Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-03
DUCKS AND BRAKES.

ness of a Presbyterian Clergyman
Millions All Around.
From the Ne,O York Sun.
Charles Morgan was as staunch anc
solid a citizen as New York has produced
he was known to the whole world as the
owner of"Morgan's Louisiana and Texas
Railroad and steamship Line" and for
thrift, sagacity, enterprise and Weat
his name was a household word irom
New York to New Orleans.
Like most men who have bullt thelr
own fortunes, he had an ahnormally Keen
sense Of the value of money. and an equal
antipathy 10 anything like the waste OF y.
A dollar bad a wide and co2ent slgbFn;
canoe 10 him. and he generally succetdea
in inculcating his principles IN respeel 70
money getting and money spending up0n
all who were thrown into close asSoela-
ton with him. When be died. IN May s +
years ago, he letteleyen millions Of welH
Invested coeh.
bv ms INST wife Mr.. Morgan had five
children, two sons-Charles and Henry
neither Of whom outhved hlm-and three
daught. RS, one Of whom subsequently be-
came Mrs, Harris she died before heF
father. while another became Mrs Whit
ney. and another Mrs. Quintard. His
children, after the death OF his hrst wife.
attended Dr.. SchrOeder's school IN East
Broadway. where Miss Mary Jane Sexton
was a teacher. Mr.. Morgan became ac-
uuainted with her there, and in 1s47 mar
ried her. In 1S49 he bought in her name
the lot Z East Twenty sixth street, and
upon il erected, also IN her name, an ele-
CANT. commodi0us, and substantial family
mansion-one of the best residences in
New York at that time.
Mr.. Morgan had a great dread Of post
humous squabble over his property, aud
he took what be conceived TO be the most
effective precautions to preclude any pos
sibilty Of il. AS is not unusual in such
cases, he involved his belongings in pre-
cisely the very confusion thai he sought
TO avoid, and his estate is not settled up
70 this day.
When on his deathbed he summoned to
his side those upon whom he especially
desired to confer his fayors, and whom he
wished to protect against the dangers OF
any possible dispute after his demise; and
be gave them with his own hand in money
Bome very considerable sums In this
manner his wife. the late Mary Jane
Morgan. received $500 600; Chas. Whit
ney, S250000; Mrs. Quintard, OF Port
chester. $3.50 900; George Whitney, his
grandson 100000, and a grandson. the
son OF his eldest son Charles, 500, 900.
These amounts may not be stated
with absolute correctness. They have
been represented as very much greater,
but exact Information about the matter is
not easily obtained. They were certainly
no less than is here stated. Mir. Morgan,
at the time Of making those gifts, and per-
haps some others not here specifed, re-
quested his wife to make suitable prOvis.
ion for rewarding the long and faithful
service Of some old household servitors-
and this, unfortunately, WAS never done.
Then he made his will, which, after pro.
viding for the payment Of his just debts,
simply prescribed: Il give. devise and
bequeath all my estate, both real and per-
sOnal, TO my heirs at law, to be divided
between them according to the laws OF
the State of New York"
That was all. Then he died, and the
trouble began. The widow OF his son
Henry brought suit in the name Of her
child, the old mans grandson, to compel
the conversion back to the estate of the
large gifts made by Mr.. MORGAN on his
deathbed, on the ground that be had been
subjected TO undue influence to induce
the making OF them in such an unusual
manner. Other legal heirs, whose indi-
Viduality it Is not necessary to partlcu-
larZe, came forward with similar ac-
lions, and the subsequent proceedings
got along so well that there is a prospect
that some more hearings viii be had in
the next January term Of the Court Of
Appeals.
Mrs. Mary Jane Morgan, the widow, re-
eeived Der share Of the estate, consider
ably over Se,000,000, in addition to the
100000 given her in cash by her husband
on his deathbed. She also retained as ad-
minIstratrlx from the shares Of the other
heirs, TO secure herself against the pOssi-
bic outcome OF various litigations begun
against the estate, some S1,200, 600, which
sum, in view of recent developments,
seems 70 have got mixed up with her es-
tate, and 70 have been subjected to the
same processes Of reduction that operated
TO the serious dimlnutiOn Of her possess
sions up to the time OF her death, which
occurred In July last.
When she became a widow Mrs Morgan
owned in her own right and held in trust,
as specified, considerably over $4,000. 0OO
When she died, SIX years later, her estate,
at the most liberal valuation OF the stu
pendOus miscellaneous collection Of works
Of art, bric-a-bTac, jewelry. orchids, and
the like. that formed the bulk Of il. was
not worth more than $4,000, 600. That IN
cludes the sum retained by her as ad-
ministrairix Of her husbands estate
cash, negotiable securities, and all. What
became Of the missing quantity, aud Of
tne natural accretiOns upon so large a
sumg Mr.. Thomas DObsOn, attorney and
counsellor at law, being questioned upon
this matter, replied:
"During her widOwhoOd | served Mrs.
Morgan in a professional capacity, and
was thoroughly cOnyersant with the con
ditions and circumstances OF her life, her
associations, social and business, and
with her transactions. | have every rea-
son 10 believe | knew also the means by
which certain persons aYailed themselves
other periodically recurrent mental weak
nesses for the attainment Of their own
ends.
MIR. Charles MorRan's funeral sermon
was preached by the Rev. Nathaniel w
Conkhng. do not thiuk that before that
occasion he was at all acquainted with
Ms. Morgan. After that he Immediately
began coming to administer such cQns3la.
lion as her bereavement seemed tOrequire.
de was then pastor of the Presbyterian
church Of the old Rutgers street congre-
CATION on the corner Of Madison avenue
ana Twenty ninth street, in which ca
pacity be continued to serve until 4sSl. i
bad occasion to frequently visit the Rev.
Dr. C0nhlng where he lived at the
time Of bis earlier acquaintance with
Mrs. Morgan, and know Well what his cir
cumstances then were. The occasion OF
my VISITS were when was sent To- min by
Mrs. Morgan. He then, with isfamuy
occupied the parlor floor and basement
OF the house 112 East Thirty-tirst street
between Lexington aud Fourth avenues.
his parl0r was then furnished with eheap
black halrciOth upholstered furniture. the
carpet was 2 thin Brussels, and his walls
fNF h.fsN .raaa al