A NEW ZEALANDER'S FORTUNE

Waikato Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5157, 14 November 1912, Page 3

A NEW ZEALANDER'S FORTUNE

The death of Mr Andrew Shillinglaw, a New Zealand sheepfarraer, who left a fortune of £36,000, has brought about a certain amount of amazement into the Berwickshire village of Gordon, and the Koxburgh village of Smallholrae, for in eacn of these hamlets is a humble domestic servant, who has been raised to sudden affluence. Isabella Shillinglaw and Eliza Shillinglaw inherit respectively £19,000 and £17,000. When the colonist died at the age of 96 years (after a colonial life of 76 years), his agent in New Zealand communicated with two lawyers here, and they, after considerable inquiry, were able to establish the identity of the two nieces. The elder of the two, Isabella Gray Shillinglaw, was sought out by a reporter at Gordon, where she was discovered at a quaint and well-kept cottage, built of the local whinstone, and beautified with roses that clambered up the walls, and marguerites that bloomed in the garden. Mias Shillinglaw herself answered the door bell, and though now a young lady of considerable wealth she still wore the plain white apron of the domestic servant. After an introduction to Miss Shillinglaw’s mistress, Mrs Moffat, the humble heiress proceeded to tell the pressman something about herself. “You’ll be giving up domestic service, now” she was asked. “No! Although 1 am going to get that money I am going to stick to Mrs Moffat as long as she needs me. She’s getting gey auld and she’s been guid to me. But I’ll not take another place after that. I had an offer of marriage after they’a heard aboot my legacy, but I just said I didn’t care for a widower.”