Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1877-01-18
YANDERBILT'S MILLIONS.


The Eldest Son Gets the Lions Share
Prospective Legal squsbble Over the
Great Estate.
The will OF the late Commodore Van
derbilt has been published. 1t will oc-
casion Q very general feeling Of surprise
that, notwithstanding his fortune
amounted to over sixty millions Of dol
lars, his wife receives by the viii, as
originally drawn, $500, 900, together with
the family mansion and all its appoint
ments, to which he adds in q codicil
1900 shares of railway stock, equiva-
lent to &2OO, 900 more. This peculiar
disposition Of his property, however, is
In accordance with marriage settlement
made in due form before marriage with
his second wife, by which she agreed not
to claim her lawful interest, the com
pact being made in view Of his extreme
age at the time Of the marriage, the
Commodore being then over 7e, and Of
tho additional fact that she had nothing
to do with the accumulation of his fort
une. To five OF his living daughters
be bequeaths 81, 500, 600; to the sixth,
the interest upon $400. 600 in United
States 10-40s, the principal to 20 to
her heirs to the seventh, the inter
est on $500, 600 of the same class
Of bonds and to the eighth, the inter-
est upon $500, 000-the to tai sum to the
daughters or their heirs, two or three of
them being dead, being SO, 700, 900. To
his son, Cornelius j., who borrowed 80
lavishly Of Horace Greeley and never
repaid it, and who has been considered
the black sheep of the family, he leaves
only the interest on $500, 600 of 10-40
bonds, which is amply sufficient under
the circumstances. Then follows long
list of smaller bequests, which are
pretty liberal, especially in the case of
grandsons by favorits children. This
brings us to his favorite son, William
II. Vanderbilt, who has had the respon-
sible charge of his business for many
years. In the will, as originally writ
ten, he left to him about $50, 900, 900,
but, in a very inconsiderate and heart
less manner, he appends a codicil which
takes away Gil 800, 900 of this amount
and bestows it upon William H
four children. Such unfatherlv con-
duct as this in reducing his favorite son
to about $40, 600, 900, especially when
that son has but $40, 600, 600 in. his own
fortune, and leaving him to struggle
along with the vicissitudes of this rough |
and inhospitable world, especially in |
these trying times. is sad comment |
upon The want of charity which has al /
ways characterized the Commodore.
From the New York papers we learn |
that already there is talk of contest |
over the will. One of the legatees is re-
ported 10 have said that relatives outside |
Df William III. Vanderbilt's family would
never let it stand ae it is in peace, unless
William II. shoald avoid all cause of
dispute by giving his less fortunate CO.
claimants q liberal share in the immense
wealth left by the Commodore, Of which,
lnder the will, be controls the great
,ulk. The fight would be made by or
ION Cornelius Jeremiah, whose legacies
we're mere pittances compared with the
immense tlms bequeathed to William
4. vanderblt and his SONS. The dis
,repancy between the two or three scope
II millions left to William Il. and the
,omy .stive trife Of few thousands
Iiven in trust to his brother, Cornelius
jeremiah would, legatee said, proba-
,ly be the first objective point in the at
ack on the will, and the point made
would likely be that Cornelius Jeremiah
vas epileptic, and unable to care for him
elf, and that, consequently, more ads-
Iuate provision should have been made
or his support |; and, even If theattempt ,
> break the viii failed, probably it
rould be kept in the courts for years,
'ulled to and fro by lawyers, and an In
JUNCTION might be served on William II.
Vanderbilt to prevent him from acting
8 President Of the New York Central
sailroad. At ali events, the will would
ot be received submissively by some Of
be relatives unless the princip j legatees
it over by making Q more
4uitable division. The ground of OBJ
ection to the will has not yet been ex-
lained, bit undue influence is limited
t. 1t is understood that the widow is
ntirely oontented, or at least, for
easops ..sstisfsctory to her, will not at
empt to enforce her com non-law right
I dover, which it is claimed by some
lwyers she could do, in spite of the
nte-nuptial agreement not to do so al
eyed in the will.