Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-27
Soms Curious Ways in Which Fortunes
are Disposed of--The Tombs Of
the Rich and Row They
Are Gusrded-Rnfus hatch on Jsy
Gould-soms Qaeer wills OF Rich
FreEchmeD-FifiyD 0ilarsa
Year for a Cat and DoG-Ccmpound Inter
est ar d its Wonderful Accommodations.
How Mil,ionaires Left Thstr Money.
Copyrighted, 1855, by the Author.
NJ ra I, w ,1oBo- in "A sbrf,nI

not prevent the body-snatcheIS seiZing
mis- corpse, and it is said that it cost $780,,
900 year to guard the ashes Of William
II. Vanderbilt. The Vanderbilt tomb hiss
cos. half million dollars and $50 a day
is spent for the detective gusrd which is
now kept about it. It IS perhaps the
costliest tomb in this country. II is more
than l00 feet square and siXty-three feet
high. 1t weighs about tenth IS much IS
the Wash ngton monument, and 1t lies IN
the Moravian cemetery on Staten Island
upon the ground which gave the Wander
bits their start in the UGited States. 1t
is watched night and day and in order to
better protect its contents powerful
fame is lighted from its cup0la st night.
The detectives have to inspect the tomb
every hall hour and there is an electric
register which shows whether they have
done their duty.
The guarding OF rich mems graves hiss
become regular business since the Geath
of A. T. Stewart, and few prominent men
die whose remains are not watched for
some weeks after their interment. The
vsu!t in which F. A. Drexel's body lay
was watched months sitter his death, and
widow ct another Of Philadelphia's mil
lionaires IN addition TO guarding her hu5-
pand's grave has MASSIVE granite slab
put upon it, so heavy that it could not be
moved without the use Of powerful ma
| chinerY.
| jaw Gould has mausoleum IN Wood
lawn cemetery, and his lot there Is q cir
cular one containing about four acres.
There is not single tree nor shrub upon
| il, and jay Gould when he Leaves his
$500, coo, 900 and, without his check book,
passes 20 The other world, VIII rest IL an
Ionic temple made Of unpublished westerly
granite. Thirty columns, eleven feet
high and about s foot in diameter will up
hold the roof above his remains. once so
rich but now so poor, and or0rze dcor
Of Grecian design will shut out the in
truders and give visitors chance to peep
through the holee which are pierced in 1t
st the magDificence within. The founds-
ton is concrete, ald single stone forms
the floor. There Is window with the
picture of choir OF angels upon 1t which
throws soft light ipto the TOMB, and the
vault will be as big as that OK the Capulets
aud will give an uncroWded resting place
TO at least score CT dead.
Rufus Hatch, who is 9 writer as well es
millionaire Spectator, gave al estimate
last year Of what Jay Gould's will would
probably be, and be says that the Irving
ton property will 60 to Mrs. Gould with
an income of 100000 ayear. Gould will
give $1,000,000 to eacn Of his children
in trust until they sre twentY-one years
of age, and the bulk of the rest OF his
property will 60 to charity, with the tx
ception OF $50 900, Goo which will be given
to his son George j. Gould to keep up the
family nsme and reputation. Sc thinks
Rufus Hatch, but | think it is very proc
ssle that tue whole Of the fortune will go
to the family. Jay Gould has not been
noted for his generosity to the poor dur
ing lifetime, and he will hardly care to
make q reputation of this kind after his
deash. His 100000, 900 will be put il
such shape that it Will continue TO grow
until either his children or his children'f
children fight over will, and the lawyers
.. and his descendants scatter it to the
winds.
A fortune OF the size Of Gould's seldom
escapes q will suit. The Vanderbilt:
have had their turn in the court, anC
shortly after A. T. Stewart died score
OF claimants brought suits for q part O
his property. Stewart had no children
himself and the lawyers got good fee
} Anderson, the rich tobacconist, is still be
. ing fought over in the courts, contes
| tant has lately appeared for the Girert
estate and few rich men sTe able to max
j their wills 80 sound that lawyers CannO
puncture them. II there is anything GU
i of the usual line in them the deceased i
accused Of insanity, and the queeres
actions of sane men are often exh!bite
a
nsmed Henri Meynard, who died in tn
: south of France about two years sgo, We
& during his life esteemed man OF extra
8 ordinary common sense. He amassed
e large fortune in cotton spinning snd wa
e one of the most noted officers OF tn
e French government in his part Of tn
country. Still his will WIS contested b
his hers on the ground Of insanity, an
il; certainly contained some cul
iols provisions. II directed that b:
L ccffin slould be deposited Ia 6 tomb Gu
in q solid block, Of stone and thai omen
J.. should be run into the lntefs!ices al
- over the top so that the whole shoul
. form one solid mass. Upon the top
IL the whole stone was then TO be cemente
20 snd the solid block containing the bod
IS was then 10 be put up in the cuoCls c
~ home, containing srt collections TO To
70 amount Of $4,000. should remain anil
y abited except by the scores OF dogs
o. chickens, pigeons and other pets WHO
4 the teststor was so fond OF during n
OF lifetime, and that the house should RI
Ii main untouched except for repairs Ar
IS other Frenchman provided thst ne
cooking receipt should be pasted on
tomb each day, and another Inillonal1
= provided that an epitgph 10 his &C
should be put beside his own upon q
monument.
Id There is q millionaire in Connectic'
who has now passed his three score al
i ten who has made his own coffio, 81
"a who has arranged ell the details OF b
- funeral. His name Is R:caardso
,, aud he Is ssld to be the richest man
az Connecticut. He is good business mt
ID and has increased fortune which q
g, father left him. He is z crank On q
Id subject of elm timber for coffius, and
Id is now forty years siuce he sent to Eo
r, land for an elm sapling. While 1t W
r growing he told his friends that De
st tended TO be fnslly buried within Il, 81
n that he hoped to have enough wood fro
n, it TO furnish ccffins for all his friends.
We few years ago the tree, then over tnlf
~ years old, was cut down snd enough m
= terial got cut CT it to make three cofhl
He packed one CT these away IN his gs
ret for himself, burning his name n
the top and sides with iron. lie SAID IN
sn engraved plste would be too E.
pensiye, and his sdirectiors for bis IN
eral provide that The simplest ceremo