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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 7, 1908)
J. MRS. MARY ELIZABETH JONES OF NEW YORK IS PROBABLY WORLD'S WEALTHIEST WOMAN 1 Wm K'Y 1 '7 mT MRS. MARY ELIZABETH JONES. EW YOKK. Tho richest worn-1 nn In Amcrlcn or In the world may not bo Mrs. Hetty Green. The greatest land-own. er In Anierlcn may not ho one of tho Asters. These nro the conclusions that probably yould be reached If the Green and the Astor possessions could bo valued correctly and tho figures compared with those which would represent the vast wealth of .Mrs. Mnry Ellznbeth Jones of Now York and of Cold Spring Harbor, L. I. Further than that, the social crown of Anierlcn, long hold by tho Astors by reason of their wealth, would below? to Mrs. Jones If she chose to claim It. for her fortuno Is doubtless greater and her llneago In this country runs n cen tury further back. She Is related also, far and near, to nearly every ono of tho groat families In Now York and New England whoso names are written large on tho pages of American history from the days of tho Colonial wars to now. Probably no one, not even Mrs. Jones herself, could say accurately how great Is her fortuno. It is mostly In land. Sho acknowledges that she owhb and pays taxes on land In every school district on Long Island, In nearly every county In New York state and In every stnto In tho union excopt Texas. Tho property immedi ately surrounding tho old manor house nt Cold Spring Harbor, whero she lives in summer, is worth millions of dollars. Her husbamr, Dr. Oliver Living ston Jones, Is also a great land owner, but his possessions fall far short of his wlfo's. Then there Is tho Jones ostnto, which Is owned by some 25 heirs, which also runs up into scores of mil lions In value. Three or more thea ters in Now York city nro owned by her, and It Is said to bo her ambition to own property In every city In tho down from the eldest of one family to tho eldest of tho next through llvo generations, until now the bulk of the vnst accumulations rests with Mrs Mnry Elizabeth Jones. MrH. Jones is the daughter of Charles Hewlett Jones and of Eliza beth Oracle Gardiner. She wns born July 5, 1SGI. and was married to Dr. Oliver Livingston Jones, her cousin, when she was 19. They, have six chil dren, two daughters and four sons. In summer, and In fact at intervals during' tho winter, the family live In the old Jones manor house, at Cold Spring Harbor, L. I. There Is nothing ornnte or especially striking about this country home of tho woman who Is porhnps tho richest of her sex in America. It Is simply ti largo, well built mansion of the Inter colonial stylo of architecture, of which It is one of tho best examples In this country. The rather battered surrey, driven by the son of the owner of tho "hnckln' business" nt Cold Spring Harbor, stopped la front of the mala entrance to tho mansion nnd reinnlned there during tho hour and more that tho re porter was talking to Mrs. Jones. The richest woinnn in America wns gowned quite simply in something light bluo, comfortable nnd well worn. A diamond ring or so, with the stones set In the fashion of a generation ago. sparkled on hor fingers. Her almost white hair was combed straight back from her forehead, with Just a slight puff to relieve Its severity. In her girl hood Mrs. Jones must have been very beautiful; sho is handsome in hor mid dle age. Hut hor chief charm and nt traction now Is her quick, clear-cut manner of speaking, and hor large, dark eyes, which look straight at ono while- she talks. Sho Is a woman of ex traordinary strength of mind and char acter, and It takes but a moment's acquaintance to understand why tho originated by the founder of the family In America, MaJ. Thomas Jones. Our IKillcy liua been to lease the lands we owu for tonus of yours mid to keep Investing the surplus Income." 