The Savannah morning news., 1903-03-12
GEORCIAAND FLORIDA
FELDNER LOSES ooRBIN SUIT.

A dispatch to the Baltimore Sun from
New York says: After years of liti
cation Thomas J. Feldner, who began
life as Austin Corbin's Office boy, and
who is now a man worth millions,
has lost his suit for $4,000, which he
claimed as his alleged share of the
profits of the land department of the
Corbin Banking Company. interviewer
with the details of Mr.. Feldners suit
is a romance of love and fortune. This
Georgia boy obtained the confidence of
Austin Corbin, won the daughter of
Milton H. Smith, president of the
Louisville and Nashville Railway, al
though a rival shot himself in the
young womans presence, and finally
Mr.. Feldner and his bride became
the adopted children of Samuel NJ.
Murphy, known as the surface rail-
way king of Tennessee. Mr.. Murphy
left them a fortune of from $,5O0,0O0
TO 81. 900 900. Mr.. Feldners claim was
that Austin Corbin, before his death,
entered into an agreement with him
by which he was to have One-half of
the profits of the land department Of
the company. He was unable to pro-
duce this agreement, but alleged that
il had been taken, with other papers,
from his desk by George S. Edgell,
one of the surviving members of the
firm. Mr.. Edgen is well known in
banking circles and had President
Roosevelt as his guest at Newport,
n. H., last fall, where the preserves
of the Corbin estate are located. Mr..
Edgell denied taking Mr.. Feldner's pa
pers and the onus of proving the
existence of partnership agreement be-
ing on Mr.. Feldners shoulders, the
United States court decided against
him. Austin Corbin took a liking to
Thomas j. Feldner when ne was a
boy in the Atlanta branch Office OF the
banking company. Mr.. COrbin brought
him to this city when he was q years
old and put him in charge of the land
department at a salary of $500 a
year. Mr.. Corbin died in June, 1896,
and later in the same year Mr.. Field
ner presented a claim for half the
profits of the land department up to
that time. When this claim was made
Feldner was discharged. In January,
1884, he brought suit in the United
States District Court for the South
ern District of Georgia against George
S. Edgell as one of the surviving mem
bers of the banking company. AS the
corporate had assets amounting to
more than $1.000,000 in Georgia, his
action threw the property in that state
into the hands of a receiver for time.
The case was finally argued and sub
mitted to Judge Emory Speer in July,
1901 His decision has just been rem
dered The costs will amount, Vt is
said, to about $4,000. Mr.. Feldner's
marriage in 1898, to Miss Nettie Bell
Smith, a daughter of Milton II. Smith,
followed closely upon William Preston
Thornton's attempted suicide. Thorn
ton had been engaged to Miss Smith.
When he received a note from her
declining to keep an appointment he
went to her home and shot himself
in Miss Smiths presence. Soon after
his marriage, Mr.. Feldner formed the
acquaintance of the late Samuel NJ.
Murphy. Mr.. and Mrs. Murphy had
no children, and they became so much
attached to Mr.. and Mrs. Feldner that
they adopted them. Mr.. Murphy died
in 1900, leaving practically all of his
estate to Mr.. and Mrs. Feldner.