The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1877-03-17
Our New York Letter.
The Vanderbilt Will-POIitfcal
Fire Proof OfBuiIdings-Fa
Panic-JOeC COburn-BuslnesS.
NEw YORK March g. 1877.

Panic-JOeC COburn-Business.
New YORK, March 9, 1877.
EDITOR CHIEF:
1t is now a fixed fact that the Van
derbilt will is to be attacked. The
mover in the matter, primarily, is one
of the sisters, though Cornelius, the
only other son, stands nominally at
the head of the contestants. The facts
i'm the case are as Cornelius states
them, about thus: The old man
never showed very much feeling for
any of the children but William. Cor
nelius was stricken with epilepsy in
his early youth, and has been the vic
| tim of that terrible disease until with
in few years past. He had it for a
long time in its worst form, and was
actually unable to do business. Later
| in life he recovered from it to very
great degree and married, but in the
meantime William had grown to man.
hood, and was being trained by his
father into the care of the rapidly
growing estate. Cornelius had no
children, and the old man paid but
little more attention to him than as
if he had not been his son. Worth
at the time half hundred millions,
he allowed his second son and his
wife the magnificent sum of $25OO for
their support, about half what amy
respectable employee in his railroad
enterprises was receiving. The rep
resentative of the Vanderbilt name
could not live upon this, as matter
of course, and so he ran into debt.
Finally old age warned the great rail-
road man that he had but short time
on earth, and he made his prepaTa-
tions for his departure. He seemed
to have but one idea and that was to
perpetuate the name of Vanderbilt
aud hold together in one mass the
money that gilded it and made it all
it was. His daughters could not car
ry the name, because their children
took the names of their fathers Cor
nelius. the second son, had no chill
dren. and William H., the eldest son,
had not only children but they were
boys. So he left Cornelius, not $780,
600. but the income frolh that amount.
To the daughters he left similar in
comes. and all the balance he left to
William H. and his sons. That is to
say. he left one hundred millions OF
dollars to the son fortunate enough
to have sons to carry the Vanderbilt
name, providing that the income from
about three millions of it should be
Maid to his other children. The Will
is to be contested, ON the ground that
it is unnatural, and that the old man
| was under undue influence when he
| made it. Several of the most cele-
brated lawyers in the country have
been employed by tile contestants
and there will 'ae fat pickings for the
legal fraternity. On the other side it
is said that the old gentleman knew
exactly what he was about. He left
Cornelius about 800, 900 year, which
he claims is enough for him, and he
left his daughters equally well fixed,
which is enough for them. He left
the estate in the hands of William be-
cause he was the only one capable of
handling the vast interests, and that
they might be continued successfully,
it was necessary that the property
should not be divided.
The Inauguration is over, and
HAYES is, as he should be, President.
All the talk of resistance has stopped,
for it was never meant to be any
thing. 1t was intended to prevent
the inauguration, if possible, but not
to 90 any farther. The business De-
mocracy are as well pleased as the
Republicans that the question is set
tied, and they will give the new ad-
ministration cordial support. The
Wall street men held meeting and
resolved, and the Union Leagne Clut
/ did likewise. Both bodies recognized
i Hayes as the legitimate President o.
| the United States, and fully endorsed
the policy shadowed forth in his III
augural. The Cabinet is entirely sat
isfactory TO New York, and altogether
/ there is sort of political love-feas
prevailing that is not only pleasan
but encouraging. l don't know whicl