over the high wall
/ that even then surrounded the mansion
[ TO peep over the wall and wave a hand
! kerchief.
Romance Gees Wrong.
/ Handford had some money and was
making more as contractor. In the
/ GAYS Just before the marriage Of Miss
LIppincott TO Wurtz-Dundas. these being
/ the days just after landlord found that
/ his. love was but a bundle of dry leaves.
the young man could not content him
self with the thought that be had been
/ Tilted. but something went wrong with
+ the romance.
/ For weeks Handford went every Sunday
T to ask his sister, then fine looking sirI
herself, 10 take a walk with him. he
bought her the finest OF gowns and in
sisted that she wear them on these little
/ trips
Finally the young man admitted that
/ he took these Sunday jaunts, which al
ways passed The yellow mansion. hoping
/ that Miss Lippincott would see him. He
( hoped To arouse her Jealousy. as the maid
I of the mansion did not know his sister.
/ But this device failed. of course
! landlord said he was sure he had lost
[ the maid he fancied because he was NOT
/ rich. From that day 20 the day Of h.=
death landlord was q miser.
/ The room where he died was like "a
vault Of Il bank and contained money
and securities estimated 10 be worth
| S2g0000.