New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-09-26
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
THE VANDERBILT WILL CONTEST.
-. -. o,,ruc,roNc AND ARGUMENTS.

A
The Vanderbilt will contest was again be-
fore surrogate Calvin yesterday The court opened with
A., abby Carleton on the stand under crOss-examina
fton THIS lasted hour, and took the witness over
zach step OF her testimony Tuesday without causing
any material variation from her original story Inc
Surrogate once objected to questions which we're mere
repettons OF those Of Tuesday. but finally permitted
counsel TO pursue their methods The witness said she
had eyeruown any Of the contestants their COUNSEL
except Mr. Lord. She had known Cornelius vanderbilt
by sight grhOOd; they had ved the same neigh
bOrhOod she had never had any conversation Win hin
nor with any else in his presence chad met MI oo
on Broadway times within the last but never
spoke with bin until she called him at his office last
week She had never talked TO any about the mat
ter to which had testified except Mr. Lord so far as
she remembered; she could not speak with certainty
because" she said smiling talk so much" She
called on Mr. Lord again last Monday in order 10 ask
him not to call her the stand she had lived with her
parents since her husbands DEATH with the exception OF
visit to her aunt Mrs Miller at Buffalo, which lasted
from two to three months, early in 1877
On redirect examination, the witness said she had been
subpnnaed before she visited Mr. Lords office the first
time, or talked with him. To the Surrogate she
said: When heard william r. Vanderbilt to his
father that the children ell hated him, was standing
even with screen. the back room, and both gentle
men were In sight" 49,. -,
fed that he had been physician in New'lork Tor th
years and for eight past has MADE specay
subjects and was lecturer them at several hospitals
He considered mOnOmania a symptom OF intellectual
insanity, in which all the faculties might be IN
volYed among them family affection Mental disturbance
would be very likely 10 DO OcossOned by the cOmbna-
ton Of diseases stated in the paper called the autopsy
large number Of questions asked on these points,
several OF which were excluded as leading and aTgu-
mentatve; all this testimony taken subject 70 a
motion 20 strike IL from the records Hypothetical ques
tons asked pUrpOrting to be based upon facts
already established by testimony, IN relation 10 COnO
dOre Yanderblts words aud actions These gave rise
70 objections, followed by long arguments. To some OF
those when admitted, the witness replied that the
assumed facts indicated failing mental powers and TO
Others that they Indicated avaroe, ambO vanity ana
caprice blended together
In the OF argument upon one OF these ques
lions Mr. Clinton maintained thai there nothing in
the testimony showing that Commodore Vanderbilt had
ever proposed to build monument 70 himself one
hundred feet higher than any monument or pyramid
built by the hand of He read from the record TO
show that toe cOnversatOn between Commodore VAN
deFbt and Mr. Gilbert, the architect, was N reference
TO q monument to the memory of George Washington
be erected In Central Park The witness said under
crosse Examination. that he had never known COmmO-
d0re Vanderbilt IN his lifetime. To the Surrogate be
said that hallucinauOn might might not be an eV
dence OF insanity; the was true OF Illusions ana
deuSiOns. The case will be on again at lO;3O a. H.
Friday