'How largo an estate have you horo about the manor lioiuw?" "1 don't know tho exact number of acres, but I own for two miles mmrly all around it." This would menu thnt the lands di rectly adjoining the manor homo grounds form what in real estate par lance would be cnlled a "parcel of ground" which would contain about six sqttnro miles. Now, n square mile has Just G40 acres. It Is almost im possible to buy nn ncre of wound In the western part of Long Island now adays. Practically ovory Inch of oven the barrenest of plains has been snapped up by real estate companies and Is being sold off nt from $1R0 to $1,000 a lot. The six square miles of land that Mrs. Jones owns about hor home In Cold Spring Harbor, If It could he bought, would be snapped up In 1M hours nt the average price of $1,000 an ncre. At this ligtiro the value of that property alone would bo nearly $ 1,000, 000. Antedate the Astors. "Your family Is older and has great er possessions than the Astors Isn't that so?" hazarded the reporter. Mrs. Jones laughed. "We're certain ly older by a hundred years or so In this country. As to which Is the greater I couldn't say, for I know as little about what (he Astors have ns they do about what 1 own. I hardly know the latter myself accurately. that Is. Hut, speaking of the ancestry or our family, there Is much that Is In teresting to me. In fact I always have been fond of and proud of tho men nnd women who were our uneestors. 1 have several volumes of histories that have been written about the family, but, as is usually tho case whun one has a homo In the city and one In the country, tho things one wants at the moment always nro among those left behind. That Is why I haven't any of them hero to show you. No, I think there Is one over there. 'The Jonos Family of Long lslnnd. You may take It to look over If you wish. The edges are a little tattered. I guess one of tho puppy dogs must hnvo oeen play ing with It." "Ono of the puppy dogs." who had apparently been lurking within earshot in the hnll came sidling In Just then ns 'if to beg tho visitor not to take away his book until ho had given it n few more bites. Family Fortune Kept Intact. "I have spoken of Thomas Jones, our ancestor," went on the richest woman in America. "He came from Ireland tho history I will lend you tells all about him. Ho originated tho policy of our family to keep handing down the bulk of tho fortune Intact, so far as possible, from one generation to the next. It Is to a certain extent very much llko the English laws of prlino- extent. Hut when the conversation would approach anything that related jmrtlcularly to her personal business affairs or those of the great Jones es tate, of which sho Is a sharer, sho in varlahlv shifted the conversation to matteis genealogical. or to generalities. Ancestor a Pirate? The most Interesting of the many famous ancestors of Dr. and Mrs. Jones is the founder of the line In America. Some of the ruder historians say he was a pirate, and Intimate that it was by scuttling ships and maraud ing on the high seas generally that he accumulated Ills many barrels of "pieces of eight" which he Is nllegod to have brought to Oyster Hay when he 'set tied there. At any rate, ho him self was innrkodly reticent about his earlier history, oxcopt that he fought for James II. In tho Hattle of the Hoyne. Ho ovon wrote his own epitaph: Mi ir I.yrs Intent The Htxly (if Mujor Thomas Join Whit Camo I nun Mtiah.int' In tli KIllHiloin of lrcl.mil SettltM) Hero ami Dletl IVii'tnlicr 1711 From Distant (.anils To thin Wtlit Waste He Onm Thin Sent lie Clio' n ml Here Hp I'ImmI Hid Name. IJnng May Ills Sons This IVacertil HHt Iftnjoy Ami No HI Kate his Offspring Hero Annoy. He died in f Tilt and was hurled a short distance south of tho old Hrick House, on the oast bank of tho Massa pequa river. The ancient burial place, about :t0 feet square, was threatened by Inroads of the tides, and In IX SKI his remains were removed. Ills headstone, boarlng the Inscription quoted above. Is still well proserved. In the early days his was known as the "Pirate's Grave." and for many years after his death It was the common belief tsays John II. Jones In his history of the family) that some of MaJ. Jones' wealth was buried with him, and so deeply rooted had this become that his grave was opened by vandals in tho quest of lellcs, and the ancient bones left strewn on' tho ground. His re mains now rest In the hurylng-ground adjoining Grace church, at South Oys ter Hay. Record of History. About MaJ. Jones being a pirate lit tle is known. There Is extant a letter from Lieut. Gov. Golden to his son. written in 1750. in which he says' "While Col. Fletcher was governor the Inhabitants of New York carried on a trade to Madagascar while that Island wns frequented by pirates, and many of the pirates came and dispersed on Long Island nnd around Delaware Hay. It has often been remarked that none of the pirates made any use of their money to any real advanlago excepting one Jones, who settled on Uing Island. and whoso son made a remarkable) fig nro as speaker of the asBombly while Mr. Clinton wan governor." 