Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-22
Willis OF MILLIONAIRBS.
Some Curious Ways in Which Fortunes
are Disposed of--The Tombs Of
the Rich and How They
Are Guar dsd-Rufus Hatch on jaw
6ouId-Soms Queer Wills Of Rich
Fren chnen-Fii!y Dollars
Year for a Cst and Dog-Compcu Inter.
est aid its Wonderful Accommodations
How Milncnsfres Left Ihsir Money.
Copyrighted, lSSS. by the Author.
here is no pocket in shrOud.

not prevent the bCdy-snatchers seiziDs
his corpse, and it is said that il cost $50,
900 year TO guard the ashes Of William
H. Vanderbilt. The Vanderbilt tomb rs;
cost hall million dollars ard $50 day
is spent for the detective guard which il
new kept about it. II Is perhaps the
costliest tomb in this country. Il is more
| ths1 100 fset square and siXtv-three fseI
! high. l. Weigh3 about tenth as much es
the Wash HgtOn monument, snd it lies n
! the MoraVisn cemetery Oh Staten Island
upOn The ground Thich gave the Wander
bits their start il the Uaited States. II
| is watched night and day sad in order to
| better protect lis contents s powerful
fame is lighted from its cnp1ls at night.
| The detectives have to inspect the tomb
every half hour and there is an electric
register which shows whether they have
done their duty.
The guarding OF rich mems graves has
become g reSulsr Business siGce me deSth
! 90 \. Z. Stewart, ard few pr0m!nSua men
| die whose remains aTe poS watched for
| some weeks af.er their intetment. The
VAULT il which i. A. Dcexers body lay
was watched months after bis death, and
: widow # another Of Pbiladelphla'5 NIL
| l01Girts II addition to guarding her hus-
osnd's grave has MASSIVE granite slab
put upon il, so heaVy that 1t could not be
moved without the use If powerful l2s
chinery.
J&y Could has 6 miUsoleUm IN Wood
lawn Cemetery, 3nd his lOS there is & cir
cular one containing about four acres.
There is not single tree nor shrub upon
it, aad J,y Guild when ne leaves his
$500, coo, coo and, without his check BOOK,
passes 20 the other world, Will rest ia en-
Ionic temple made Of unpublished Westerly
granite. Thirty columns, eleven ie.t
high snd about f0oa il diameter will ~
hold the roof above hi3 remains, Crce SO
rich but now SO poor, and e broIza door
Of GreCian design will shut cut me IL
trUdsrs aud give visitors s c1aLce TO peep
through the holes WhiCa are pierced in il
al the magniicalCe within. The tOuud.-
ton is concrete, a1G single stone forms
The floor. There is q windoT with the
picture Of choir of angels upon il which
throws q soft ltehs INFO me TOMB, sod the
Vzu!t will be as big SO j5at o! he CapuIets
and will give au unCEoYded resting place
70 2t IeSst score Il d9aO.
RUFUS H2'Ch, who is writer as well SIS
2 millionaire Spectator, gave al estimate
last yeEr Of what Jay Gould's will you'd
pEo54bly b., sud as says that the living
tol property will go to Mrs Gould With
an income of $1,000 year. Gould will
give 100000 TO eacn Of his children
ia trust uasil they are tWentY-Cne years
Of age, and the bulk IF the Test CT his
property viii so TO charity, with the ex-
CeptIcn Of $50, 0,C00 which will be given
TO his sou George J Gould to keep up tie
family name and reputation. So thinks
Rufus Hatch, but l think it is very prob
&5le that the whole Of tie fortune will go
to the family. Jay Gould has not been
noted for his generosity TO the poor dur
ing lifetime, and ne Will hardly care to
make q reputation of this kind after his
death. His S200,000,0 900 will be put in
such shape that it Will continue TO grow
until either his children or his chiIdren's
children fight over will, and the lawyers
and his descendants scatter it TO the
winds.
& fortune OF the size of Golld's seldom
escapes q will suit. The Vaaderbilt's
have had their turn in the court, ard
shortly after A. T. Stewart died a score
OF claimants brought suits for part of
his property. Stewart had no children
himself and the lawyers got good fees
cut Of his widow. The estate Of John
Anderson, the rich tobaccontst, Is Still be-
ing fought over in the courts, G contes-
taut has lately appeared for the Girard
estate and few rich men are able to make
their wills so sound that lawyers cannot
puncture them. Ii there Is anything cut
Of the usual line in them the deceased is
accused of insanity, and the qneerest
actions Of sane men are often exhibited |
in their wills. & French millionaire |
named Henri Meynard, who died in the !
south of France about TWO years ago, was
during his life esteemed man Of extra !
ordinary common sense. He smassed a |
large fortune in cotton spinning and was |
one OF the most noted officers Of the |
French government in his part of the |
Still bis will was contested by |
MA heirs on the ground of insanity, and |
III certainly contained some cur
ous provisions. 1t directed th.t his |
;Cffiu s,.ould be deposited In tomb cut
IN solid block Of stone and that cemen. |
should be run into the lnterstices and
over the top SO that the whole should
form one solid mass. Upon the top Of
the whole stone WAS then to be cemented |
was then TO be put up in the cuDola OF
MS house. The will directed that his
home, containing art collections to the
amount Of $4,000. should remain uniu-
abited except by the scores of dogs,
pigeons and other pets which
he testator was so fond OF during his
lifetime, and that the house should re-
main untouched except for repairs. An
10 LrnnHhrNea I'D hsl /
cooking receip5 should be pasted on his
omb each day, anc another millionaire
provided thai "a epitaph TO his dog
hould be put beside his own upon his
monument.
There is million.ire in Connecticut
gho has now passed his three score and
en- Who has made his own coffin, and
Who has arranged sill the details of his
uneral. His name is Richardson,
nd he Is ssld to be the richest man in
He is good business man
nd has increased q fortune which his
ather LEFT him. He Is crank on the
ubject of elm timber for coffius, and it
3 now forty years since he sent to Fog
snd for an elm sapling. While 1t was (
rowing he told his friends that he In
ended TO be finally buried within II, and
bat he hoped 70 have enough wood from
. TO furnish coffins for ali his friends. A {
sw years ego the tree, then over thirty !
ears old, was cut down and enough ma
srial got out Of it to make three collins. '
lie packed one CT these away in his gar
ct for himself, burning his name into
ne top and sides with iron. He said that
n engraved plate would be too ex-
ensive, and Ills directions for his fun !
raj provide that he simplest ceremony