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FORTUNE IN A DUST HEAP.

STRANGE STORY OF TWO

BROTHERS. An* amazing hoard of wealth lias been disclosed by. the death 01 a man in an apparently poverty-stricken cottage at Bexley Heath. For 34 veais two ■ brstbeis, '"Mr. .William Iso:), aged. 79, and Mr. James L sen. aged 70. have resided alone in Laurel Cottage, Lewin Road, living in the most frugal manner, keeping as much.as possible to themselves-, and never inviting anyone id enter thou 1 abode. On Good Friday the elder man died as*the result of dropsy, and subsequently, on a, dust heap, was found a small portion of what proved to be a. fortune of nearly £12.900. It appears that the two bi others came of a well-to-do family. their father, a prosperous, highly-respected baker, was admitted, in' 1326, a Freeman .if the City of London. He amassed a considerable sum of money, and, at his death, his fortune was divided among his live sons, all of whom were bachelors. - Of-these only two are now living—one in Dartford Workhouse Infirmary and the other a gentleman of independent means residing in London. Since William and James went to live at Bexley Heath neither of them apparently engaged in business. None of their neighbours knew how they maintained themselves, and, as the brothers seemed exceedingly reserved, 1:0 one cook any interest in their affairs. ■ Though they possessed so much wealth the brothers merely rented their cottage. It -is a small, two-storeyed, semi-detached house in a quiet by-roau. situated amid furrowed fields. In front of it is v. budding rose tree on a small plot of ground; behind it is a long garden,, descending into a hollow, where there are plenty of apple and plum trees just bursting into blossom. The cottage itself, however, looks anything but' picturesque. Hardly a window has a blind to it. The whole exterior wears an aspect of neglect. Inside it is equally forbidding. Not since the brothers first occupied" the house, it is said, has any painting or papering been done there. Until recent years the brothers went 011 long walks almost daily. On these occasions they always wore silk hats and frock coats. They would leave the; house 'together, but no sooner were they outside the front gate than they separated, to walk on opposite sides of. the roads. And it was thus that they invariably returned. They seem to have first decided on lie day's route, and they kept rigidly apart until" they reached the cottage gate again. Whatever was necessary in the way of house-cleaning they did themselves. They would not allow a woman to enter the cottage to do what was needful, though on many occasions sympathetic neighbours offered their services. They purchased their own provisions, just buying the bare necessaries of life, audi these in the smallest quantities. Latterly they spent most of their time in reading. They possessed several volumes 011 natural, history, in which both seem to have been keenly interested, and a daily newspaper supplied their only link with the outer world. Their one hobby seemed to be the care of several foreign birds, kept in a very large cage. At length ill-health overtook them. An old man uajned Newbury, who resides next door with his family, became somewhat, alarmed at not hearing the brothers moving- noisily about, as was their wont, in Laurel Cottage. There was perfect silence, so Mr. Newbury went to the front door of the cottage and knocked several times. He obtained 110 answer, so lie went round to the back, and knocked, again. Then the elder brother came to the bedroom window, and beckoned to Mr. Newbury to enter. To do so the latter had to forcc- the back door, which was barricaded. ' Mr. Newbury found the brothers occupying different rooms. They were both fully dressed. The elder brother had evdently got out of bed in response to the knocking, but he was too helpless to yet back again. The other brother was resting 011 the lloor against the side of his bed. i The pantry was completely empty with the exception of a crust of bread. A doctor was at once sent for, and , everything possible was done for the relief of the brothers. On v Good Friday, when 'Mr.' .Newbury called, he found the elder. brother dead. The" funeral took place very quietly on April 14' at Bexley Heath Cemetery, the only mourners being a lady cousin of the dead man, and Mr.. Newbury's daughter. On the same evening the younger brother was removed to Dartford Workhouse Infirmarv. • "Meanwhile, at the back of Laurel Cottage, a dustman who had been called in to clear away the accumulated refuse, made a sensational discovery. From a heap of rubbish lie drew forth a packet of papers. Not knowing what to do with it he showed it to the doctor, who happened to be in the house, and it was found that the packet contained deposit notes on Parr's Bank for £800. This led to a further search. In the scullery was a small safe, concealed in a corner. A bunch of keys was also found, and the doctor decided to send for Mr. T. G. Baylies', a local solicitor. The safe was opened, and the hoard, revealed. There was £36 in gold. £40 iu Bank of England notes, and share certificates and scrip representing a sum of £10,773. On the Tuesday following under some rags in the house further scrip of the value of £910 was found," bringing the total wealth up to £11,500. All the securities were of a sound charact Some £2000 had oeeri invested in Consols, and the remainder in, Indian and colonial stock. About three-quarters of the fortune belonged to the elder brother. He lias left a will, under which his two brothers benefit. The younger brother, since his admission to the infirmary, has also made a. will.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19060602.2.52.19

Bibliographic details

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13193, 2 June 1906, Page 2 (Supplement)

Word Count
981

FORTUNE IN A DUST HEAP. New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13193, 2 June 1906, Page 2 (Supplement)

FORTUNE IN A DUST HEAP. New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13193, 2 June 1906, Page 2 (Supplement)