11 is also known that James 11. Wt P if if i W M 1 1 i ! KJsi mbmmL THE REXFORTH CIRCULATING LIBRARY By DONMARK LEMON ((Vpw'Wht. ii Hhortntory Pub. Co.) He handed the hopgnr a half-dollar, for the pathetic old fellow had mndo a moving appual. and wan about to re turn to his pocket the other coins In his hand, when one of them slipped through his lingers and started to roll down the sidewalk. He saw thnt It was his pockot-pleco, a lottls d'or with the Imago of the Grande Momtrquc, and made a hasty dash for the coin. It escaped him and bhot away at nccelenttlng speed down the sidewalk and Just Inside the Hag stone. He lengthened his strldo and made another dash for the coin. Some small stiver spilled from Ills hand, but he let It go and followed the elusive Louis XIV. Suddenly the golil-pleco struck a rldgu In It downward path and shot around the comer or a public eourtwuy. Hnxter followed. He heard a laugh at his amusing predicament, hut did not look up, as his blood was aroused, and ho was hound that the coin should not oseaivo down some hole or cranny. At about three-fourths Its length, the eourtwuy lifted n bit. retarding the speed of tho coin, which finally swerved In Its track and rocked nloiifc the llagstone, to reel at last like a very drunken Louis into a doorway, where It lay in the corner, half-propped against the footboard. Hnxter stooped and pinked up the coin, and as ho arose to a standing posture, a small, neat brass sign met Ills eye. It was set Into the door he- fore which the coin had coma to n standstill, and it read: Til K ItKXFOttTII f.MHCtJ LATINO LIIIHAHV. The eourtwuy or narrow street down which tho golden Inula had led him was wholly now to llaxter, and as ho looked about he saw a couple of ladlea across the way smiling at his late pre dicament. He would step Into Hexforth's and recover Ills serenity, lie opened tno "Huckleberry Finn!" He Ejaculated. Trawa-flAiN Hall United States. She owns property In most of them now and each year gets nearer to a realization of hor ambition. The othor day sho had a controversy with tho city of New York about tho ownership of tho sunken meadows up In tho East river. They are estimated to bo worth $1,000,000. Tho grant to tho Jones family goes hack to Queen Anne, so It is likely Mrs. Jones will retain possession. Founder of the Family. Tho foundations of hor vast fortune wero laid by Maj. Thomas Jonos, "who camo from Strabano In tho kingdom of Ireland" and settled with his young wlfo near what Is now called Oyster Hay, L. L, in 109.1. lie brought with him a conifortablo fortuno, won on the seas through privateering privilege granted him by James II., whoso cause Tin foutht for In tho hattle of the groat Jones fortune has grown with such rapidity under her management. Property In Many States. "Is It true that you own property everj whore In tho Unitod State?" was asked. "Yes, almost everywhere," sho an swered. "1 pay taxes In ovory school district on Long lslnnd. In overy or al most ovory county in Now York state, and In ovory state In tho union. No, that last Isn't so. I forgot nbotit Texas. I used to own some property In Texas, but 1 wns down there a while ago and concluded to sell It. No, I don't care to say what the reasons were. "Thnt Is tho only property I hnvo over sold, except an acre of laud that I sold to u vory dear friend u while ago. My rule Is to always buy and novor to soil. In fact, that Is tho rule that has linen handed down to u from Hoyne. This fortune has been minded I generation to generation, and wnw genlture and entail. These English laws, however, could not be followed lu this country, as the. statutes are against such a procedure. With us, however, It has hecoiiio a sort of fam ily understanding. "Tho Jones ostnto or property hns passed directly through five genera tions In unbroken descent to Its pres ent holders. On my mother's side I am descended from Lion Gardiner, the first proprietor of Gardlnor's Island. John Lyon Gardiner, the twelfth pro prietor, married Elizabeth Coralle Jones. My maiden naino was Jonos, no when 1 married Dr. Oliver Livingston Jones I didn't have to change my name." The visitor being somewhat of . a connoisseur In colonial furniture could not help commenting on somo of the splendid piecos of old mahogany In tho room whero ho wns sitting. This led Mrs. Jones to tuke him from ono room to another on the ground lloor. "All this old furniture has been lu the family for generations. Of course we have somo that Is now, but tho old Is too beautiful and too well built to be put aside. I see no reason why It should