Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1890-02-01
HE WILL GET HIS PAPERS BACK.

- % 8 -. - -
But He Was roolisl, Even to Send Thens
to Xr. Corneiiua vanderbilt. ;.s
Cornelius Vanderbilt has probably
been the recipient Of more begging.
letters tllan any other man in this
country Every European,nail alone:
brings q dozen. written III almost Us
many languages. Tie writers usually
have tales of woe to tell. antinvalia-s
bly, wind up with a request fora re-
spectacle amountof cash. There are
some who only ask it as loan, while
others demand cool thousand asa
gift. Exaggerated accounts Of Mr.
Eanderbilts wealth find their way
from time to time into the European
papers, and the inpecunious lnthvid-
uals who rcad them think Of himeas
nothing less than a second Midas: A
curious fact about these letters is that
large number Of them contain docu-
ments which are OF priceless value to
their OWNERS They are reckiessly sent.
over the ocean as proof of The writer's
good character, and are often accom-
panied by solemn attestations before q
notary that the man is what he repre-
sents himself to be. Others contain
patent papers and diagrams Of railroad
devices which the owners are anxious
10 sell. Three-lourths OF all these Let
tors are never read by Mr.. Vanderbilt's
private secretary, but arc packed away
until they are heavily coated with
dust. So frequent have these letters
become that Mr. Eanderbilt's secretary
declines to receive any registered mat
ter brought around by the carriers
which comes from q European source
when the sender is not known to him.
Even this action hasn't stopped the
avalanche OF letters to any great ex-
tent.
One Of the most curious instances Of
these begging letters came to thsEAllo-
tieo of The Sun last week The1Suni
wss asked TO obtain the return for a
Young Austrian OF letters and docu-s
ments which he had sent on to Mr.,
Vanderbilt from Vienna months be-
fore. The story Of the young man. as
told in his own letter. is an interest,
ing one He says he resigned from
the service OF the Austro-Hungarlan
army with the rank of commissioned
officer. and now occupies a place in
the service of the imperial railroad
system. Financial troubles, which
followed him from the military serv-
ice, had weighed him down with debts
and prevented him marrying the girl
of his choice, with whom lie had kept.
company for twelve years. She was
all orphan, and lie was anxious as
soon as his means permitted 10 make
her his wife.
Now it happened" he continues,
in his quaint way, that | read i'll one
OF the Vienna papers of the great
wealth of Mr. Cornelius Vanderbilt,
of New York, and it occurred to me TO
apply to him for assistance. stating i'll
my letter our harassing circumstances
aud inclosiug original documents OF
the greatest importance to me; my
certificate Of commissioned officer, de-
cree Of appointment to the railroad
service, free pass with photograph, en-
titling me to ride free on all the roads
of our system; also several receipts.
showing that 1 strive earnestly to pay
off every month such parts Of my in
dcbtedness as could afford.
He bundled up these documents and
inclosetl them 10 Mr. Vanderbilt in a
letter asking for loan in the early part
OF last May. Of course no answer
came to him. and, after waiting until
Aug. 10, lie wrote again, this time
praying for the return of his docu-
ments, the need OF which he was be-
ginning to feel sorely in order to APP
ply for promotion. Of course he re-
ceived no answer. Then he began to
think that the vanderbilts were not the
philanthropists he had thought He
happened to read in another Hunsa-
rian paper of Dr. Webs pleasure trip
in luxuriously appointed cars across
the country, so in despair he wrote to
the doctor to have him use his good
services in restoring his papers: This
result failed him, too. When his let
ter came to The Sun Office, telling this
story. one OF the young men was sent
up to see DR.. Depew, whose heart soft
ened when he heard tho pitiful story
of the Austrian. He turned The Suns
young man over to Mr. Vanderbilt's
private secretary, who brought out a
bulky package and spread the letters
which it contained on the table. Half
way down the pile the missing docu.
ments were found just as they had
been received. On the back OF the free
pass spoken OF was the photograph OF
handsome, soldierly appearing young
man, who was the Austrian himself.
His letter was written in an exquisite
hand, and his face showed him TO be
evidently a man of refinement, His
documents wcre weighty with the
seals and stamps of the Austrian gov
ernment. His address was taken down
and Mr.. Depew ordered that the pa
pers be promptly sent back to him by
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