Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1877-11-29
Communication.
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Our New York Letter
Vanderbilt Will Scandai--BrOught
to the BIOck-The Wheels
of Justice--A Smart
VVnrOan

| New YoRK, November l6, 1877.
1t testy old Commodore Van
derbilt, from his abode above--ui
below, is permitted 10 look in up
on the scenes of his life 81 TIL
juncturs, the Intensity Of BIZ
| wrath may be better imagined
| than described. Months after the
first troubles arising from bis vii
were finally settled to all appear
ances, the contest breaks out a.
fresh with redoubled fury; and
there is now progres ing in the
surrogate's court in this city such
washing OF dirty linen one
wonId think VIM. Ii. Vanderbilt
would have been glad to avoid
ven at the expense of the small
fraction of his enormous property,
that was demanded by the contes
tants of the will. Ii any one la
bors under the impression that
tons OF gold and hundreds upon
thousands of shares Of stock form
a barrier which can keep the ira
ditional skeleton out Of the rich
mans closet, such a one should
read the newspaper reports of the
present trial. Family secrets Of
the most delicate and even scau-
dalous nature are ruthlessly drag.
ged from their hiding places and
paraded to the public gaze to the
offense not only Of good taste but
Of common decency. There is no
regard for reputation, for family
feeling or family pride, but the
Vanderbilt name is allowed by
those who bear it, to be dragged
through the blacklist mire before
the curious gaze of the whole
country, the contestants seeming
entirely reckless OF all considera
tions save those connected with
the main chance. The dead mans
sins and foibles are rehearsed and
traded upon by his own flesh and
blood. lie is accused by a palt
Of his children Of infdelity as well
as cruelty TO their mother, whom
he is said to have forced into an
insane asylum ; while the cold
ness and want Of natural affection,
which were unfortunately his well
known characteristics, are empha
sized for a purpose and in man
ner which are humlliating to le-
hold. Whatever the resul. Of
this unfortunate contest may be,
the disgrace of the family is al
ready assured.
An uptown auctioncer held a
sale the other day at which he
disposed of autographs of be-
tween four and five hundred
miscellaneous celebrities. !
don't feel quite sure that the
prices realized could safely be
taken as a criterion Of the rela-
tive positions to be occupied in
history By the gentlemen whose
chirography was thus ignomin-
ously brought to the block; but
if SO tie public estimates Of
some of them will have to be
considerably modified. For in
stance, Daniel Webster brought
S1.10 while Jefferson Davis saw
him and went ten cents better.
Samuel j. Tilden was sacri-
feed for a dollar bill, while
Henry Ward Beecher, Roscoe
Conkling, VIM. A. Wheeler and
Carl Schurz fell at thirty cents
each, beating Aaron Burr by
one dime. The father of his
held his own nobly,
getting up to $3.50 and leading
Charles Dickens by half a dollar.
The disposition to make re-
spectacle swindling unpopu-
lar, which showed itself.in the
recent sentence of the forger,
Gilman, seems to. be longer
lived tlian the ordinary spasm
of administering justice which
occasionally attacks New York. |
This week has actually wit
messed the sentence of Robert
L. Case, president Of the un-
pleasantly odorous Security |
Life Insurance Company, which
went to everlasting smash last
year. Mr.. Case was proved to
have signed and sworn TO false
reports Of the condition OF his
company and was convicted of
In vain he pleaded
ignorance of the contents of
the report and stated that he
signed il only as a matter Of
form. The unfeeling Judge was
hardhearted enough TO insist
that when the chief officer of a
trust institution puts his band
and seal 10 Il statement intend