not be beautiful and serviceable still a hundred years from now," Mrs. Jones romnrked. "I am fond of good pictures, too," sho wont on. "A good many of these pnlntlngs aro Inheri tances from my father and those bo foio lilm who had somo taste In art, and somo I have bought because I liked thorn rather than because they wero done by famous artlbts." Mrs. Jones was dlslncllnud to talk speclllcally about tho details of the various holdings which mako up hor own vast possessions la Now York and throughout tho United States. Sho ac knowledged that her husband and her self were Interested In nlinost every In unci) of Industry to a inr-ator or Uy granted MaJ. Jones, in Hint), as a com ncnsnllon for services rendered, a commission to cruise against Spanish property. At any rate, tho prlvnloor- lug business did not last long, hut was Immensely nrolltablo while It did. It was considered a legitimate business in those days. Among the many well-known and famous families who aie rolntod to the richest woman In America and her hus band aro Hid Wlllotts of Flushing; tho Van Wycks of Flatlnnds (prominent In the colonial wars); Dr. Valentine Molt the gieal surgeon: the Underbills, fa mous mariners; the Itomseus, who In tormarrled with tho Do Peysters and i ho Livingstons; tho Tangier Smiths (whoso ancestor wns governor of Tan irler, Africa, under Charles II ); the Cornells, tho Weeksos, the Living stens (who were among the arislnc racy when Now Amsterdam was a vil lage); the Gardlnors, who wero and are the lords of Gardluers' Island; the Seitdders, the Howlotts and scores be side. They are also related to tho Fol soni iainlly, of which MrH. Grovor Clevoland Is a inoinber. Such Is the woman, her family past and piesent. No International Marriages. About the last words that closed the leportor's interview with Mrs. Jones was his query whoihor any of hor fnin lly had mado or wore likely to make any International marriages, and thus transfer some of tho Jones millions to holster up decayed nobility. "Wo certainly have not, and I don't think we are likely to," she nnswored ompniUlcally. "We are Americans, and aro proud of It. Our wealth lies horo, and hero It will stay so long as God wills to keen It In our hands. I had Tiithur he a plain American wom an, as I am. Hum tho queen of auv country uirb'r the un " door and found himself lu a large, well lighted loom, fitted up moro like a ladles' parlor than a library. Where were the books? Ho could not see nny, and the patrons all ladles, It would seem that camo and went while he gazed around nonplused did not bring nor lake nway any object that could have been mistaken for a book. "This Is something now," comment ed Hnxter, menially: "Must he a hook- less library." Fancies of a now Idea lu libraries Honied through his brain. Perhaps tho books at Hexforth's wore not printed volumes, but phonographic records, and all the patron needed to do was to draw a wax cyllndor of the latest popular novel Hie record made by the author himself take It homo and place It on a phonograph, and science, I he mother of convenience, would do tho rest. Hut all this was hypothetical, so ho looked about. On the wall near him was a neat typewritten list, headed: "Tho Six Hooks Most In Demand by I bo Patrons of the Itexforth Clrculat Library, for the Month of September." His eye ran down tho llHt. "Third-rail allvo!" ho murmured, "what kind of ladles patronize this li brary?" For the list rend: Izaak Walton's Compleat Anglor. Shukespearo'a King Henry The Fifth. Last of tho Mohicans. Meditations of Attrolltis. Samuel Johnson's Dictionary. Huckleberry Finn. lie shut his eyes and tried to puz zlo It out, but tho more he thought the deeper was his confusion. I lu studied the ladles waiting to give their orders for books. T)ioy qll were stylishly dressed, and seemed cultured and well read. His eyo returned to tho typo written list on the wall. "They're classics, nil right," ho grunted, "Hut such clusslrs!" He got up and wont over to tho sec retary's desk. He would Join tho li brary and learn something, lie was handed 8. leaflet which Informed hint that tho monthly duos were tun dol lars, the members having tho pilvl lego of drawing each month two hooks In clans one. three lu class two, four in clauM three . m on' a f'ne of iwn dollars a day being Imposed for a book kept overtime. Hnxter whistled mentally. "Tho hooks must bo bound In vellum and gold-tooled!" He laid ten dollars on the secre tary's desk, and after a llttlo telephon ing, by means of which his reference j