Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-03-16
OuR NEW YORK LETTER.

share to the honor of the district.
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
The Great VanderbIIt Case-POIttieal
-FIre-PrOOf BufIdIngs-Frighte ed
CrOwds-JOe COburn-BUsfness.
THE GREAT VANDERBILT CASE.
1t is now fixed fact that the Van
derbilt will is to be attacked, that is
if VIM. Fl. Vanderbilt, who, to whom
was left the entire estate, does not
compromise and divide with his
brothers and sisters. 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
in the case are, as Cornelius states
them, about thus: The old man
never showed very much feeling for
any of his children but William.
Cornelius was stricken with epilepsy
in his early youth, and has been the
victim of that terrible disease until
within a few years past. He had it
for long time in its worst form,
and was actually unable to do bust
ness. Later in life he recovered
from it, to very great degree, and
married, but, in the meantime, Will
liam had grown to mans estate, and
was being trained by his father into
the care of the rapidly growing es-
tate. 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 a hundred millions, he allowed
his second son and his wife the mag
nifcent sum of 50, 800 for their sup
port, about half that any respectable
employee in his railroad enterprises
was receiving. The representative
of the Vanderbilt name could not
live upon this, as a matter of course,
and so he ran INTO debt. Finally
old age warned the great railroad
man that he had but short time on
earth, and he made his preparations
for his departure. He seemed to
have but one idea and that was to
perpetuate the name of Vanderbilt,
and hold together in one mass the
money that gilded it and made it all
it was. His daughters could not
carry the name, because their child
ren took the names of their fathers,
Cornelius, the second son, had no
and William H., the eldest
son, had not only children but they
were boys. So he left Cornelius, not
but the income from that
amount. To the daughters he left
similar incomes, 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 FORUM
ate enough to have sons to carry the
Vanderbilt name, providing that the
income from about three millions of
it should be paid to his other child
rem. The will is TO be contested, if
it is contested at ali, on the ground
that it is unnatural, and that the old
man was under undue influence when
he made it. Several of the most
celebrated lawyers in the country
have been employed by the contest
ants. On the other side it is said
hat the old gentleman knew axactly
what he was about. He left Cornell |
us about $4,000 year, which he
claimed was enough for him, and he |
eft his daughters equally well fixed,
which is enough for them. He left
he estate in the hands of William
he was the only one capable
# handling the vast interests, and
hat they might be continued sue
it was necessary that the
should not be divided.
Public opinion is divided. Some in
list that the vast estate should be
livided because the possession of so
much money in the hands of one
nan is dangerous, and others want
kept as it is, that the grand con-
options of the dead fnancier may
'e carried out. The fight will be a
cry pretty one, and the lawyers
viii have fat thing of it,
POLITICAL.
The Inauguration Is over. and
Iayes is, as he should be, President
7ilden and Morrissey played a bold.
airing game for very high stakes,
hey lost, and subside. All the talk
f resistance has stopped, for it was
ever meant to be anything. 1t was
Intended to prevent the Inaugural
ion, if possible, but was not intend
d to go any farther. The business
democracy are as we'll pleased as the
republicans that the question is set
led. and they will give the new ad-
a cordial and honest
The Wall street men held
meeting, and resolved, and the
Union League Club did likewise
'oth bodies recognized Hayes as the
legitimate President of the Unitad
,tates, and endorsed the policv
hadowed forth in bis inaugural as
uIlV AZ no couid b.,,o I:1