The sun., 1907-08-29
BRIGHT EYES'S PHONE VOICE
iNDERRILT COULD HARDLY
TELL 1T FROM NAYS.


Request for Mrs. Peppers Presence.
The lunacy commission which Ia inouir-
'rG into the sanity Of Edward Ward Wander
tilt husband Of May 8. Pepper. the spiritual
-, heard yesterday the story of his twenty
ear-old daughter. Minerva, upon whose
etition Justice Maddox decided that an
insanity inquiry was proper. Miss Wander
"ilt was on the stand most OF the day and
told why she had extracted from her fathers
desk batch OF letters to her father from
the spirit Bright Eyes. from Mrs. Pepper
and from his dead wife, written 20 him
through Bright Eyes. and had engaged
lawyers to petition for a hnacy commits
sion.
Through her testimony her lawyers
had her fathers will. made on February
ls last, nearly four months before he mar
ried Mrs. Pepper. introduced in evidence.
The will leaves Mrs. Pepper Vanderbilt
$4,000 cash and the two Vanderbilt farms
on Long Island and bequeaths the residue
Of the estate. IL there 10 any. to his two
daughters. Minerva and Florence. This
remaining property is to be distributed
at the discretion Of Mrs. Pepper-v anderbilt,
who 10 named a. sole executrix OF the will.
At the opening Of the hearing Mr.. Wander
bilt was called 10 the stand by his counsel,
ex-Judge Grifing Of Riverhead. and aues-
toned regarding his ability to handle his
affairs and concerning his courtship Of
Mrs. Pepper. He said he had prepared
his own case in two suits against him in
Suffolk county and had won them both.
He said that neither Mrs. Pepper nor Bright
Eyes had ever asked him TO transfer any
10 avI
Pepper-Vanderbit had never attempted
TO interfere with his business in any way
Besides the property he gave his wife he
couldn't remember making any other
presents except a library table.
I'VE are companions--the best OF COM
panions,' he said. Il worship and love
her with my whole heart, and she's as fine a
wife as any woman ever was to a husband :"
Lawyer Rosenberg wanted to know why
his wife wasn't at his side to aid him in
the present proceedings. Mr.. Wander
bilt said he was just as competent to deny
the insanity charges as his wife, and de-
clared emphatically that he wasn't under
the hypnotic influence of his wife or any
body else.
Mr.. Vanderbilt said he told his daughter
in advance that he was going to marry
home with them. His daughter told him,
he said. that she didn't think she would
be happy under those conditions, and one
night when he went home he found his
daughter gone and most Of the furniture
removed from the house.
The daughters counsel then tried to get
n few more spirit letters in the records
but Mr.. Vanderbilt wouldn't admit that
H.. h.l III
Of his letters had been stolen from his
desk but he couldn't say which of those
presented for identification had been re-
ceived. The letters were ruled out.
When Miss Vanderbilt was called to the
stand she said that prior to her fathers
second marriage he had always called her
his pet She said he didn't tell her of his
intention TO marry Mrs. Fepper and de-
clayed that she learned II from outside
Then with tears coming to her eyes and
her voice trembling she told how when
her mother died her father said he wished
the spirits would take him too. In telling
of her fathers talks to her on spiritualisn
after her mothers death Miss Vanderbilt
said:
"On one occasion father told me that he
had caught a glimpse of mamma and that
che looked very much as she did on earth.
When told him that seemed impossible
that didn't see how spirit could resemble
ssyhs ssiS was s.s Ps pSs, sss her
became attentive TO Mrs. Pepper he wax
away from home much Of the time and
appeared to be neglecting his business.
Was he ever away all nightr she was
Yes; one Sunday night. He returned
at 9 o clock the next morning and said he
had been staying with q sick friend. Sub
sequently he told me that Mrs. Pepper had
been robbed recently. and that he remained
st her house that night to protect her and
Who stayed with you'' her counsel
asked.
My dog
Miss Vanderbilt paid she spoke, to her
and that he told he that mamma always
got stronger when hi and Mrs. Pepper were
together" She said he told her she would
have to sleep in the hayloft il she went to the
farm.
Miss Vanderbilt thus described one Of her
fathers telephone talks with Bright Eyes
at q time when he had sprained his ankle,
the telephone bell having rung just as he
reached the house,
"My father said. Hello, May and My
ankles pretty bad Then he started with
surprise and said: % Bright Eyesl Well
l can hardly tell you apart. So you saw
me fall and sprain my ankle. 10 was too
had you couldn't hold me up. Good-byl'
Id reply 10 ldtHtT bJaLefHent tHdb
he had gone home one night and found the
house stripped Miss Vanderbilt said that
he left her without means and she had to
sell her piano to get money. Some Of the
things belonged to her aunt. she said, and
she had them sent to her.
Miss Vanderbilt said that her father
gave Mrs. Pepper a beautifukpin that had
belonged to her mother, with the explana-
ton that Bright Eyes had told him that
HE dead wife wanted Mrs. Pepper to have It..
On cross -ex anination the witness said
that she had once played hockey from
Packer Institute. hut did IL because her
father found fault with the way the in
stitute taught physical geography. She
said she was taught that 10 was warm in
summer and cold in winter because the
sun was nearer the earth In the summer
time. which her father told her was all
nonsense.
Miss Vanderbilt admitted taking a lot
of her fathers letters out Of a pigeonhole
over his desk and also taking number
Of papers from a safe deposit vault In
the Nallabout Bank, but declared she
didn't think she was doing any wrong.
Just before adjournment yesterday after
noon Mr.. Vanderbilt's aged sister. Flor
enoe. who is with his daughter In the present
action. was. called to the stand and told
Cow at the deathbed Of his first wife he
said he would be glad 20 have the spirits
take him. too. IL il weren't for his being
needed TO stay here to take care OF his
daughter, Minerva. She said she asked
Mr.. Vanderbilt shortly after his wife 8
death IL he had had any spirit conmunica-