The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-11-14
W.ll,VANDERBILT'S FORTUNE
gur BTTTER CONTEST OYER ONE HrN-
DRED MILLIONS or DOLLARS.
Mr.. n. ~. Alien, the Commodore's son-in-f LAW
-Tc.timony OF the Family Doctor-Numer-
mn. and Painful Disease. from which van-
a.rhiIt suHercd-A Ciairvoynnt Consulted.

ou. mud Painful Diseases from Whtch Nnn-
aerhit sunercd-A Clnirvoy"nt Consulted.
The Surrogates court was throngcd yes
oerlny. from door to bar. Mr. William ii. Van
d.rbf lid not bring cane with him. as on the
,reyious day. He wore plain. dark clothes.
and shirt front without diamond or gold to
mar it, purc whItcncss. Tho only ornament
visible was q gold watch chain. His son. Corr
nelus. Jr.. and the other members Of
the Vanderbilt connection present were like
Visc dressed plainly and neatly. sneerlng
smilc and an expression OF Indifference had
taken the place Of nervous agitation in the
countenanco OF the railroad king. He listened
nitentlycly. made many suggestions to his
counsel. and sometimes his lips parted incred-
ulously at the testimony of his brothcr-in-law
and boyhood companion. Mr. Jacob Wander
bilt. the Commodores brother. had n chair Mt
the right OF his nephew. Augustus Schell
seemed to take as much interest In the caso as
william II. Vanderbilt himself. He sat beside
Mr. Clinton. and gave advice in regard 10 qucs-
tionlng the witnesses. The smooth. massive
face Of jeremiah $. Black who s associated
with Mr.. Lord for the contestant Mrs. La Bau.
was as pleasant and smiling rs n summer sea.
The Mrs. Vanderbilt 50 frequently mentioned
hy the witnesses was the Commodore's first
wife the mother Of his children. and who died
10 1868
Mr.. Daniel b. Allen testified that for year
or two after his marriage he lived in Commo-
dore vanderbilt's family. He heard convcrsa-
uon on the subject of wills more than once The
subject Of the CommodOre's fathers will was
brought up in the family. and the Commodore
and Mrs. Vanderbilt took part in the
conversation. The equal distribution Of prop
erty that the Commodores father had made
was spoken Of and approved by the Commo-
dore and Mrs. Vanderbilt as being right and
proper The fathers will had divided the prop
erty equally among six or seven children living
ut the time 1t WAS made. Another feature Of the
will WIS referred 10. owing to the fact that the
Comm odore himself had procured Its insertion.
That feature was that i'm the event Of the mother
lof the Commodorel marrying again. the prop
ery was to De at once divided among the chill
drcn; otherwise. should she remain single. she
WAS t. have the property during her life. and at
hur death 1t was To be divided among the chill
dren. That feature Of the will Mrs. Vanderbilt
said had been source OF great discomfort 10
the Commodore's mother.
To Mr. Clinton-The father Of the Commo-
dore lcit about 100000. This conversation oc-
surred in the year 1881 or 1895. AT that time
none Of the Commodorcs family were married
but E,helinda. my wife. and Phebe Jane. Mrs
Cross. Thirty or thrty.one years ago Wm; y.
Commoiore and his wife were living on staten
Islanl also. The father lived four o,r .ilye miles
Wand rhit wa married he lived separate
from his fathers family. H. married at
his 'G fata@rs % family ait"rwnri IL war lived in staten
Island from $50 10 l~45. when | removed To
~ 'iiys and remained here until ,hs sprins Of
vas iDur or i've miles from William II. Wander
wa. in business with Commodore Wander.
ht from 1884 - lsGi with slight Intervals.
when living In Staten Island saw William IL.
fando rbilt as general thing oitener than every
W. were acquainted in our hoyhood LAYS. aud
the macy incr.as, Il after married his lister.
