The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-03-03
Worked for Wealthy Boston
Woman and Is Willed
Her Property
BROKE ENGAGEMENT
TO PLEASE MISTRESS
Did Not Know of Legacy Until Her
Employer Died - Agnes McNevin
Probably Richest Woman In Rox-
bury District Today.

Ay ~AooA1NS LOauJ
BOSTON, March 3-Agnes McNevin. for
70 years first a housemaid and afterward
housckeeper for the wealthy Mrs. Mary c.
Mcknight, is now the owner of the man
sion in which she worked and in possession
of fortune of $4,000, both the gift of
her late employer
1he legacy came as surprise, for though
| maid and mistress were on the basis Of
friends for many years, the latter spoke
| little OF her business affairs or probable
disposition of her worldly goods when she
should die Until the day of Mrs. Nc
/ Knights death, Agnes was maid in her
house. But Christmas eve found her mis-
uess Of the house in which she had been
maid, and several servants of her own,
with goodly fortune besides. She is now
probably the richest woman in the Rox-
| bury district of Boston
/ When the will was probated the bequest
to Agnes McNevin was not the sole sur
prise it contained 1t had been known
that Mrs Mcknight was comfortably we'll
off, but no one dreamed that her wealth
was anything like what the testament dis
notes and mortgages, together with other
property, which showed their owner to
have been easily Roxbury's wealthiest wild
ow.
Dignifed and imposing is the house on
Perrin street, beautiful and in every way
a charming dwelling. 1t is surrounded by
a large area of garden and lawn, and part
~ hidden from the road by a row Of "
| ,fno1 ala ~. E,r1arl 4,aac
1t was at the door of this mansion ,;
years ago that Agnes McNevin. then
! girl of 10, presented herself Circumstance.
J in her home life made it necessary that
she should seek to earn her own living
, and knowing no other way OF doing this
decided to enter domestic service Will
f many misgivings and much hesitancy sh,
! pounded the big brass knocker and wa,
/ frightened with the noise stirred up
butler answered the summons, anC
to the rather formidable parsonage she an
/ nounced simply that she was Agnes Nc
Nevin II CHANGED that this butler VA
not Of the stiff sort found in novels, hut
very human person. and when the it'll
/, girl told him she wanted to be housemli,
;, he said he would see what could be dom
j about it,
BY all the rules that the butler knew
. she belonged to the kitchen But by som
rule the butler did not know, but ONT
> vaguely sensed, she certainly did not be
i long in the kitchen Unable to bring him
self to introduce hes To the cook, he too
: her straight up 10 Mrs. Mcknight
The mistress listened to what the chill
had to say and on the spot decided sh
/. wanted her as part OF the household \
: was the case with her butler the lad
seemed to discern that the child was diff
erent from the usual run and that with he
= it might be well to devate from fixed rule
1t was decided that Agnes should lear
to be a paror maid.
Mr.. Mcknight was living at this tim
and he. too, was struck with the bushes
like appearance Of the new maid and til
earnest manner in which she quietly pr,
ceeded to her duties. She had little to sa,
but seemed to know what was require,
and went about it with never complain
She made steady progress, and at the tin
Of Mr. Meningitis death. in 1908, Ina
arisen to the post of housekeepcr.
Now, with Mrs. Mcknight widoy
there began a period when Agnes's duti
broadened in scope and Importance, unit
she had taken virtually all the respons
blites of the house from her mistres
shoulders From an extremely efficiel
housekeeper Agnes now became a compa
ION to her mistress For two wears aft
Mr. Meningitis death Mrs Mcknight vi
lin poor health. Day after day Agn
nursed her, and it was almost entire
due to this loving care that she regain'
her health. With the disappearance
sickness Mrs Meningitis spirits revive
and again she began To turn her intere
toward philanthropy and her business
fairs More and more she leaned to t
counsel Of the girl who had rung her doc
bell in search of work.
During the years that followed Agn