, 1878-01-18
The Young YanderbiIts.


A correspond, n, Of the Capital writes
from New York; A younger brother Of
VIM. II. aud Cornelius, George Wander
bilt, who graduated at West Point aud
WAS appointed 10 the Ninth Infantry, WAS
afflicted similarity, though in a less de.
gree than Cornelius. The young Lieu
tenant, stationed with his regiment in
Oregon, ahsented himself for u time lust
about the beginning of the war, on prn-
tracicd spree IN San Frsncisen, where he
spent thousands in wine, women aud
cards, acting generally like sailor
ashore after th ee years cruise. The
Commodore. hard, tlinty, remofseless tn
every one else-his wife, friend, or en-
plOy Oye-paid the sons debt, and when Il
c"urt.martial c+shiered him fur desertipn, ,
and the proceedings were furwarded To
Washington for approval, the Commu-
dore gave the steamship Vanderbilt Ia
the Government rs a gift outright. The
sentence was remitted, and Lieutenant
Vanderbilt given leave of absence for
illtealth, with permission to go beyond
the seas. George Vanderbilt, after a
voyage to China, died in Havre about the
third year of the war He was the only
one of the Vanderbilts with an education
and manners of gentleman. At that
time the Commodore, and all who were
brought into contact with the family,
looked on William as q lout and Cor
nelius as an imbecile.
If William developed in brains and
sGpotr tdire, 30 may have Cornelius, at
least enough SO to fairly hope for more
than the interest on $4,000 out of the
one hundred million rolled up by the
hard, bad old man, who had begotten
him. Justice to the living is better than
false tenderness to the dead, and it is
only fair now 70 print what always has
been common gossip in New York, that
with such an example before them, it is
wonder that the Vanderbis children
did not grow up gang of horse jockeys,
harlots and misers. The Commodore
saw the sius of his youth reflected in his
son Cornelius, and therefore could not
bear him in his sight. Mrs. Lebau, the
sister who appears as the nominal plain
tiff against the elder brother, William, 10
not the wife of Smith Barker, ESQ. II
was another sister who got divorce, and
she married Mr.. Lebau. A niece of the
Commodore, daughter of old Captain
Jake" Vanderbilt, married one Sparrow
Pundy, and finding him triaing, drunk
en-, incapable sort Of person, divorced
him from bed and--what was more i'm.
portant to pauper ADVENTURE board.
She, too, married again; this time a
German baron. The touching incidents
related of William Vanderbit's brushing
away tear when counsel speaks feel
ingly of his father are simply bosh. He
would as soon think of writing sonnets
to ladies' eyebrows as shedding tears.
Contests over wills are the most de.
plorable and unseemly of all contests,
and exhibit human nature in one of its
worst aspects. 1t is not easy to believe
that Commodore Vanderbilt did not
know what he was doing when he made
his will, but his heir might have much
better sacrificed his million necessary to
have stilled the clamor Of the discordant
daughter, who stands like "the horse.
leech's daughter, crying, Give! Give!'
He is as guilty in holding on to all the
money as Cornelius and Mrs. Lebau are
in detiiing the nest in which they were
hatched. Without reference to the mcr-
its of the case, both sides, in permitting
such an exhibition of hideous revelation
for money, are contemplate. Mrs. Lea
bau did not attend the wedding Of her
niece last night, although Cornelius fig
ured to the extent of silver bowl
among the bridal presents. Mrs. Lebau
has applied to the court for an allowance
of SEQ, 900 from the estate to pay her ca
penses in contesting the will.