New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-26
CORNELL'S LOST MILLIONS.
STRANGE ROMANCE OF A woMAN's WILL
HOW JENNY MGR>w LEFT WILLARD flshE
$1,000, oOo-AN EAGER EXECUTOR AND
A SHARP YOUNG LAWYER

SHARP YOUNG LAWYEK
Daniel Willard Fiskc was born IN Syr'"'' ~ -,
and there, back in the foTties lie paNseu III ,is
with Andrew d. White. poth were StuulousS NV 1.,
White went 70 Hobart University ana aitef"au " Nv
a -. oa..rad Hamilton College at Madison, ~ "
wbere bc became the friend and intimate companion
of Charles dudley Warner and joseph Il, i""i'S
United states senator from Cohhee"ou. e
Fiske was recognized by all VINO hie" MN " a.,
sessed ~ exceptional mental brillancy Ills hnsuiSo
mowers were remarkable 1t the present nno' u''U,
- . s,,p, ,,ll;er in the English. German, frehch'
Danish swedish, Italian. spanish ana Aido.' ""e"'
he IS looked upon as the most acoonpIi>n0u s,,
scholar living. 4 curious interest IN inc - 49,.
languages led to his going to Europe anu VIZ" .p'
rurnose in view he left Hamilton College beiore OiAhs
n,s a.cree Durpr that trip lie became the companion
n, Ravard TAYLOR who then trudgihs OH INC
tramp that resulted IN his view"
Fiskes linguistic craze impelled MIN 10 ocoo"o
student in Upsala University IN 0"ouon' -
which institution lie was the hrs' c''V'i
student and there he subsequently op'"'m'U ~
decree After his graduation he came 10 tle o"'
of New-York. and APPOINTED the assistant no n,
of the Aston Library. II was ~ 'n"V . ai ~ -
strong mental powers found a dehoIs'I'''o" IT, 49,
r,ayng in which pastme he diNplaycd re'!'aIhao"
h,i,v He organized the great American 'heSS
ro,rrament of l5jI. which led to the discover
NJ the wonderful mental powers OF Paul NorP"' y"
was made secretary Of the American NhV,7 ,,,
and in that capacity raised the money V'a' e'"p
nornhy make victorious touI '"""e" -
he edited and published the records Of the Aier'.""
CO. Corcress and issued the FIST chess percdioa
aver nublished in this country The American NnT''
Magazine After Morphy's return from EUROPE '."'
showed his mcttle as a master Oh inc po"" W =;
four squares by defeating the American "'"
what Mo,phy said was the best game Oh 49,
ever engaged in In this connection 1t shouiu u
recorded that Fiske had the Advantage "a wv
of two other players of icnowh' ,,isr
Fiske however. had n trend towuu 'oui'''S''
and in 1865 he become the editor OF i"o 'H'
Journal, His management Of that hc"sp'pei W.
not conspicuOusly brilliant, ana was '''"S u.s.
tnR,shed by his success III achieving INC '"S~"h
.rr,,,v of Roscoe ConNng. rather lrlVlh uuh6
w.s the cause During convention held IN syracuse
Conklinc was called upon for speech ana "en'co"'
anparently without preparation, one Oh tle e'V"'0'
efforts of his life" Editor Fiskc BETRAYED inc i"''
that he had had the speech In type lot SIN "o','
nror N IFS delivery In 1867 Fiske's boyhood friends
,Iar,.v and Warner induced him 10 go to Hartford
rnrr where he was made the editor Of The Har'io"
coursnt.n He remained there for about one year,
ri. charlton for Cornell University passed the
,.cis,a.rre 81 the state Of New-lork in 1sos. a.
that time Andrew Il. White, the boyhood i''cnu "
Daniel Willard Fiskc, was state senator ii',.
syracuse District. and Ezra Cornell from 'ic ioIp
sirs county District Their seats were side DS sue
Mr. White had been professor OF history III ~
I,,iverstv and Was very much interested III 'c O"''0
~ education At this time the college La"u "'",'
Act had gone into effect By us PEV'Is'V
state was entitled to 10000 acres OF puohc ilu ~.
