The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-02-07
A DAUGHTERS DEVOTION.
THE CLOSE OF THE CONTEST OYER
HORACE GREELEY'S FILLS.

Rather Than That the Narrowing
| Details OF her Fathers Last Illness
| Should be Exposed.
| From the New York Tribune, February d.
| The Greeley will case, has entered upon q
way of settlement which reflects severe dis
credit upon every one concerned In 1t, except
upon the orphan daughters of Mr.. Greeley,
| his sole heirs by bis last will. These young
| ladies', who have been distressed beyond mea.
sure by the malignant and scandalous wrang-
ling over the grave of their father, yesterday
gave peremptory instructions to their counsel
to make full surrender of all their rights
and interests In the matter, and to allow the
executors of former will full discretion in
the management of the affair. The formal
decision OF the Surrogate will be given next
week, and what remains OF Mr.. Greeley's little
property will then be subject 10 the dlsposl-
tion of Mr.. storrs and Mr.. Manning.
The only excuse for this persistent and ap-
parently inexplicable opposition to The final
disposition which Mr.. Greeley made of his es
tate, was that he was Insane at the time OF writ
ing the will, and for weeks previously. To
prove this, q number of sy-talklDg witnesses
have been placed upon the stand, all holding
decided opinions against the perfectly simple
and natural provisioCs of the will, who have
consumed several days in what may have ap-
peared to them agreeable gossip about the
last days of their old friend, In which every
eccentricity of phrase, every uLterance OF mel
ancholy which fell from bis lips was carefully
remembered or ingeniously distorted In man.
ner which furnished highly interesting matter
for llstless readers, and inflicted the keenest
anguish upon all to whom he was dear: We
know not what impression all these trivial re-
mlniscences produced upon the mind OF the
Surrogate or of the public They have certainly
altered no lot of the convictions entertained
n regard To Mr.. Greelpy's fatal Illness by his
nearest friends and associates. His death
was the result of a life of conliUual overwork.
The podigious mental labor OF years prepared
that critical slale OF nervous exhaustion
which rendered him incapable of supporting
the blow Inflicted oy The death OF his vile.
During the last summer especially the strain
upon his powers was Loo great for endurance.
0beying the summons OF his political friends,
he made those remarkable tours through New
England and the West, delivering series OF
speeches which for variety, scope and effec-
tiveness have no parallel In all our history;
and when wearled and exhausted by these
labors, and depressed by the conscious
ness that the cause he represented was
doomed TO defeat, he wascalled to the bedside
of his dying wife. He watched for weeks by her
pillow with unselash and even imprudent de-
I'LL,
done to his high-wrought and sensitive organ
Izatlon was too great 10 be repaired. Acute
Inflammation of tine membrane Of the brain set
In, which ran Its course and ended In death.
But before 1t was developed, while his reason
still held its sway, he recognized the fact that
his fortune had been impaired by various un-
fortunate investments In Southern railroads
and the like, and especially by loans to per.
sons who had possessed an undue degree Of
his confidence. Since his latest will was
made, hls wife was also gone, and the circum-
stances being thus sadly and completely
changed, he concluded to cancel all former
Wills, made In more prosperous tlmee, and
leave his entire property 10 his daughters, to
whose proper support-unless more bad debts
could be collected than seemed then, or seems
now, possible 1t was barely adequate.
Unfortunately be did not destroy former
will made In 1871, in which two old friends,
Messrs. Storrs and Manning, and business
associate. Mr.. Sinclair, (who Ia now q bank
rupt debtor in the eslate,) we're named as ex.
eciltors. For reasons satisfactory to these
gentlemen they concluded TO contest the will.
Mr. Sinclair subsequently withdrew. We wish
to be understood as making no charges
against the perfect integrity OF Messrs. Storrs
and Manning. They Were doubtless In
fuencPd by no worse feeling than that
OF wounded selfesteem, though they finally
persuaded themselves that their consclences
reuuIred them to stand between Mr..
Greeley's daughters and his property, and
their attitude 10 the orphans OF their friend
has been that of frank and sincere hostility.
They have seemed convinced that the very
lacL of Mr.. Greeley's making Will In which
their names were not mentioned was prlma
facie evidence of Insanity. A nelgh5or OF Mr..
Greeley, at Chappaqua, Mr. Isaiah I. WI
liams, who seems, from the papers In the
hands of the temporary administrator, to be
debtor to the estate, threw himself with espe-
cially energetic malice Into The case, and has
been throughout the moving spring OF all the
opposition to the last will. Even on yester-
day, after the surrender was complete, this
man made speech full of charges and usln-
uations 30 brutally malignant and recklessly
untrue, that 1t seems impossible that per-
son In his senses should have uttered 1t.
The facts in favor Of this will we're plain and
obyious. It was in itself better, more simple,
more intelligble will than the other. II made
a perfectly reasonable and logical disposition
Of the property. It was written throughout IN
the peaceful retirement OF Chappaqua, in his
own handwriting. and signed with his own
name, while MIR. Greeley was still the active edi-
tor of the Tribune, writing daily articles irre-
proachable in thought and in manner. 1t was
executed IN his last hours, when the dellrium
OF fever Wcs over and the peace OF approaching
dissolution was upon him. To Offset these
facts, the executors OF the will OF 1871 had no
resource but the accumulation OF gossip to
prove the deep melancholy which clouded the
last days OF the great journalist. Nothing was
sacred from these mousiDg Investigators. The
witnesses they called posltively revelled IN the
sad details of those hours OF fever and sorrow.
As the scandalous and distressing scene Webt
on, the family and friends Of Mr.. Greeley e1-
hausted every expedient Of compromise and
persuasion. MISS Greeley had already fore
stalled any ungenerous insinuations by convey
ing TO her sister half Of the estate, and by
Offering to satisfy the claims OF oil legatees by
the former will. Nothing could soften the in
flexible hostility Of the executors. A last ef-
fort was made by the editor OF this paper,
acting in behalf of the Misses Greeley, to
arrive at some point Of agreement which
might obyiate the shameful spectacle OF the
long and useless quarrel. 1t was made in
vain. The executors refused with decision and
promptness which showed how deeply their
feelings OF self-love were unconsciously inter-
estcd. They and their attorney prepared
new batch OF evidence, dealing with the most
intimate details of the long course OF domestic
life with the sick room and death bed. At this
point the foriitude OF the orphans gave way.
'rhey preferred to sacrifice their own interests
and to suffer tn last will OF their father to go
by the board rather THAI to expose Tho sacred
mysterIcs OF his agony to the gaze OF the
world. They withdrew from the contest, and
the executors, who are honest and honorable
men. are to be congratulated upon the COM
Dletepess of their triumph. II the Surrogate
decides iu their favor next Monday, it ls to be
hoped that they will use their victory mag
unanimously.