HOUSEMAID MARRIES A MILLIONAIRE.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 11877, 26 April 1904, Page 2

HOUSEMAID MARRIES A MILLIONAIRE.

"BOW BELLS NOVELETTE" IN REAL LIFE. THE POOR SERVANT AND THE MILLIONAIRE MASTER. To ©migrate from Ireland "for service" in the United States; to be accepted a-* a candidate for a housemaid by a Philadelphia employment agency: to go into service with o millionaire's family; to be discharged, but to enter claim that she was the legal wife of tho millionaire, and to have that claim established by an arrangement giving her dower rights of about £200,000— this is the remarkable lifehistory of Mary Comey. or. as she is known in Philadelphia, "Mrs John Lucas, widow of the Paint King." When Mr John Lucas, an elderly American millionaire, who had made his money out of paint, died in 1901. his heirs were surprised to find that there was a widorl* of whom they knew nothing. When the '-widow" proved to be a housemaid, who had bfen discharged, they prepared to fight her claim in the law courts. That this romance of the last days cf the old millionaire was real seemed impo**sible to the members cf his family. They scouted the cuf-gestion that the paint manufacturer, recognised as a philanthropist, regarded as one of the most picu;> members of a church which lie had founded. Mid in which he had a conspicuous reservation for Sunday meetings known aj* "the Lucas •xnv," could have called Mary Comey, huformer maid, his wife, or introduced her as such. But they have now had to recognise the ex-housemaid as the millionaire's widow. AN OLD MANS FANtI. When Mary Comey first went to serve at the residence of John Lucas she could be classified a.s "gri-cn." She had recently landed in America, and ■vim of the average serving-maid class. Because of her ungainlinett* it was not believed that she would be a success* aa a maid, but the Lucases said they would give her a trial, and she was forthwith ins-tailed. She was told her duties eventually would be of the housekeeping variety if ehe displayed the proper capacity. There was nothing apparently fascinating about the new maid. She nad rather an awkward way. Her hair was black and "straggly." Her manner was quiet, and she rarely talked, but when she did it was with such a rich Irish flavour to her accent that those who heard her laughed. Now, with a fortune in her grasp, she still retains the Irish flavour to her voice and adhered to her old country customs. The new maidservant went at her duties in a mysterious, unostentatious way. The old man, who was over seventy, and had I only recently lost his first wife, was absent from homo a large part of his time, busy with tlie affairs of his great paint plant, which he had established in the early 'fifties. It was not noticed that he paid especial attention to the new maid. After Mary Comey had been with the Lucas family about "two months she was suddenly dismissed. Various reasons are given for this dismissal. . Certain it is that the millionaire had no hand in. it. Shortly after her discharge she went to live in an unpretentious quarter; but itwas not long before Mr Lucas himself came to make it liis temporary home. The modest two-storey building was pulled down and an effective front was put to the structure and another storey added. For her cheap servant-maid costume Mary Comey exchanged fashionable gowns. At" the shops in the neighbourhood, where she commenced to contract bills under the nam© of "Mrs Lucas," it waa noticed that she was wearing diamonds. At first it was thought in the neighbourhood that ehe was the niece of the old man, but to some she was introduced as Mrs Lucas by Mr Lucas himself. The community was more than startled when it was announced that Mr Lucas had planned a trip to Jamaica and that Mary Comey would be his companion. Upon her return from this trip she asserted, with more vehemence than ever, her legal right to call herself "Mrs Lucas.'' During the summers she was quite conspicuous at fashionable health resorts. She displayed jewellery valued at hundreds of pounds, and was seen regularly with the old man. After Mr Lucas's death the other heirs to the old man's money refused to admit her claim as his wife, and legal proceedings were begun. Mary was able to produce overwhelming evidence of her rights, however. Old as Mr Lucas was. he was still able to write love letters like a young and ardent lover. In one of them he wrote, referring to an insurance he had made yout to his wife: — "This is again an evidence of what I desired to do for you when taken _aw_y tothe Great Unknown and with all I can do you are never satisfied with mo or with one in any caijaoity. All that my heart (a true ono) thinks of doing fails. I roust therefore regard my efforts to hold your true -_ectio:-« a p.lpable failure. - "ONE WHO IS EVER TRUE." In another letter which he wrote to"1 lis former maid from Atlantic City, heeaid:.— _t is strange that you should at any tfcne doubt the truth of my affection for :rou, and abandon mc as you did on the Fovtrth, leaving; mc alone and disconsolate. I foi give but shall never forget, end confidence once gone is bard to restore. I wrote to ask j you to come down again, and if I should erlgagc the room at the Waverly for yon again at the first of this month. To thi» you di A not reply. Why indulge in insulting one v.fco is ever true, making mc feel more-and mo-j unhappy ?•—Hastily, with undying love. ,- J. It was in Atlantic City that he di£d, in August, 1901. Mary was with him lit the time of his death. ' These revelations of r_latio„Biup# were new to the family of the millionahje, and the law suit was stopped before t'£« case could be called for t*riaL Mrs John Lucas is now recognised as the wife of the late "Paint King," and as being entitled, to a third of his enormous wealth- , To some of her close friends trie secc_d Mrs Lucas has announced that she intends to return to Ireland, and that '.he may make that country her home aga : fc. | ; ; ._-.