"MILLIONAIRE HERMIT."

Marlborough Express, Volume XLV, Issue 258, 6 November 1911, Page 6

"MILLIONAIRE HERMIT."

Prom Los Angeles, California, comes news of tihe death of Major W. A. Phipps, the multi-millionaire, and one of Mr Andrew Carnegie's liiiut partners in the huge steel business which made both their fortunes. Major Phipps, who was very eccentric, was known as tftie "millionaire hermit,'' because he had not left his suite of rooms at the Hotel Ban Nuys for over eight years. One of his eccentricities was the belief that the Black Hand Society was trying to kill him, and about ten years ago he bought a big ranch near Los Angeles, only to abandon it after 18 months, when he hid himself in the hotel. He was accompanied by his beautiful young wife, \vho devoted herself to looking after him, and was practioali.y a prisoner for the eight years of his stay at the hotel. He Was never seen by the other guests at the hotel, for all his meals were taken to hs room, and a small staff of guards had a veiy easy and profitable time "protecting" him from the machinations of the Black Hand. He died very shortly after the death of a pet dog to which he ■was greatly attached.