The New York herald., 1879-02-06
VANDERBILT'S WILL.

WHAT THE COMMODORE THOUGHT OF HIS
PROPERTY AND ITS MANAGEMENT UPON HIS
DEcEAsE.
Counsel for the proponent in the Vanderbilt Will
continued to offer testimony in rebuttal before
Surrogate Calvin yesterday. The number of specta
tors had not diminished from that of the preceding
day. Mr.. William II. Vanderbilt present and as
usual sat close by his counsel His brother Corne
lius j. Vanderbilt, and Mrs. LIE Bau-Berger the con-
testant, were also in attendance throughout the
morning and afternoon sessions. Mr.. Henry NJ
Phillips, retired member of the Philadelphia bar
the first witness called, and he testified in sub
stance as follows:-
first met the Commodore about twenty-five years
ago. and in the habit of meeting him at Saratoga
and in Philadelphia Washington and New York; had
conversation with the Commodore previous to
1875 about the Central Railroad and his son William
he told then that he intended to have the railroad
laid with four steel tracks; said. "How about your
dividends if you do that-it will be expensive?"
he replied. II keep the dividends at eight per
cent, and if can't finish it Billy can; on another
occasion, in the of conversation, the Commo-
dore alluded to report that had been circulated
ting forth that he dead. adding that the object
of the rascas who did it to affect the value Of
stock said you have got to die some time and then
the stock will fall certain; his reply was lit hadn
ought to- for I've not been fool enough to get this
thing together to have it scattered after my death
not share will so the market" prior to 1875 he
told several times that he had tried his son
William at the railroad business, Staten Island
or Long Island and that he had not selected him to
manage his roads without having first ascertained his
fitness for the position.
To question by Mr.. Clinton as to whether the
Commodore, while stopping at the same hotel with
the witness in Saratoga during the summer of 1875,
re man ought to have. the witness Com
modore said million or two was as much as any one
ought to have; the Commodore also said that he had
given each Of his children some sum that don't
recollect, and he added, "that is enough" the
he named was inconsiderable compared with his
wealth; in all his acts and conversations never
able
Cross examined by Mr. Lord:-The Commodore
was fond OF playing point euchre and Boston with
his friends during the later years OF his life;
the stakes were generally from $5 to $40; a man
much the Commodore might have won lost in
single evening; the Commodore once spoke to me
about his son, Cornelius j.
Redirect-To Mr. Clinton:-The only thing that
ever heard the Commodore say about Cornelius j.
was that he was bad boy and let money slip
through his fingers easily.
To Mr. Lord:eAm not SO positive that heard the
Commodore call Cornelius J. bad boy as am that
spoke to Mr.. Clinton on the subject last night
FAITH WILLIAMS MANAGEMENT.
General Daniel Butterfeld testifed:-I knew Com
modore Vanderbilt in his lifetime and saw him fire.
quently from about 1868 down to 1875; in 1869 on
occasion told the Commodore that my father had
made WILL and when he asked me. how my father
ndu ulspOscu VI Ills prOperty repllcu tuat ne nau
given onc-third to my mother and divided the re-
mainder among the children; the Commodore then
said, HE should have given it all to you; am going
to leave the bulk of mine to Billy; said, 'The girls
will not like that" he replied, 'Oh. will give them
plenty to live on-enough to take care Of them" in
1858 or 1869, when William was appointed vice
president l asked the Commodore how william
was going to succeed at railroadng, aud
he swered that William working very hard,
was very attentive, and he thought he would
make good railroad man; was then in the army
and one of my staff officers had cashed check OH
Hartford Bank for Cornelius j., and it was re-
turned mot good" on mentioning the circumstance
to the Commodore and telling him that the young
man could hardly afford to lose the amount he said
he would not pay it. that Cornell WAS always doing
that sort OF thng all the acts and conversations of
the Commodore were, in my opinion, perfectly
tiona: his mental characteristics impressed with
the belief that he very sefreant and strong in
his opinions.
Ex-Judge James c. Spencer testified that he had
known the Commodore during his lifetime; that he
had frequently met him on professional business
we'll socially, and that all his acts and conversa-
tions were in the opinion of the Witness perfectly
RATIONAL
no al ruedu uptil IN.