Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-08-08
Vanderbilt and Garrison.
[From the WASHINGTON Herald ]

l learn that the long standing difference
es between the Vanderbilts and Garrisons
have at last been settled. The story of
this feud and it's origin has never been
told before in print. It commenced in
1849. That year captain, now called
Commodore Garrison, went from the
Mississippi River to New York, having
had difficulty III 1848 which resulted
in his killing his antagonist. The dead
man had many friends, and William G.
that his life would be constantly in dan
ger if he stayed there, and therefore he
had better quit the Mississippi River
for good. Having quite fortune, Gar
rison took the advice, and went to New
York to begin anew. At that time Com
modore Vanderbilt owned line of sail
ing vessels from New York to San Fran
cisco. Garrison proposed to buy out
this line, and after some negotiation
price and terms were agreed upon. Be.
fore the first payment was made gold
was discovered In California, and the
line at once became enormously valua-
BILE, and Commodore Vanderbilt, though
he had made contract, fatty refused
TO conclude the sale and turn over the
property. Garrison did all he could to
get possession, but to no effect. One
morning he went to Vanderbilts office,
and, laying down the sum agreed upon
as the first payment and the contract,
asked Vanderbilt to take the money and
sign the contract. He refused to do so
in rather harsh words. Garrison delib-
erately went to the door of the room,
locked it, and put the key in his pocket.
He then drew six-inch Derringer pis-
toll, cooked it and said: Commodore
Vanderbilt, it is now five minutes to II
by the clock on your mantel. J. will give
you five minutes in which to sign that
contract. If it is not signed when that
clock strikes IL, at it's last stroke, by the
God that made me, will spatter your
brains all over this floor p Tick, tick
went the clock. Garrison's pistol, with
its huge, yawning black muzzle, was
within eighteen inches of Vanderbilt's
brain. He could not move, for CARR
sons eyes were as cold and hard as
those of Atropos, the pitiless fate. A
motion would be certain death within
the instant, with no one near to keep
time. It was four minutes, three min
utes, then only two minutes before he
had to die. When it was thirty seconds
to II Vanderbilt picked up his pen, took
the paper, signed it, blotted it, and
handed it TO Garrison. AS the latter
took it the clock struck the first stroke
of IL. Garrison unlocked the door and
went away. That afternoon the news of
Vanderbilt's capitulation caused much
wonder. Garrison was askedhow it had
happened. "Oh, I suppose the old
man saw he had been wrong, " was all
the reply he ever made. The episode of
the pistol and the dramatic incident at
tending the signature Garrison never
spoke Of Twenty years after it occur
red, Commodore Vanderbilt himself told
the story. For years everything Van
derbilt could do was to thwart the stout
old commodore who had compelled him
to do what he had promised, But Gar
rison throve wonderfully in California.
He made the house of Garrison, Fritts
4 Rallston a power on the Pacific slope.
His old partners are dead and he lis fight
ing disease with an indomitable cour-
age. Garrison has lived years and years
longer than his family could have hoped
for. The loss of his oldest son few
months ago greatly shocked him, and
in his last days he has forgiven all his
enemies, and, as [ hear, there is peace
between him and his great rivals family
of lost