The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-12-18
STRICKEN BY APOPLEXY.
How William II. Vanderbilt Met
a Sudden Death.
Clreer Of the Great Railroad King
"A Simple Funeral.

William II. Vanderbilt the great railroad
magnate and richest man in America if not
in the world, was stricken with apoplexy
flew minutes after o'clock P. NJ, on the Sth.,
and died almost instantly. He was in the
library of his residence in Fifth avenue, New
York, at the time, and was sitting in
his easy chair and conversing with Mr..
Robert Garrett, president Of the Balti-
more and Ohio Railway, and up TO
the very moment of the attack was
apparently in his usual health and spirits.
Not hint or n moments warning did either
he or his family have that his health was in
SO precarious condition He was stretched
dead on the floor at his guests feet almost as
Suddenly as though his brain had been
pierced by a rifle bullet.
Since 1851, when he suffered a shock of
paralysis, not long after the sale of go, 900
share s of New York Central, his health had
been matter of almost constant solicitule
with his family, but for several
mouths recently he had been bet
ter and brighter. He frequently spoke
of the improvement himself, and was often
congratulated upon his hearty appearance.
he elung tenaCiously to life, and often said
of late that 10y the time he was sixty five he
would be rejuvennted and set out on another
long life He was sixty-four when he died
Mr. Garrett arrived at Mr.. Vanderbit's
house about half an hour after Mr.. Wander
bilt had left the luncheon table He was at
once shown into the library where Mr. Van
derbilt received him. 1t was then about
quarter to . o'clock.
Mr. Vanderbilt and Mr.. Garrett talked for
about half an hour on the relations Of their
respective railroad systems and the new
Staten Island project of the Baltimore and
Ohio. The talk having thus dritted to
of his early manhood there and
the Vanderbilt property there. He was
talking of the Vanderbilt family tomb and
mausoleum when Mr. Garrett noticed that
his voice became thick and indistinct Glanc-
ing quickly up, he saw that the muscles of
the face were twitching violently, and at the
same moment Mr. Vanderbilt, with an effort
to articulatc which ended i'll gasp started
to half standing posltlon,and pitched heavi-
ly forward with his face downward. MI Car
rett started up and caught him in his arms and
eased his fail to the floor, catching a cush-
ion at the same time from Off the sofa and
putting it under the dying mans head. Mr..
Garrett then rang an electric bell, which
summoned Louis Mr.. NanderbltS valet
He called Mr. George Vanderbilt and Mr.
Twombly. 1t was then thought that Mr.
Vanderbilt was in a faintng tit only, and
his wife and daughters were SO informed.
DIR. j. W. McLane the family physician.
and other doctors were called in, but they
could do nothing, as the vital spark was eX-
tinguished.
Dr. McLane said that the cause of Mr.
Vanderbilts death was clearly apoplexy. He
had never before manifested any symptoms
of an apoplectic tendency, however and the
attack was complete surprise TO the doctor
1t merely showed h, said, that the blood
vessels of the brain had become brittle and
under the stimulus of hearty meal and of
animated conversation one of them had
broken.