The daily gazette., 1877-01-06
Cornelius Vanderbilt.

OOlllO1luD ulluOb Outb
THE LAST HOURS OF HIS LIFE-~scENEs AT
HIS DEATH-BED-HE DIES WITHOUT
A STRUGGLE-HIS FORTUNE
AND HIS WILL.
The Tribune of this morning gives the
following details of the last honrs ofCom-
modore Vanderbilt:
cat 2 o'clock Yesterday morning n
marked change for the worse was noticed
At 4 o'clock he had grown much weaker
and at daylight signs of approaching
death were unmistakable, and messengers
were despatched to the difiierept members
of the family in the city, and to his spiri-
tual adviser, the Rev. DIR. Charles +.
Deems of the Church of the strangers,
requesting them to come imGedlately-
DR.: Deems arrived at the bedslue ABOUT
dores son, VIM. III. Vanderbilt, with
wife and children; the Commodore's
daughters, Mrs. Daniel Torrence, Mrs.
ID. j. Allen, Mrs, George A. Csgood, Mrs
Nicholas LeBau, Mrs. James M. cross,
and Mrs. VIM. X. Thorne; ms grand
daughter, Mrs. Meredith HoWiand, and
her husband Mrs. florence was accomp-
aned by her husband and daughter, anu
Mrs. Osgood, Mrs. Gross, ,and Mrs. Thorne
Mrs. LeBau is a widow. MIS-. Horace f.
Clark andMadame Lafitte, also daughters
of Commodore Vanderbilt, are IN Europe.
His son Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr., was
not present. His maiden sister Ph@be
and brother, Jacob III. Vapderbilt We're
at Staten Island, at the bedside OF their
sister, Mrs, Charlotte Egbert' VINO Is TWO
years younger than the Copinodore; ana
is very i'll. There were also present about
hs hs..t- - ,F fl. 4 ,an y
derbilt, her mother, Mrs. CtaW1ord, ana
her brother, Robert Crawford and wife;
DR.. Jared Linsly and DIR. y. Einott, at,
tending physicians; DR.. Austin Fhnt and
DR.. w. II. NanBuren, cons sultlng pllySl-
clans; the Commodore's friehdS y. Il. ID.
Forest and Samuel 1}artop, ana several
grand children. ,.
"Mr Vanderbilt found great dlfiiculty
in speaking, and while he nInntalned the
clearness of his understand ng, could ut
ter only Il few sentences during the last
two hours of his life. lie l1stened atten-
lively to passages of Scripture which
Were repeated to him from tllne 10 tme:
When one of his daughters asked MN IL
they should sing, he misupderstood her,
but afterwards turned to Dls wife, who
remained at his side, and sald with some
diificulty:-'I thought you Woulu sing,
Mrs. Crawford started the hymn, Show
pity, Lord, o Lord, forgive; Let repen-
ting sinner live A few OF his favorlte
hymns were also sung, with pauses be-
tween them. He evinced the greatest
interest in the singing, and even attempt
ed to join in singing 'Cople ye sinners
poor and needy His voice was hoarse
and inaudible. While he yet had strength
enough when this hymn was sung ne IN
variably tried to take part, usually adding
at the close, L am poor, an neeuy weak
and wounded, sick and sore
"Dr. Deems proposed prayer at whlch
strength was now ebbing 80 rapidly that
it was seen that yery soon he would not
be aole to expectorate. II was reared
from this that there would be painful
struggle at the last, DIR. Deems prayed
that God would be pleased IN His mercy
to vouchsafe to the sufferer an easy de-
parture out of his great pam into ever,
lasting life. The Commodore appeared
to follow the whole prayer, ana when
it was closed with the benediction, he
repeated with the minister, IN falling
voice, the closing words, :, Inc plesslng
of God Almighty, the Fatner, the oon'
and Holy Ghost" He afterwards al
tempted to speak, but conIu no5 artlcu-
late distinctly enough to De understood.
When few moments hau elaPseo MS
TSCuTT6Q 10 blc
turned to his wife and uttered aimosi
his last words: '"That was good prayer
eyes replied Mrs. Vanderbilt, because
it expressed Just your feelings now- He
nodded assent. The obstacle in his
throat ceased to appear to be painful
to him, The last audible word which
he uttured was "Home," He closed his
lips for a few minutes, with the express
sion on his face which his 1rlends were
accustomed to see when pc was thinking
intently on some subject: Ills eyes
frightened; his lips parted ne closed his
eyes, and after drawipg. a rev quiet
breaths. he peacefully expired az nun,
utes of IL o'clock, Although deatn mad
been long expected its coming was none
gave away to tears, There were 20 per-
sons in the bedroom when the Commo-
dore breathed his last.
The Tribune also gives an lntelvlew
with an official of the Taa 0mce, regard
ing the wealth of the dead man, The
official stated that "ipstead cf being
worth 500 900 900 il will be found that
S60, 900 900 is above the Gctual amount
that is, if the truth ever Is known out
side of his family. 1t Is known that
instead of dying intestate' as some have
supposed he would, for the very purpose
OF concealing the facts az 70 MS "esiIn,
he has left behind wall very carefully
drawn. But this will tell nothing OF
the actual value of the greatest part OF
his possessions-the copsolldated rail-
rosds-which you may be certain he has
left intact in the hands OF ms son, BIZ |
ly," There will no doupt ne ample be-
quests to his numerous other chlloren
and to his wife, and the5e may be named
in the will, but they viii serve only TO
indicate what his estate Hoots up. Last
year the Tax Commissl sloners assessed
him on only about $200,Uoo-I thlnk II
was something less thar. that Oh real es-
tate, and on s3,0OO,000 o. personal prop
erty. Tie last was not so much as it
should have been. His lawyers TOOK no
steps to have it reduced, as they GER
tainly would have done, II 1t had been
to large. But further these figures the
Tax Commissioner books can tell moth
ing"