The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-02-16
From the NeW Orleans DeIta.l
THE MCD0NOGH ESTATE-A LESSON FOR


The last nail has been driven into the coffin of
John McDOnOgh's hOpes-the last kick given to the
dead old miser. As if it were not enough TO dissi-
pate a large portion of his fortune ON lawyers,
executors, clerks, sheritfs nOtaries, etc.to frus-
rate all his deeply cherished hopes and schemes OF
holding his property together as the General Es-
tate, in all time to come-to throw into the ar
ket at one fell swoop all those vast tracts of swamp
and suburban land which he had so cunningly
picked up at successive sales, and by speculative
suts--now bid off lot by lot arpent by arpent, to
those small proprietors and capitalists from whose
enterprise and industry he hoped his estates would
without expenditure or effort on his part, become
vast principality, whose proceeds, bv reinvest-
ment, should eventually swallow up the whole
State-and now pOrtioned off between his two lega-
tees, New orleans and Baltimore, property which
was to be- in all time, indivisibe-the attempt to
divide which to involve a forfeiture of the
legacy; if there not wrongs, insults, Sights
and ungrateful treatment enough, our Council
comes in to put the cap-sheaf upon this mountain
OF ingratitude, by coolly borrowing for its own
USE at the moderate rate of six per cent the whole
amount from the sale OF his "ndivisble and ina
lienable estate.'
This is worse than taking the money straight
out, it is a mockery of the and wrongs of the
old mser. The one would be downright robbery;
the other is gentee appropriation. 'fDon't steal
horse-that is crime; buy and not pay for him,
like gentleman" was the advice of a sagacOus
philosopher, which our Council has adopted and
acted upon. 1t is theory-one of those delight
iul visions called hctions of the aw-that the pur-
poses and desires of testatOrs shall be carried out
as nearly as possible. Hence the instrument con-
tanning the last disposition of a mans property is
called ''will." John McDonoghs will is most
formidable document, some thirty pages of fools
cap, every word written in his neat, plain,
bold hand. Every able lawyer in the State was
consulted in its preparation, and number so con-
suited were cheated of their opinions by promises
of remembrance in its dispositions. Even the ad-
vocates of Paris asked their opinions. All
concurred that his form and mode of disposing of
his property were legal.
The characteristic of that will, It's great aim and
leading object and purpose the holding to-
gether and perpetuating the properties acquired by
him in every part of the State, during his active
life. To do this, and not so much in view of the
good to be accomplished for humanity, his be-
quests were made in favor of charitable and educa-
tonal institutions, to be established in the remote
future and to be supported out of a small fraction
OF the income of his property, which to be
leased cut, but never any account sold, never
to lose the name and character of "part and par
eel of the General Estate of John McDon0gh."-
Lo now, how this bright vision, which for so many
years cheered the hours of labor, abstinence and
vexaton passed by the old miser in that dingy cid
castle the other side of the river, dissoves and
vanishes! Not one-nnt the slightest of his wishes
genius has presided over all dispositions of his
property Everything has been done that he would
have torn out his great fierce black eyes and
trampled them in the dust to have prevented.
Instead of little children hanging garlands on his
tomb In grateful memory Of his charities the revels
of office-hoders, contractors, lawyers, clerks col
lectors, and auctioneers will be the only manifes
tations OF gratitude, the only tributes to this
magniloquent philanthropy. Instead of the pous
hymns and psalms which he provided should be
taught in the schools, to be established out of the
McDonogh fund, the "hp, hip huzza," and the
'clink, a-clink, clink," of bons-vivants and roy
sterers will be the on Y music to which his grand
legacies will ever be attuned.