OCR Text |
Show Mrs. General Grant. A Visit to H.-M-nt Wnwhinirton, iiml (v Chat With Her About Oeiiorul Orimt niu.1 Soino of Ilr-r Woiulerlul KxpericMieon- Sitw lilts. Grant Looks, Aits and Talis at Seventy Her Reminiscences of More Than Fitly yearsHer Correspondence With l.i Hung Ctattg Me Tells How General Grant Advised Him AW to Mite War II ilh Japan- The True Story of General Grant's Reception in ling land and the Jrealmenlo (Jnern . Victoria and the Prince of Wales Jene Grant and the Queen's Dinner The Truth Told For the First TimeHox lladean and AW Jesse Was Counted 0itAn Interesting Fxperienre llith Tinea llimarkllis Witty Remark About Tntkry and His Compliment to Airs. Grant Hon General Giant Hrott His State Papers The Generatat a Conversationalist His Wonderful Foot Knowledge and How He Took in the President of Harvard College at the Harvard Dinner General Grant's Tomb Will Remain at Aew YotkA ttord About Colonel Fred, and Hit Hork on the Folia Hoard and Other Matter Given in the First Great Interview Hvtr Permitted by Mrs. Grant for Publication. tpaclal Corrwpondeae at lb. W.wa, C rniKIxt 1st. Iit rn O. C.n..atar. Wasiiikoton, January 6th, 1H96, Tlil-V I KS. G n e r al fv3u - v$.'5-: U"" u i . d- MiS&V' r,Ured J t'1 4 rrv i'ler 'lu," ' 1 ' if jji'.'n mansion ol L'f SsZf'UhU'lklstnmlot F.d-C F.d-C HJ,y . I "f-i m u n d , I of sl": vVw'- ''"' niwhich pm ; Yif 0 i)0u O 0 0 ' months aitn. II -"V 0 if 0 o'T'" comfortable Vl VVVV"U" ib'lrk hou" ' noma, located-in one ol the moat fashionable fash-ionable pana of the city. It w ""I" by Senator Ednunrtt for hit own homo, nd It It very comfortable dwelling. 1 called upon Mm. Grant last week. She doeinot care tor newspaper nnloilety. nd U aniioul to be kept In the background. back-ground. My chat with her. however, was no Interaating and ao full ol matter which the American people aliould know that I have asked her to allow me to publish H. It waa merely tambllni conversion, aod I give It very much at It occurred. , MM. OlNUtAL CHANT AT SKVKHTY. Dut let me tell you how Mra. Grant looka now In her aeventieth year. She la one of the younxeat old ladiea in Washington. You would not take her i ' to be more than ality. Her lace la lull and almost free from wrinkle. Her hair as Iron gray, and he hai quite a lot I ol It. Her eyesight ha never been, very I good, and It hat failed now ao that the i cannot read great deal. She doea not I wtar glauee, however, and to outward appearances her eyes are not weak. She walks easily and firmly, and abe teila me aha I In good health. She la a good I talker. Her voice is low and pleasant, I and she growa vivacious as aha reviewe I tome of the wonderful event, of her career. She la thoroughly wrapped up j in her family, her children and her j grandchildren and in her love lor Gen. Grant. In apeaking of him the reftra to him as "The General." She has a good memory, and she telle many in-I in-I tere.ting tlonea concerning him. No f ! married couple ever lived coser to each 1 other than did the General and Mra Grant She wss, perhaps, his only cun-! cun-! I na.,,1. The two weie one in almost I I everything, end their lite waa a most I I hraulilul one. For several years Mrs. Grant has been enraged in writing a ' j . book other reminiscences, Hits mil 1 cover more llian lliiy years, and 11 will be lull ol unwntlen history, j J It will tell hundreds of Interesting ; things about Grant and the men cou- 1 net ted with hiiu which have never been ! ! published. It will describe her luur I years in camp with the general, will tell the stories ol her eight years in the I While House and will give the wander- ' Inge ol Una I'enelnpe with her Ulvsi.es In the tour around the world. The book 1 la already written. It will contain more than one hundred thousand wunls, and though no arrungemenla have been yet made tor ita publication, it may be gjven I to the press at any time. General Grant 1 left a larga number ol pera and valu- ! ' able letlera. He also lelt a diarv. which I contains a great many inlereating