The evening world., 1911-05-01
Aged Miss Williams, Now ir
Asylum, Says She's Friend
of Morgan and Clews.
$4,000 IN ONE BANK.
eccentric Character Lived in
Squalor in Little Brook
Ign House.

The Hermit Of The Slope Miss
Janet Petkins Williams, seventy-fve
years old, sat in the big reception room
Of TIE Long Island state Hospital for
the Insane to-day. her frail old
body shiverlng from the want OF The
old, moth-ea;en sealskin coat which she
wore for many years, summer and win
tar. She tapped the floor impatien,!y
as she queruIouslv inquired Of the ma
iron:
why doesn't Mr.. Henry Clews come
and get me out OF here? Are you sure
you let him know that l wanted him?
He wouldn't let me stay here a minute
II &c knew about It,"
1>e poor old soul hasn't realized yet
thar she has been a~djudged insane since
she was taken from her home at No. 452
Prospect avenue, Brooklyn. in an am
bulance three weeks ago, and that II
would not be within the power OF
Henry Clews. even II he is her bust
ness adviser, "a she claims, to sc; her
out.
Made Fortune In Wall Street.
Miss Williams's ecccntricities have
long been a matter OF ne ghborhool
gossip in the Park Slope section. where
she has lived ior twenty-five years. 1t
is known. despite her aloofness from
hor neighbOrs. that until three years
had she visited Wall street regularly
enough 10 be entitled to the appellation.
Familiar figure and that through her
shrewd buying OF odds and ends n
stocks she piled up "A fortune.
It viii nc impossible to determine how
much wealth the aged spinster pos
scsses until the supreme Court appoints
a committee OF her person and property.
\ search OF the shack in which she
lived revealed only s. in money. checks
for SO and "A letter from an Albany.
y. Y, bank showing that she deposited
$1,000 there sixteen years ago and has
never had her book balanced since.
With the interest compounded that
$4,000 shoald have more than doubled,
Agent II. c. Rabcock OF the state
Lunacy Commission. who has had
charge OF Miss Williams case. said
to-day that she had two safe deposit
boxes in Manhattan, two In Brooklyn
ard one In Albany. He has no Idea
OF the amount of wealth that Will be
found In these repositories. Various
estimates run from sJo.Oo TO 10000.
Miss Williams's fortune began with
a purchase of stock in 1879
Her winnings on the FIRST small flyer
encouraged her and luck was with her
Mining stock, railroad shares. bonds OF
south American republics. everything
she bought went up. She bought Steel
at 81 a share that to-day Is worth $40
As soon as she was a few points ahead
she would sell out and then "einyest
To the few in her confidence she spoke
OF the good advice given her by hei
friends, Morgan and Clews.
Papers Covered Piano.
Once she hogan specializing she he
came an omnlvcrous reader Of the iinan-
' cial columns Of the daily papers, and
when on Saturday the agent Of the
Lunacy Commission invaded the shack,
after clambering over the stone wall
that cut 1t of from the street, he found
Miss Williams old square plano lter-
ally buried under a pile of newspapers
which her misery habits had prevented
her from discarding.
The stone wall had won for her tn,
title Hermit" and was put up unde'
her Instructions to keep children Of tn,
neighboghood from sitting on the stoOI
of hcv shack. II is flush with the side
walk. and so high that she had to clint
over 1t to get In and out of the house
When huodlums OF the neighbOrhood