The New York herald., 1878-03-09
VANDERBILTS MILLIONS.
Continuation OF the Contest for
Their Possession.
TIE COMMODORE'S TEMPER
Remarkable Testimony OF an
Electrical Physician.


Gavin. Mr.. Lord rocallcd TO the stand Mr.. William
NJ Parks for the purpose OF making correction OF
tr,aIpg nature In MS previous testimony. Then hc
called Daniel Drew; but alter vain effort TO refresh
tho old gentlenans memory IN regard 10 CONVERSE
ton with the Commodore no Was aio"ed TO step
down Several other witnesses were absent Nr.
Lord then offered 10 .show that the Commodore had
been an advocate OF tree love, inhsmuch as ne give
money TO establish the Woodnulls' newspaper; that
he money Tor Miss Clafiin from other parties,
und on one occasIon chsck Tor $1,000, the
interest on winch gwen 10 her anu the prin-
cipal returned and iha, he gave her tho whole
amount. This was all excluded.
Dr. Sweezy then took the stand, and testified that
he mad practised medicine thirty years; knew C. J.
Vanderbilt about hlieen months; lived most Of the
time with him No. 312 Fifth avenue, and that he
treated Tor chronic epilepsy. Mr.. Lord SAID he
expected TO prove that witness IN last September
heard W. Ii. Vanderbilt say TO Chaunccy NJ. Dcpcw,
'.Do they expect to prove conspiracy upon these
facts uudiug the charge preferred ny Cornelius
J. that there had been spiracy to personate him.
A REMARKABLE WITNESS
Dr. William j. Bennett was called. He proved
to muscular but spare man, about orty-nve years
OF age baldneadea ior fringe OF black hair over
the ears and at The base OF the skull behind with
light blue eyes--a IN the left one-and a light
brown mustache rging into Dundreary VIII lskers Of
a darker hue. On oeing examined by Mr. Lord he sad
he~had onco No. 33 West Twenty-iourth street.
but that his residence III Jersey City. Divested
Of its repetitons and iormaltes his testimony told
tho following story HE formerly officer IN the
regular army, and hed successfully The rank Of cup
Lan major Lieutenant colonel Al the close Of the
he obtained employ oymcnt IN the revenue service,
winch ho lett s0mo twcive years ago 10 become an
electrical and magnctical physician, Ia which Dusines
lac is still engaged. In May. 1876 upon Commodore
VanderDt's esnty ccond birthday, Mr. Bennett was
licQl n q
tne bed from which he never again TO rise, and,
to use Dr. Bennclt's own Words was "howling like
wild beast with pain, SO that he could be heard all
the house cal 6 upon God TO relieve MS snlcr'
,nsa aud asking why the Lord prosecuted am 50
much Presenting Mrs. Crawford letter OF intro.
ductlon from Sr. d, Forrest the Commo.
dore's nephew, DE- Bennett was shown INTO
Dr. Lnsley, the family physician, and another
doctor IL was MONDAY, but tho room was dark
eued when ne entered, and Mrs. Vanderbilt sad 10
the patleat. Here's Dr. Bennett, come to relieve
yOu;" Or. Bennett proceeded 10 ma.nelize the Com
m0dore aud latter thanked God Tor sending such
relief; alter that DR.. Bennett continued 70 c upon
the patient every day and succeeded n relieving hun
that he fell into natural sleep, the process
usually occupying an hour; the Commodore spoke
oil The improvement In mis- condition. following the
trcainen and said thc doctors VINO mad been attend
ing HIM did not know anythiEg-tnat they were a set
oI damned fools; DIR. Beunett told the CommO-
dore that while he could give him relief he had
and he was tnereupon authorized to employ
any he pleased TO help him; the
magnetizidg OF old aud feeble very
hausing 70 the magnetizer, but did know any
body with sufficient power 10 help HIM and so did aot
employ any one; he recommended to the Commodore
u Mrs DanIorth, but she did not SUIT and was dis
missed; speaking ol her afterwards the Commodore
said she was IA good htte woman and square ass
brick - about this time Dr. Bennett was introduced 10
Tonne q. Clafin and was told sue was magnetZ,r;
from her received letter wnich hs delivered 10 the
Commodore ono cvening saying, ''You recoliect Mss
Clahin, the lazy who cured you when you
sick before? this letter Is from hers" the
bs"'Sr b. Gwen MIN until the next morning. as
read IL then, and his wish was com lied
with upshot oi TINS episode was tne disiissal Of
Dr. Bennett; DUNG The viss OF Or. Bonnctt 10 the
I house he frequently saw Cornelius }. Vanderbilt
there, aud had many CONVERSATIONS with the Commo-
dore the latter frequently repeated himself III talk.