were authenticated anil approved, he wns entered lu the hooks as a member of The Itexforth Circulating Library, r.nd credited with one month's paid up dues. He did not remove the sealed wrap per from the eatalogtte that tho secre tary gave him, but upon being nssured by the young lady presiding over the order desk that a copy of Huckleberry Finn was on tho library shelves, ho had her make out a slip for thnt classic. He thought to get his Huckleberry and take It with him ho wns In n hurry to havo a look at tho binding of the volume hut the young lady calmly Informed him thnt tho book would bo sent around to his address that afternoon by the llrst delivery. U ho would turn to rule seven In the catalogue, he would loam that such was the delivery regime of the library. "Very well." he snld. nnd loft the building. Hy following downwards for a short distance the narrow but well paved eourtwuy, then turning to the right along a similar courtway, thence to tho left and again to tho right, ho emerged upon a busy, fnnilllnr street, whero a number or carriages wore waiting, no doubt for patrons of the Itexforth Clrcnlntlng Library. That afternoon a parcel bearing the stamp Itexforth was dellvorod nt Hnx tor's club room. It was of mammoth dimensions for a book, and ho began to fear that tho librarian had blun tiered and sent him, Instead or a mod est octavo by Mark Twain, a folio Shakespeare, if not the ponderous Johnson's dictionary ItseK. So he nervously undid the wrapping, nnd thero lay before him In a neat paper box a lady's handsome skirt, with some innnnor of Huffy pink trlinininga or llounces, he didn't know which. He poked gingerly at tho dainty gar ment. "Ilucklebony Finn!" ho ejacu lated. Thon a great, big truth leaped up In Haxter's inlnd, llko tho grimac ing faco of a Jack-ln-tho-box, and hasti ly loniovlng the niunlla covor and opening tho catalogue ho hnd received nt tho library, ho turned to H. Hrack- eted with tho tlllo of Huckloliorry Finn was tho description of a lady'fl fancy hall skirl. Ills eye ran over somo other book tltleii, with the things In Indies' dress- wear bracketed agalimt them. Thou ho ant down weakly. The Koxrorth Circulating library was a womnn's dress-renting establishment, where In dies, by paying a certain monthly sum, could "draw" stylish dresses ror tem porary wear. Each dress, skirt, walBt, or hat, horo the name or some well-known hook a kind of code arrangement for privacy, brevity and convenlenco-and ppon ex amining his llbrnry card Maxtor found Mrs. prefixed to his namu, the secre tary, no doubt, having been under the impression that he had acted for his wlfo lu Joining tho It. C. L., for that establishment made Its appeal exclu sively to the gentler sex. NEW PAINT DRYS WET ROOMS. Engineers Relievo Old Roman Secret Has Been Discovered. A discovery which promises to revo Unionize the building anil decorating trades ami to he of vast Importance to the shipping Industry ban been made by Inspector Simpson of the Hlaek burn (England) lire brigade, ' It Is a liquid, and the prluclplo of which, after teats extending over many months, has been piotiouuced by lead lug engineers to bo an old Unman secret, which has been lost to the world for 700 years. When painted with this liquid tho dampest room be comes absolutely dry, and freshly plas tered walls, nftor treatment by it, may be ut once paperod without diimnge to the paper. No Ironwork painted with It enn rust, and It completely provonts that "weeping" of tho Inner skins of Iron ships, which causes so much damage to cargo.' When applied to tho bottom plates of ships It not. only prevents ox Idatlon, hut allows no taurine growth, harnacles or other parasites to attach themselves, it consequently preserves n gliiHslIko surface, which the dls covorur asserts will add several knots to the speed of Atlantic Huers and warships. Hunting Coyotes In Manitoba. Hunting ror young coyotes Is nil Hie rage hero now. Tho mot hod or secur lug them is to take a colllo dog and go to the haunts or tho coyote hero, generally In thick scrubby under growth. Whou tho old coyote sees tho collie, sho runs to the den where tho young nro and tho colllo follows and barks at the den. Then the hunt ers dig out the young. Ahxtuidor Alum and his son dug out M from two dons one day recently Another man jrot Sr., and this man has brought lu In all HI. Thero Is a bounty of two dollars on each coyote paid hy tho government agents appointed In sovornl districts ol the providence. Carman Corro i - idi lie- Finest and Stromi.