en- I tries. Mrs. Grant has about three hun j ! dred of hit love letters and there are I olher valuable manuscripts. His slate ' I rupers, however, will probably be issued 1 j in a separate volume by Colonel Fred Grant. Mrs. Grant's book will be made . up chiefly ol her own reminiscences, slid I they will be interesting in the extreme. SIRS. OHANT AND I.I IIUNO LIIANU. I During my stay In North China about ! ) a ycur ago 1 bought a Tientsin a negj. 1 ' tive which waa taken ol General Giant i and 1.1 Hung Chang during General 1 Grant'a stay In Tientsin. Copies Irmn tins negative are very rare, ami 1 tinik thrte pnolograph with me to Mrs. Grant. As the looked them over sue taid: I "I remember very well when this 1 picture was taken, l.i Hung Chang ami General Gram became great liiemls j ; ! during our stay in China, and Ihe two I corres umle'l together up to Ihe time ol j the general's death. At this lime l.i ' Hung Chang wrote me a long letter of i condolence, and at Ihe lime ol Lady I.t's j ' death 1 wrote him. Some Iclleis passed between us during the late war between :' China and Japan. 1 had expected tne . Chinese would be victorious, and even t; alter the first successes of the Japanese 1 thought tite Chinese, on account ol their enormous nuniheis, wuu:d Imaliy overwhelm liieni. At the time we were in China the relations ol the two countries coun-tries weie sliained and General Graut advised Li that war hould be pteveut. cd if possible. 1 wrote to l.i Hung i , Chang at the lime he waa shot at Hiros hima, saying 1 was surry lur him, uud lilal 1 hoped liy the time my letter leached leach-ed him lie would be entirely recovered. He replied to this and sent me the lenns ol peace which he had proposed to toe Japanese, and after this a book givitt . the history ol the peace negotiations." CHANT'S KKCRI'TION in unci. and. 1 here asked Mrs, Grant as to some ot her experience in Kurope, and in reply (he chatted interestingly comcrning wme ol the great cuurta which the had vtitrd. Sh drtcribeti Ihe honor with hih the gmttal wn received every where, end pr?w enthtnlnMic the told how well he had nrquiltrd hirmrll whenever called upon to rrKind lo tome greet Merh on the npur of the moment. An mitence of thi kind or rurred at I-ivrrpool. Said Mra. Grnnt: "When we landed the wharvea were coverefl with people. There nun have rieen fifty tliouiand faces upturned to look at ue ai we came from the ship. Wo were, received hy the mnyor. wno welcomed the general in a icrandilufiuent tpeeth aa he presented him with the freedom of the rity. 1 trembled while Ihe mayor wan U.lkinif, for I knew the general had prepared no respotne. 1 waa aniinua that he ihould do well in iiukinje tint his firt utiernnre in l.ntc Und, and 1 wondered wli4t hn wouh) aay, lie toth surprised and delighted me. lie made a splendid speern in reply, aayitig pist the ri'ht Ihinitain imt the r ik lit word. It was received with great applauie. and was lavornhly com uienteii upon in all the papers." "1 suppose, Mra. Grant' auid I. "that you were out n surprised in that way. iifiieial Grant had, 1 imagine, a nature which wan full ot surprise, li.I he not" "I cou'tknow," rep led Mra. Grant, ihut I waa ullen surprised at what ihe general did. You kt.owIalwa,a roi.-a.ncitij roi.-a.ncitij that Gcucial Oraul waa a very great man." UKMKRAL OHANT ANH THg TWiSQU OF WALKS, "lly the way, Mrs. Grant, there has been quite a lot puM shed concerning your icception ui Iv gland and youi treatment by the nuhihiy." "Ves," replied Mrs, Grant, "there has, and the mvat ot that published b been entirely untrue, 1 have vwiu n up Iheeiact lloryin my book, and it will be published some day. '.he truth is that our reception was most friendly in every respect, Mnd that by all tlatsea. lite 1'nm e ol Walva waa eipnuhy cordul, and at the dinner at Ihe AlailborouKh House, which has been ao much written about, he wmt much o it of his way lo pay the highet honors to General Grant, 1 remember, upon arriving, we had to pass through a wide corridor to gel to the rcceptu n room, in which the guets weie standing, prtpatutory to going out to Idtnner. Halt w-tv down this corridor corri-dor tliere waa a door with a green screen at, Ihe side ol it. As Ihe general and 1 walked down together, the Tnnce ol Wales came out and shook hands with General Grant and my tell. I lc greeted the general very cordially indeed, and told uim that he waa amiuus that his sons should see him and know him. He then called the little Icllowa by name. They were in the roum out oi which he had just come. 