each Congressional district rms gave -, 49,.
ooo 900 acres The act further provided IN orucf ua'
there should not be emporium impero un'' ",o
s.a. cod NOT itself locate the land but might sell
the right to locate. The result was that Hhe puD"
land market was gutted and the right OF Iocauo" wa"
heinr sold for a song. Andrew ID. "hl'c ooAi''N0.
the idea of using this land grant Tor the ehoo"io"'
A. n great college in Ncw-York state ana mentioned
he IA
tbe state Of Ncy-York would surrender all It's rights
unaer the College Land Grant Act he womb con
tribute $500 900 Of his own money ~ was "'uo
these circumstances and conditions that the '"'iU
for Cornell University was passed. IL o','uoI w
name despite the protests OF Ezra Cornell Mr. White
Insisting that Il should be so named Inc HorupdH
clause in the charter provided that the college cor
marathon could only hold property TO the amount OF
So 900 600 and thereby hangs this tale. MI Nhne
vas the organizer Of the Cornell institution and TO
him more than any one else is Its success que II
was founded on most liberal basis and for the hrs'
time introduced into this country the German Uni
versity system in contrast with the English College
system which at that Nme universally prevailed,
having It's strongest examples In the colleges OF har
ward and Yale. The first man President White calico
To his assistance in his task was Daniel wizard
Fiske who was made librarian of the university and
professor Of North European languages In preparing
the first university catalogue, through a printers
error the first part Of Professor Fishes name was
omitted and in consequence he has ever since been
known as Willard Fiske. lie became the popular man
of the faculty. scholars and professors loved nm
equally we'll lie was known AS the students friend
He took e keencst interest the studies of the young
men nii1lsed his but nearest and dearest and
closest 10 him was young student from Elmira named
Charles r. Bacon, who for five years lived with Pro-
lessor Fiske and Mrs. Fiske. the professors mother
and considered as member OF the household
John McGraw lived in Ithaca lie was a lumber
man. possessed Of millions Of dollars. lie had but
one child a daughter, Jenny Nc Graw. she was
the annie of his eve What she lacked IN facial
and physical beauty more than compensated by
the brancy Of her intellect. She was extremely well
educated Meeting Professor Fiske she discovered in
him a kindred spirit, and in time a mutual ad
miration warmed into fond DEVOTION TO jenny
McGraw Professor Fiske proposed MARRIAGE Tho
yonng woman rjoiced at the proposition, Dut
when her father consulted he barred the path with
an emphatic negative. lie had no OBJECTION he said,
to Professor Fiske. but his daughter was the only
earthly tie he had remaining. and While lie lived he
did not wish that she should marry Jenny Nc
Craw being a dutifu daughter, sadly a>sentcd 70
her fathers decree and told her lover that she would
not become his wife while her father lived In 1877
John McGraw died. leaving his entire property 10
his daughter who little dreamed OF its extent The
executors named in the lumbcrmans last belucss
were his old friend and business partner. Henry ".
Sage and Justice Douglass Boardman, Of the supreme
Court Of the state of Ncw-York. judge Eoaidman
al once instructed the heircss that IT her duty
10 make her will. and she did promptly. she
bequcathed 100000 to each Of number Of cousins,
various sums Of money ~ charitable IN. ttutoII,.
legaces TO personal friends TO the number Of or
more including in this enumeration $4,000 TO Professor
Fske and the residue of the estate which sub
seouently asceraincd amounted to more than $1,000,
OoO was set apart for Cornell University This
disposition of the fortune made al the sugge ton
lD al :
actions as executor appears 10 have been dominated
Inv the one thought OF dvertlng the dead lumbcran
cold into the Golfers Of Cornell University. lie
found himself confronted with this uncomfortable
problem. His ward unm Iicd woman
with So 900, 900 In her possession AID she AID her
money were liable To be snapped up by tnc first
Good looking. plausible, glib young fellow who might
LA. LIshaud ,rLnn,cE he uIiChL la