ECCENTRIC LADIES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 402, 7 October 1911, Page 7

ECCENTRIC LADIES.

Two ladies of Ferrara, in Italy, a mother and lier daughter, have been getting themselves into very serious trouble by their strict obedience to the j dying orders of the elder lady s father, who left them a fortune of about £70,000. His last words to them ; were, "Remember, confide in no- j body, trust nobody, and never sign your names." They retired into the privacy of their home, even dismissing their servants, but the care of ; their fortunes prevented them from cutting off all communication with the untrustworthy world. Part of ; their money was invested in mortgages and some of their property was leased, so that they had to transact | business, though in all their dealings ; they steadfastly refused to put their | names to paper. Even when they wished to withdraw a deposit of £4OOO ; from a savings bank they declined to sign the usual form of application, ; and the chief officer of the bank, glad i tu be rid of his troublesome clients, paid the money :n the presence of four witnesses, dispensing with the customary signed receipt. Recently a mortgagor obtained a decree authorising him to pay £I2OO in redemption of a mortgage, and the ladies were burdened with the costs of the action. They would neither receive the £I3OO nor pay the costs claimed by the public treasury, and a bailiff was sent to their house to distrain upon their goods. He found the doors ~nd windows bolted and barred, and after failing to effect his purpose by methods of conciliation he summoned soldiers and riflemen to assist him in enforcing the decree of the law. One of the doors was assaulted, but the ladies appeared at an upper window and threatened to throw themselves out if the men did not go away. A jet of water from the firemen's hose caused them to retreat, and the besiegers effected an entrance, the ladies vanishing through a back door. They fled (o a j police station to demand protection j against "burglars," and then to a ; church to implore the aid of the j Madonna, and during their_ absence j the bailiff carried out his duty, j When the coast was clear they crept' j home again and locked themselves | in, to moralise probably, on the un- i righteousness of the law and the | penalties of wealth. I