'I hey walked in, and tiie pnuce introduced them to the general. gene-ral. Ihe boys were, 1 judge, leu or twelve yeaia old. The little Ml aw shook hands with General Grant, and then stepped otl and looked him over from hc.iu to toe, as tltuiili they would like to see just what kind ol a looking man he waa. We chatted a moment iotuer, ana theu 1 asaed the prince as to whether we were to move on lo the drawing room. He replied 'Yes,' and we walked into ihl room, where many of the other guesta were assembled. Among those who were at the dinner wero Ihe Km per or and L nip rets ol Uracil, They ..rrived a lew in o menu alter we did, and the Prince ol Wales presented their, lo the guests. I remem ber that the iiinprcua of brazil saw nie when she waa hail way down the hue, and, skipping a number ol the jurats lor a time, she came acroi the room and shook my hand, s.iyiug she was glad lo see me again, and relerring to the pleasant visit she had had in America Amer-ica while the general was t 'resident. 1 suppose she was glad to see any one wlium she had met before, aud lur that rcasou came at once to me " A WORD WITH QUE KM VICTUHIA. "Will you tell me something of your meeting with yuceii Victoria, Mra, Grantr' said I. "1 met her at Windsor castle, where the general and I were invited to dine with her," replied Mra. Grant 'When we arrived at the castle a suite ol rooms wes placed ut our disposal, consult ng of bed rooms, dresbing rooms and a parlor. Wlien we were presented to the queen, her majesty lust spoke lor a short tune to Geueral Grant, and then addressed her conversation to me. We h.id only a few short wotda together, htie said she had had ihe nleature ol mtetn.g my little daughter Nellie during dur-ing hci stay in Km ope some years be lore, and 1 rrphtd, that my daughter had been so much pleased with her kind reception that she bad become one ol her ro)al subjecta by mairiage. The queen Haiti fche waa glad ol this, uud, wtb a lew other platitudes, the conversation conver-sation tvi mutated." JUStiU GRANT AND THK Ol KHN'g DIN-M.K. DIN-M.K. "Hy the way, Mrs. Grant, what Is the true atory as to the presence ol Jesse at that dinner? You have seen the stones which were published some tune ao, which stated that he reiuicd to remain to Ihe dinner unless he could ait dowu at Iut m.iiesty's table?" "Yes, 1 nave heard the stories," replied re-plied Mrs. Grant. "They were not true atotieu, and 1 was very sorry to scu tnem published. The truth is that lease's conduct there, a it has always been else Here, was th.it ol a gentle-man. gentle-man. lie was treated like a gentleman everywhere in l.nguiirl, and there was no intention by tne KiikJish to slight hun theie or anywhere. The matter alma through a muundertetamhiig, to put it miullv, on tho part ol Mr. Ha-deau. Ha-deau. Jesse did not warn to go to the dinner ut all. He had an invitation that evening to attend a big hall in Loudon, where lueie were a lot ol young pen pie, and when the invitation came he told his father and mytelf that he did not want tf go. We were very iiiou, however, that he should have all the advantages of our lour, and we thought it would be a passant thing f.r him lo remember in alter life thai he had h id such an experience. My children were all very obedient, and when I told ese that 1 would like to lave him go he at on re arid he would give up the hall 'and attend the dinner. Shortly after we had arrived at Windsor castle and while we were resting io our rooms there, Mr. Itsdeaii