Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1891-05-02
HER GROCERY BILL,
one OF the Vanderbilts Sued nv a
Dealer in Sugar, Candles
and Salt.

OIlnSS pam ana sorrow anC
is met with difficulty.
But that granddaughter of the late
Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. in re-
ceipt OF an income of $15, 900 per annum
should have difficulty in paving 70,
the canned tomatoes, the succulent cod
hsh and other toothsome deIicacie,
bought from a confding grocer seems
indeed strange.
Yet such appears to be the case, judg.
ing from a suit which came IN vester.
Gay IN 1onkers before Lawyer John F.
brennan, referee appointed by Judge
Dykman. The case involved the suit OF
Eugelke q Co., grocers of Tarrytown, the
claims of the plaintiff with interest
amount to nearly $4,000. The defend
ant In the action is Mrs. Sophia Wander
ollt Morse, granddaughter of the late
Commodore.
Mrs, Morse is the daughter of Mrs. J.
Madison Cross, who was a daughter OF
Commodore Vanderbilt. Mrs. Cross
and her husband are both dead, and
Mrs. Morse came into possession of the
annuity of SIS 900 year left her mother.
THEIR ADVENT IN TARRYTowN.
Mrs. Morse's husband was the Rev. J.
b. Morse, Baptist clergyman. For
many years the family lived at White
Plains. Early in the seventies, how
ever, they moved to Tarrytown and oc-
cupied splendid house on broadway on
the Highland overlooking the Hudson.
In front of them was the handsome
house of Lewis Roberts. Not far awav
were the magnificent Conservatives and
summer residence, while in the distance
doomed up the towers of Artist Bier
stadt's castle on the Hudson.
In spite of their exclusive location the
Morses were not received in the society
'ot Tarrytown. Whispers of queer goings
'on In the Morse household were soon
rife IN the quiet town and gossip followed
from White Plains. None of the family
ever attended church.
Mr.. Morse frequently went to the city,
and it was said that he preached in some
institution on Blackwel's Island. Some
years ago his reputation for piety be-
came shattered.
In 1885 old Mr.. Morse died. Then
there were more rumors about the other
members of the family 1t was said
that the widow received attentions from
young man Of the town. She is said
to have given him a pair of diamond
studs, which, with the aid of her coach
man, she took away from him again the
next time he called. There were many
other stories, too, which iberal-minded
people believe were untrue.
GRACE's ELoPEMENT
Be that as it may, one fine day larry
town was startled to learn that Grace
Morse, Mrs. Morse's eldest daughter and
a great-granddaughter of a Vanderbilt,
had eloped with an Irish coachman. His
name was George D. Minton. At first
the citizens of Tarrytown were shocked.
Then they shook their heads wisely and
said, Gust what we expected"
Soon after this occurrence Mrs. Morse
left Tarrytown. At the time she is said
to have owned about $4,000. Before
going away she went to see Mr.. Engelke
and told him that she was going to board
in New York, where she could live for
5000 month, which would allow her to
save enough to pay off her Indebtedness
in year. What happened after that
can best be told in Mr.. Engelke's own
words as he repeated the story to me
yesterday in his big grocery store near
the railroad station at Tarryt town:
81 saw Mrs. Morse again very soon
after she left Tarrytown," he said. "In
fact she used to come up here regularly.
One day she said to me, Mr.. Engelke,
l feel very nervous
"She needn't have told me that. If
you said boo to her she would Jump
six feet. asked her if she did not
smoke too many cigarettes. OH that
isn't it, she replied. My grandfather
was high rolter and Pm a high roller,
too"
SHE FOUND MOSES.
''The next time she came up she in
formed me that she had found a Moses
to lead her out of the wilderness in the
person of DR.. B. NJ. Keeney, whom she
had met at the New York hotel Well,
the result of that meeting was that this
man Keeney got complete control OF
the woman and her money. He wanted
to starve Grace Minton so as to make
her leave her husband and come to New
York. He made Mrs. Morse write me
to give Grace only SIS worth of groceries
week. The next day she came up her
self and said that she had written the
letter under compulsion and told me to
let her daughter have whatever she
wanted. Keeney also got her into q
house he owned on 121st street and
charged her $4,000 year for it.
''He says now that Mrs. Morse's debts
are still unpaid and that she ewes him
$4,000. That is a very remarkable
showing. l have nothing against Mrs
Morse whatever, believing her to be
wholly under the influence of this fellow
Keeney. The house the Morses lived in
while here is now the property of George
Jones, the brother of Lieutenant Gov.
ernor Jones'"
MR.. LovATT's STATEMENT.
LAWYER Edward T. Loyatt of larry
town corroborates all that Mr.. Engelke