Odd you ever in any Instance. on any pee
caSon hear v liam II. vanderbilt oppose hs
g HIS fathers will was law ITO him. A.-Ab-
O~Pror to 1851 did you ever oppose the
Commodore in anything in conversation? A
o%Did it relate TO business? A.-Itdid.
Q-When did you last lend WIN. II. Wander
bit money! A.-According 10 my best recollc,-
g2n i was in or about the year, ls}2 3, or ls53,
tho nrighborhood Of $4,000. That was in 1852
OF 1888. With that execution. the highest |
ever loaned him was several hundred dollars.
9 Irompted by Win. II. vanderbilt-You
spoke Of Mrs Commodore Vanderbilt having
gone 10 the asylum. thirty or thirty odd years
ago. Dld YOU or your wife advise that Mrs.
Vanderbilt, should take that Journey 10 Canada
oxpr,,ssed Willingness to undertake the charge.
snd aclulcsced in the propriety Of the Journey.
tered. Mentally she seemed 10 be in better con-
ditOn than physically:
Q.-Did the Commodore IN your presence say
that physicians recommended that She should
b. taken whore she would have quiet and good
med Al treatmsntf A! cannot I,GmeWbor
derhllt. the Commo iorc's wife. was signed.
was Iir NarDouald's private asylum at Flush
and then she won't 10 Washington place. the fam
iYhav ng inthe mean time removed from Staten
Island 10 Washington place.
GoyERNLss. OR COMPASSION?
.Q.-You spoke of eoyernc-s going to the
Wish ustln place residence. Are you quite
SUR i.nt any p.tsoh Went lhere oihrr nan MS
tolm"ry The feof Horace T. Clarke. invited
ahiy friend Of her to 20 To Washington place.
Sn llf' s"' VIZ ~" plt5on ,, yyu Iirld 10
.. sl.rwl- thcn about Is years old. was she
Q.-Then you did not know that the
.iy t. whom >9p r{orr' wy.ni oa ilir invita-
q nd you not know thatthH Young INDY Was
an p'ute, friend, and c0mpanlon of Com
m'iur, Nandcrbilt- daughters Al never
Knew ilHt she was until That time.
Q.-N.l you swear positively that that young
Wy VAS not IN 2--'wlat" ana compguion of
swcarto that. "'1'' ''"''''
q. Do you mean To- swear that the young Ia
dos of Commodorr Nanderbilt's family cOuld
upl hilyr rOmpaIion and associate without
your knowledge and approyalY Al said no
sui Thing.
We're you present at any time when the
}ouns lady who went to Washington place was
.tYtei or requested 10 got Al was not.
nLnAm told ~. that she had gone there
through his procurement He told me that
"ile m" WAS there. during the fail of 1916.
y NJ thr distance of thiIty-Oue years Is that
AL Is.
s. DO you know that the lady 70 whom you
I","r IS relative of William II. Nandcrbilts
Nlff Al dO-a cousin If his wife.
-And III" niece OF the Rev Dr. Kissam
lAe Rev. Mr.. Kissam. There is Doctor
h7-Hu.
~ do not mean the doctor Of medicine;
ul"n ll" rl"rgymnnf A.-She was u niece Of
=" l.N. Mr. X --up, father-ln-law of Vim. II.
rNh run. ! did not mean t. say nor do
nh MAJ ! shld mat she was Rovrrnrss. Sho
va. 100 ih" house ~ companion ana associate
o. ''mmolore Nanirrbilts daughter Louisa.
Tl" "t- then nominhly keeper 81 the house.
i"i -A was mi lnally ut the head of the family.
tnl louisa went a. a cOmpnniOn 10 her Mss
I7 iI was hhout twenty-five years Old and
iE,i HhOut eighteen.
y ~ never objected that there was any i'm
lili.. - ~ that arrangement, did your Al
~ 'lrine the as' twelve or fifteen years Of
s'l"u i9re Wand, rbilts lie were your rca-
ih, N .h him friendly or unircndyf A.