The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-10-12


| usual flourish of irumpets and popping. OF
champagne corks, the last had been heard OF
the Lick trust. Why the old man ever modl-
| fled his trust. was unknown to the pubic.
That was only known to a select few. anu Is
now given TO the readers of the Post for the
first time. fNs
| A SECRET HISTORY. ..s IS
| Bulwer makes the Cardinal Due dc Richie
lieu tel us, 'seven loved once and, like
| the great Minister of France. the enemy OF
Anne, Of Austria, and the architect Of the
fortunes OF Louis the XII, James Lick, in his
young days. priest-like rs he appears ito us
now, with but little space for q lady's face to
lie and be loved in his breast had his amour.
He was q young man then, and nearly FIFTY
years have elapsed since, in Fredericksburg,
Lebanon county. Pa, he loved and was
loved in return. Parents, however. who al
ways will step'in and prevent the course OF
true love from running smooth, opposed tile
young mans passion, and would not hcarof
his marrying. The result was, James Lick
| played armand to the fair ones Camille,
and in due time he was presented with son
par la main gaucAe, as our lively Gallo
tsfriendsFsay. q The boy sprung to manhood
and was and is known East as John H. Lick.
/ While he was still an urchin, Lick went to
/ South America. and started in to open that
| oyster, the world in Chilli The boy grew
| up with his mother in Pennsylvania, and
| having considerable business talent, made
money, and in time became n large share
| holder in the Lebanon Bank. When, Lick,
leaving Chill, the land Of ''northers,'' EARTH
| quakes, and ''chicha, came to San Francis
co, his son joined him and stopped with him
| for about ten years. During this period, at
some time or other, the old man In writing
acknowledged that Lick was his legitimate
son. The papers, however, went astray, and
! John returned East. When the sudden fit
| of bcnevolcnce struck the old man it did not
extend to his son, and it was only after great
| persuasion On the part Of the trustees, who
| represented that the trust would certainly be
contested if he did not make some provision
| for his relatives, that his boy, or rather man,
was put down for ZOO. Lick's gift, liav-
| ing been trumpeted throughout the land,
| naturally excited some attention from his
| son, who thought that charity ought to begin
at home, and hunting over his papers be
! found by chance the very document estab-
fishing his legitimacy. Armed with these
papers the Hon. j. W. Kelinger came out to
San Francisco at John Lick's request, saw
the great phianthropist, showed him the pa
pers, and insisted that he should revoke the
original deed OF trust, put his sons name in
and make him a trustee also, and in obedi
! encc to this energetic request the old man
| revoked HIS original deed.
| s'sTILL HE WAS NOT HAPPY.
A year and half nearly passed over the
heads of the much endowed people OF San 4
| Francisco, and no more was heard of Lick
or his ''princely gift'' until short time
since, when the trustees received polite note
asking them to resign. as a new board had
been appointed The old man had got tired
of the board with his son on it. He knew
| that the position of trustee was one in which
a good deal of damage might be done by a
| dishonest ''chip OF the old block" and he \
wanted his son shifted Somehow the trus-
tees did not see with his eyes, and he ssfired
them OUT Those gentlemen, however.
have not resigned, and will do so only under
legal advice. They have no objection to-
throwing off a weight to sink navy from
their shoulders, but they want to be perfect
| ly safe in what they do from after legal con-
| sequences. Now comes i
| ANOTHER STRANGE STORY.
| Mr.. Lick has poor relations-what man
with 100000 or 100000 has not? He
has a sister in Labanon county, Pa, who.
poor woman, has had to earn her bread by
| the sweat of her aged hands, who has had to-
act as a jainitress and do mental work to-
prevent the coats Of a hungry stomach from
| rubbing together and causing the wolflshi
| feeling OF famine within, and the man of
millions has lent her roof to cover her.
| which he keeps In his own name, allowing
her to act the role Of a tcnant-at-wlll He
has many other relations, too, little s'less
than kind, - who would be glad to weep rose
water tears of sensibility and wipe them
away with cambria handkerchiefs at his!
death if he would leave them sufficient mo-
ney to buy expensive mouchoirs, and these
latter have started the cry that James Lick
is insane. Into the ear of a representative
Of the Post the tale was whispered that the
whole faculty of San Francisco have for
months back visited the old man at various
times, on behalf of the trustees, to see that
he was all right, and that his head, in vul-
gar parlance, was level Anxious to ascer-
| tain the truth of the story the reporter ar
once waited on some OF the members Of the
| new board Of trustees. s,G
4 NEVER HEARD OF TT! o3ei ]
! United States Sub-Treasurer Sherman was
found in his office in the Treasury building,
aud interrogated as follows: sit has been
| stated, Mr.. Sherman, that Mr.. Lick has been
examined by q number of medical men as to
| his sanity, and [ wish to know what truth
there is in the statement?' - -@t4
Il think Mr.. Lick perfectly sane. never
had any reason to think otherwise"
"But he has been examined by several
physicians recently, has he not?'' . !
Il know nothing about any medical ex-
animation
mo. There is no difficulty whatever
about that. They will resign as soon as
they can do SO legally.' I
| Feeling perfectly assured that Mr.. Sher-
man kept a something to himself ed scarce
ly tell to any, the reporter next waited on
George Schonewald, the manager OF the Lick
House, and another of the new trustees.
This gentleman expressed an eqnal igno-
rance in regard to the private inquiry as to
Lick's sanity. and the discouraged, bu: not
defeated scribe, next called on Charles NJ.
1 Plum, another OF the new Board.
THE MURDER OUT. o=..ia (
/ Inreply to the usual preliminary questions,
| he stated that there was no doubt whatever
in the minds of the old trustees, or the new
ones, in regard to Mr.. Lick being in sound
and dsposing mind, but thatit was true that
he had been examined by 4 number Of ply.
sicians. o .Ql..
''When did this proceeding first com.
i ucnce -
.sOh, !, good while ago. Under the for
| m er board OF trustees, in fact, and we have
co ntinued it, If a4
- hear that over fifteen physicians have
visi ted Mr.. Lick
y Not SO many, / Think
What was the motive that first prompted
this. tep?'' 40
''W ell, it was rumored that some of Mr.
Lick's poor relations might. perhaps, at
tempt to defeat his trust, and then, again
the opinion that Samuel F. Wilson gave tt
the Odd Fellows society in regard to tin
Lick lot on the southwest corner of Fourth
and Market streets had good deal to d
with it. Nr
MIR. WILSON'S OPINION s,s
suggeste d that Mr.. Lick was not in tlispos
ing mind, bat he Is as sane Il man as an
myself. Ii he is mad now lie has been ma,
for the last twenty years. AS his trustees
and with lais consent, we are determined tina
4 his gift to the city shall not be lost for til
want Of proper precauton. Agl
''Have the medical men made any repor
yet?'' -.
''No. They are very reticent in givin
their opinion, like all professional men, bu