When Ida Wood, 93, opened the door of the Herald Square hotel in June 1931 to call for help, it was the first time she had left the room in 24 years.

"My brother is sick, call a doctor. My brother is going to die," Wood shouted. The hotel manager and a doctor rushed to room 152, where Mary Mayfield, Mrs. Wood's younger brother, died on the sofa. They were shocked to see the scene in the room.

Hundreds of musty boxes, yellowed newspaper, trash, old biscuits and rotting food lie. However, bonds and stocks worth tens of thousands of dollars are found in shoe boxes. Expensive jewelry, including some diamond chains, was hidden in a cookie box. 500,000 USD in cash is in a nightgown.

Ida Wood and his two sisters have lived at the Herald Square Hotel in New York for 24 years. Although hotel staff repeatedly asked to enter the room to change sheets, Ida sisters both refused. They can only pass the sheets and towels over to the slightly opened door. The women demanded repetitive dishes including cookies, eggs, bacon, coffee, unsweetened condensed milk, and stored in disposable bowls of chopsticks. Ida sometimes requires Havana cigars, cigarettes and moisturizing wax.

After the smelly room was discovered, Ida was moved to another room downstairs while the lawyers investigated his identity. Who is this reclusive old woman? Where did she get the wealth? Why do you live in such a mess?

In June 1857, Ida, 19, tried to get himself into New York by reading gossip gossip. She saw the name of Benjamin Wood, 37, the boss of the New York Daily News (active 1860-1900, unrelated to today's New York Daily News) and the brother of the New York mayor, appearing. quite often. After knowing that he had a habit of being married, though Ida was married, he decided to become his mistress.

Ida wrote to Wood a very straightforward letter: "Having listened to your name for a long time, I tried to write this letter after hearing from your" old mistress "that you like new" faces. " the city and is looking for love, so it is ready to have an intimate relationship with him, for as long as you feel comfortable, I believe I am no less beautiful, less charming. I am by his side, but I have learned more and understand what the ancients said: wisdom is power ".

The letter aroused interest in Wood and he agreed to meet Ida, who lied that he was the daughter of Henry Mayfield, the owner of a sugarcane plantation in Louisiana, while her mother was descended from an English earl.

Wood soon fell in love with Ida and soon after, she and he attended New York upper class events. Ida is said to have met with US President Abraham Lincoln and danced with the Prince of England in 1860.

It is unknown if Wood's wife Delia knew about the affair, but when she died in 1867, Wood remarried to Ida.

The couple's family life is not always fun because Wood is addicted to gambling. He spends hours every day playing cards at clubs. He even once took a bet from the New York Daily News. Luck was on Wood's side and he didn't lose his most important asset.

Ida feared that her husband's pastime would make them lose everything. She made a very smart contract: If Wood did not stop gambling, he had to give her half of the winning money and pay her whenever she lost.

When Benjamin died in 1900, the New York Times wrote that "Wood does not have real estate and his personal property is of little value". All Wood's assets and businesses have been renamed to Ida.

Ida took over the New York Daily News but ran unsuccessfully, firing half of the journalists. Eventually, Ida sold the newspaper in 1901 for $ 340,000 and spent the next few years traveling the Mediterranean and Europe with Mary and Emma, enjoying a luxurious life with expensive clothes and jewelry.

On a return to New York in 1907, Ida met a friend who worked in the banking industry, who expressed concern about the financial crisis in the United States. Fearing losing money, Ida hurriedly pulled out all his savings, sold all his assets as well as valuable items such as furniture and sculptures.

Ida and two sisters checked in at Herald Square Hotel. When the receptionist asked how long she intended to stay, she answered that she was not sure but could stay long if she liked the room.

Personal hygiene does not appear to have been Ida's concern for 24 years of seclusion. She did not bathe for several years. However, she still pays attention to her face, her skin smooth by applying moisturizing wax every day.

Ida died on March 12, 1932. Ten relatives in Ireland inherited her fortune, each receiving about $ 90,000 (equivalent to one million dollars today).