The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1877-11-24

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had nothing to do with it. He had
sworn to Il certain condition of things
which did not exist, and it was per-
jury. Cases lawyers made piteOus
appeal 80 the jury, begging mercy for
respectable old man, who stood
high in society and all that, but the
jury were grimly reminded that this
respectable old gentleman had
swindled eleven thousand families
fifty five thousand women and chill
dren-and swindled them in the mean
est way possible, by taking advan-
tage of the best impulses in men.
Aud they very promptly brought him
in " guilty." Several other officers of
this and similar wild cab companies
will soon meet with like fate.
The Vanderbilt case is now under
way. The suit was brought by Mrs.
LeBau, one of the daughters who re-
fused to compromise with William
H., her claim being that the old man
was under undue influence in giving
his 800, 900, 900 to one son, and that
to bring this about William H. con-
spiTed to misrepresent Cornelius.
Scott Lord, her lawyer, admits that
the Commodore did not like Corne-
Illus because of his habits, but asserts
that four years before bis death he
relented, and determined to make an
equal division, at least as between
the sons. To prevent this, William
employed a man to personate COrne-
Illus and frequent all the brothels and
faro banks in the city. The state
ment that Cornelius had relapsed was
brought to the ears of the Commo-
dole, who Immediately instructed
William to employ a detective to de-
termine the truth of the reports.
William did employ detective who
had never seen Cornelius, the man
who was persoDating Cornelius was
pointed out to him as Cornelius, and
he was followed and all his doings
were reported to the Commodore as
those of his son. This so enraged him
that he cut him off with the income
of 100000, and left -tenths of
the estate to William, Public opiu-
ion is pretty much all one way. Will
liam H. Vanderbilt is very unpopu-
lar man, while Cornelius would be
popular were it not for the escapades
of his youth and early manhood.
Sympathy goes with the contestants,
for everybody believes that there
must be something wrong in dispo-
sition of any estate SO monstrously
out Of proportion. The trial will last
long time, and be one of the nasti-
est on record. The contestants have
a magazine of testimony which, if
they can establish the half of it, will
show the old Commodore to have
been as weak in some respects as he
was strong in others, and William
the most degraded tool that ever
breathed. The best legal talent in
the country is engaged. Henry L.
Clinton conducts the case for William
H., and Scott Lord and jeremiah
Black for the contestants. 1t is
everywhere the topic of conversation,
and great many people connected
with it have been immortalized in the
pictorial papers.
New York is generally an expen-
sive place to live, but one may get on
very cheaply, now. An enterprising
woman last week made some figures
and decided that she could make
money furnishing dinners for a cent.
and she opened a place on Grand
street on that idea. One cent is the
price of each dish-a plate of beans,
a bowl of soup, a piece of pie, boiled
cabbage, each plate one cent. The
first day over five hundred newsboys
and bootblacks fed there, and it was
"A curious sight. One boy had 25
cents, which was intended for admis-
sion to a cheap theatre but when
he got into the place he commenced
on plate of beans, then a bowl of
soup, then a piece of pumpkin pie,
then a piece of mince, and so on, till
his quarter was all gone. Getting
off his stool, he patted his stomach
approvingly, with the remark: az
love the dramar, but she's got to go
Tonight. It's well enough to cult
vate the stumick once in awhile, and
not do everything for the intellect"
The result has been SO satisfactory
that the enterprising lady has opened
a branch, and in a little while they
will be all over the city.
Business continues good, though
the passage of the silver bill by the
House unsettled things somewhat.
Merchants don't exactly know what