WOMAN IN BLACK PROVIDES BOXES OF GOLD AND NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18418, 21 March 1928, Page 4

WOMAN IN BLACK PROVIDES BOXES OF GOLD AND NOTES.

HAS GIVEN £3OOO TO LONDON HOSPITALS. LONDON, Marclj 2. The Lady of Mystery, who continues to bestow generous gifts on the London hospitals, paid another of her surprise visits yesterday. Known as the Secret Donor, she has during the past few weeks distributed nearly £3OOO among five hospitals without revealing her identity. Hospital officials are completely baffled. All they can say is that she is an elderly woman, rather poorly dressed in black, with a cheery voice and a charming and self-possessed manner. Gold or Notes. She walks into the hospitals, hands the secretary a brown paper parcel, and hurries away, without giving her name or address. The parcels always contain gold or Treasury notes—sometimes both. Twice these donations have totalled £BOO. Yesterday at midday the Secret Donor walked into the Westminster Hospital and handed Mr C. M. Power, the secretary, a box wrapped in brown paper. “I wish to give this to the hospital on behalf of my late sister and myself, as a little token of appreciation for. your splendid work,” she said. Thinking it contained tin-foil, the secretary opened the box. It contained £BOO in £1 Treasury notes. The woman refused to give her name and address, but, in reply to Mr Power’s question, confessed that she was responsible for the mysterious bundles of Treasury notes which during the past few weeks have been appearing in the collecting boxes outside the hospital. As these bundles totalled over £l5O the Secret Donor has now given the Westminster Hospital nearly £IOOO. Before leaving she expressed her desire that others would follow her example. Previous Gifts. ‘‘l wish, through the Press, to publicly thank the Unknown Donor for her generous gifts,” Mr Power told a reporter last night. The following are the mystery woman’s other gifts:— Royal Northern Hospital—Leaves parcel containing £B4O in notes. Charing Cross Hospital—Hands Mr Philip Inman, the superintendent, an old cashbox containing £549 10s; £4O in gold found in collecting box outside the hospital. Middlesex Cancer Hospital—Presents secretary with cashbox containing £9O in gold. West London Hospital—Delivers a tin box with £173 10s in gold and notes. The description of the Lady Bountiful given by the five secretaries is identical.