ing; Oh OCCASION DR.. Bennett noticed that under
the sheet of the PATIENTS bed thcre was one OF rub
ber and tnut the liLcn sheet was FRI qacrty disar
ranged SO that the Commodore came contact win
The bare rubber; The Doctor spoke OF this TO the
tient and TO Mrs Vanderbilt, ana recommended tho
use vi WOoiicn blankets.
rnE coaiMoDoRE's TEMrER
The lady said Tie: were very extensive and dili-
cut TO Keep Clean whereupoh the Commodore cx.
claimed, "Damn the expense; Duy balc!" cookies
were favorlte ARTICLES OF iood with t"e Commodore,
but during all tho time the Doctor VAS iu attendance
the patient succeeded Ia getting them only hree or
four times; broken ice, % be kept Dy th- bedside
was oruered, but the attendant frequently forgot TO
reple nish tue supply, and The Commodore heard
to exclam, ''WLy hell can't they keep ice Ia that
DowIs" one day Mrs. Vanderbilt Drought him bowl
oil soup; ne took a single sap aud tnon dashed Tho
aish against the WALL crying angrily, "Who III hell
salted that soup?" on another occasion, when Mrs
Crawford, his motherin-law, was by the bedside ho
took hand and squeezed 1t until she cried, when
he excaimed "Can'i Keep any OF you damned sluls
hercY"
The Commodore tCld the Doctor one day that he
q ciairvOyani, aud had always when III uecn able 10
SEQ how The attack mIuato, but that he could
not SEQ end OF the one uuder which he VAS tnen
suffering; he wont on 10 tell about vision ho had
in he roadway stretching, horscshoo ike,
about his bed friends and strungcrs came aud went
along this highway, and from lime 10 time one went
to the edge ana ell oil into oblivion; then no saw
the image OF himself move 10 and lro several times
and finally perch upon the brnk as II about to lose It's
loo lag. and he awOkc.
MIR. LORD offered 10 prove that Dr. Bennett once,
beng situated so That he could not heIp listening,
heard Mrs. Vanderbilt say to another person, "rho
must die; cam. stand tins hell any longer"
lie also wished produce testimony 10 show that
Tcbnio q. Clalin had gwen the Commodorc picture
OF Aurora, and that ne rejected with sneer some
flowers sent by one Of his daughters. All lnis lest
mony excluded by the Court The witness ended
by relating ihut he once asked the Commodore
whether he would not, s.ncc ne was better, aunt
Lls children the room, and the reply was, "No,
damn thcIu they'r. all bAstarus bul BlY' An oner
on Inc part OF MI Lord TO show that the Commodore
SAID he had frequently nagnctlzcd BY Miss Cafu
was excluded the witness was permitted 10 sep
down, Mr. Clin1on waving the cross-exam nation for
MAGyErisa AND MEsMERIsM
As DR.. Bennett about To leave ilie stand hc
recalled by Surrogate CALVIN, who wisued TO ask hm
whether his so-calleL uagnetzing diered from tho
rubbing manipulation process. ihc witncss re-
llied that he knew little about mat method OF cure
and did not know whether IL rescnDled ms own. He
was ABOUT w explain Ii is theory, wnen the Court
terrupted bm with u care iess tnan nolblns ior
Witness said he regarded himself an electric
battery, his right hand being tue positive polo
ard left baud Inc negative, and tAat hc impaired
the ibid 10 the pa tent exactly II would be applied
from battery by contact and manipuIalion; 40 be-
eycd mself TO Du hca with the vital mud aud mat
he could give IL out To others who lacking in
that respect, electricity being impaired from tho
various parts Of his organism ~ Tue corresponding
parts of tbe pa tents, So tnat alter manipulating
patient with weak lungs tho 0peraLor's lungs wcro
exhausted this, however, being oniy the rtncx
oi the PATENTS condition, was soon
recovered from, ami the animated buttcry was
renewed; the sleep INTO which The Commodore
passed aft Jhs treatment WIS natural onc, and no
could be awakened b. touch or caii u Was some
thing together distlnc. mcsnicrtsm IN winch,
the witness believed, the patient was iorced by the
dominating viii OF the operator into an unnatural,
ioicod sleep
The adjourned until Tuesday next at
eleven O'Clock, when counsel Will argue he question
whether declarations oil William IA. vanderbilt mado
since his fathois death cal DO put IN evidence by
counsel Tor coLtsstaEts thc other side contcnIiDg
that declarations Of logateo made alter the Will
executed not advisable.