The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-01-29
TWICE MARRIED A SERVANT
,xD RHINELANDER THEREBY
LOST TWO BIG FORTUNES.
,,,s Disowned by His Father Thirty
Two Years Ago. His Brothers
,ro Rich and He Is Poor.


J., snite of William Rhinelander's
-,.aI his son, William Copeland
phineIander, is not to be left how
ring on the brink of perjury while
f3- other sons nestle in the lap of
,,.vrrv The will disposed of very
,orga norton of the great Rhinelan-
5.r fortune, estimated at 100000
ooo but for William c. there was
no provision save for small allow
arca At first there was talk of a
.ontest but the disinherited son says
ro will make no fight in the courts.
1Iis brothers, the shock to whose
,ride given by William G. has been
,,ftoned by the intervening years,
ara inclined to be generous and will
+rrn over to the disowned member
If the family a goodly slice of the
Inherited millions. For years he has
1ivad in comparative poverty in Al
lonv on an allowance of $500 a
month. and the arrangement to be
made will make him independent
and comfortable for life, with a rea-
sonable fortune for his own chill
dren. For 80 years the brothers
have not met, and ethe cast-off son
was not even present at his fathers
funeral
The Rhinelander family is one of
the Droudest and richest in New
York. William Rhinelander has for
Years been the head of the family.
He had three sons: 7. Oakley,
Philip and William Copeland. On
his death he practically disinherited
William Copeland, whom he had cast
off 90 years ago and left his great
fortune to Oakley and Philip. Even
in the obituary notices the name of
the disOwned son did not appear.
Married Mothers Servant.
The trouble began way back in
1875, William G. Rhinelander in
June of that year, when just out of
college and barely 81, was secretly
married to Maggie McGinnis, one of
his mothers servants. The young
coupled were first married in Brook
lyn and a few days later in New
York For a time the marriage was
kent secret. Then the boy told his
father. There was a family council
and a scene The father turned the
boy out of the house, warned him
never to come into his presence again
and agreed to pay him $50 a week
on condition that he leave New York
and never live there again. The boy
and his bride went to Canada and
lived there for years, but the wife's
health failing they ultimately took
I'D their residence in Brooklyn.
In 1884 Young Rhinelander visited
the office of his fathers attorney,
John Drake, and accused him of
trying to ALLEVIATE his wife's affec-
tons There was a bitter alterca-
ton and Rhinelander shot the lawyer
through the shoulder. On account
of the Rhinelander family Drake
never pressed a charge against him.
He was indicted, however, but be-
fore he could be tried his sanity
was questioned A commission pro-
noUnced him sane, but the case did
not come to trial. The indictment
was quashed II years later.
William c. Rhinelander sprang in
to notoriety again in 1889. His first
wife having died, he in the year
named secretly married young wo-
man who had been a waitress in a
TWenty-third street restaurant. This
wife is still living. For a number
of years Rhinelander and his second
wife have lived in Albany
The fortune William G. Rhine
lander was deprived of by his ia
Tiers will was not the only one ne
lost because of his marriage with a
servant. He was his grandfather
favOrite and namesake and had been
named in his will as heir to ST.
$1,000, but Immediately after the
marriage the old gentleman made q
new will, cutting him off completely