New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-20
LONELY OLD WOMAN DEAD
Expires in HObOken Hotel. with
No Relatives or Friends Near.
TRAVELLED EXTENSIVELY
Police Inquiry Fails to Throw
Much Light on Identity
of Aged Recluse.

| Past by five wears the Biblical allotment
Of threcsCOre years and ten, Mrs. James
Payne Webb died at Naegeli's Hotel, in Ho-
boken, some time yesterday morning. The
precise hour Of her death is not known. and
probably never will be. OF the hundreds Of
friends made during a lifetime Of home and
foreign travel there was not a single one
TO comfort her during her last moments.
For several DAYS Mrs. Webb had COM
planned Of being i'll. Her appetite. usually
good. had failed. but no one I'm the hotel
considered her condition serious. She re-
tired on Friday night at her customary
hour. and left the usual message at the
clerks desk to be called at 5:i5 o'clock. A
maid went up TO her room at that time.
There was no response to her knock, and.
alarmed. she reported this to the clerk. He
went up TO Mrs. Webb's room and forced
the door. Death had taken place several
hours before. Mrs. Webb was lying on the
bed. partly dressed. This fact gave the
impression that the fatal attack had come
on suddenly.
The manager OF the hotel reported the
case at once to the morgue, and an as
sistant keeper prepared the body for re-
moval and left orders that the room be
clash later, for when the police heard of
the death they Immediately sent around
members of the force TO investigate Fol-
lowing the Instructions Of the morgue keep
or's assistant, admission was denied the po-
lice officers. They gave the hotelkeeper a
lively time for a while but it was not until
late in the afternoon that Captain Barronc
was permitted to examine the dead woman's
room and effects In the mean time julius
Bonheim, manager of the hotel, went on a
little rampage all by himself. lie threat
ened 10 eject forcibly the newspaper men
who were working on the story, and vainly
appealed to Barrone to arrest them.
MIS-. Webb registered at Naegelis on
June 10 Some years ago she had been
guest at the hotel and later had stopped
| at Meyers Hotel. in the same town From
the stories told by the clerks and bellboys,
she kept much TO herself, had few callers
and insisted upon having her meals served
in her room. She registered as Mrs. DR..
James L. Webb, Of Berlin, Paris and New
York"
When the police searched her effects they
found number of letters, some of which
seemed to indicate that her former home
was I'm Pine Grove, Penn. Other letters
were addressed to her, I'm care Of the Bret
ton Hall apartments, New York City. II
appears that she had room there for a
time last year, and clerks said they re-
membered her well. that she had few visit
ors, and took all her meals I'm her rooms.
Captain Barrone said he found two can
taioupes and some peaches i'm Mrs Wcbbs
room. lie also found, he said, 5000. j.
NJ. Wintermute. assistant morgue keeper,
said he had wired to Miss Mary ID. Hack.
Of Pine Grove, whose name he got from
some Of Mrs. Webb's letters, and had re-
ceiyed telegram I'm reply saying that she
was unknown there.
The letters shed little light upon Mrs
Nebb's life, except to show that she had
travelled extensively in foreign countries.
Some were addressed TO her I'm various
places I'm Italy and France There were a
number OF pages scrubbed I'm French. an
parently in her own handwriting, and il
seems that she was trying 10 learn that
language
From still other letters II appeared that
she had stayed at the Woman's Guild OF
St. lgnatius's Church. I'm Manhattan. Mrs
II. a. Tylee, associated with that work,
said last night that she had been aquainted
with Mrs. Webb for some time and that
the latter had been known as an expert
pianist and teacher Of instrumental music.
She also said she understood that Mrs
Webb had recently met with financial re-
verses