came in very much eicited. He snid to the general that he had been told that himself and Juste were not to Mr e with the queen's party, but with the household. " 'llut,' said the general, 'that's your good fortune; the household is composed com-posed ol young ladies and gentlemen of the nobility ot l.ngland. aud would not this be plrasanter for both you young men than to be at the other tabic?' "Mr. Hadeau, however, contended that he and eie were not being treated properly, and complained that it was an inttult. A moment Inter Jese came in and said that Mr. Hadeau had informed him that he was to time with the household house-hold and not with Ihe queen, and tl this was so he wanted to go back to I-ondoti and go to his ball, lie said he had come out there to dine with the queen and if il was a mistake, he thought he ought to be permhtrd to go tai-k to London. He wanted to know of General Gene-ral Grant as to whether he had not given Ihe queen's son a dinner at the White House when ha was at Washington, Washing-ton, and was so earnest in his desire to return to I -on don that the general finally said he would ascertain as to the truth nt the report. He then sent out and asked ihe person in authority II it was true that Mr. Grant bad not been invited to dine at the queen's table. The answer came hack at once. It was to Ihe ellect that the queen most cer lainly exected Mr. Giant to be one of that party at her table, and the result was that Jrae stayed. I think, myself, that Mr. Hadeau was much provoked al the thought that he was not to be one ol the parly at the queen's table and that this was the csuse of the trouble." rKINCk 1HSMARCK AND MRS. OHANT. , "How were you treated al Itcrlln, Mrs. Grant. Ihd you meet the old emperor, em-peror, Kaiser Willietu, when you were there?" "No," reptied Mra. Grant. "It was just alter the emperor had been shot by a would-be afttaHsio, and though Ins a ou ml was not mortal, he could not re-to re-to vr visiinri. H's paiT w Shut oH by Iron chains ai d the lre Is and pavements pave-ments auouc it were cushioned with hemlock hark. We were entertained, howevr,by the crown prince and crown princess and aKain hv the Prince aud i'nnces Otto von Ihsmarck. Prince Bittuarck took the general and mystll lo the war chamter, where the commit-ion commit-ion was then sitting lo seme the ku-so-Tuikistt war. Ihe chamber was empty at Ihe time and he pointed out the chairs in which the diilercut com mii-tioners at, showing me his chair, that ol Heacoiibheld and others. As lie did so I asked hun what it was all lor, ami he looked al me evidently very muih surprised at my apparent iguor ante. I hastened to answer that I knew that it was to settle the terms ot war between the KttHstsns and Ihe Turks, but 1 could not see what the Germans had to do with it. Prince Hi , marck straightened himself up. His lace at first was quite sober, but his mouth sotin softened into a smile, and replied: T! tell you Ihe truth, madam, Russia has taken loo much Turkey auu we are helping her to digest it.' " MtMARL'K, THK CtH'KTIBK. ' Prince Hismairk was very courteous in his manners," Mrs Grant went on. I remember upon our departure he walked with me out to the carriage, and when I bade him good-bye and o fit red him my hand, he touk it in hi, ami then bending low over it, kissed it. As he did so 1 said: 'Now, prince, if I go hack to America aud the people learn there that tou have kissed my hand, every German in America will want to kiss It ' " 'Well,' replied Prince Ilismarck, es he looked rather admiringly down at my hand, which looked very small in contrast with his great palm, 'well, I should not wonder at that. He then handed me into the carnage and said good-bye. ''Speaking of the meeting of Prince Hismarck and General Grata." Mrs, Graut went on. "1 have seen the statement state-ment that when the iwo met together that Ihe chancellor and the general talked talk-ed dogs and duck hunting like two boys. I his is not true. The geneial has been represented by some as being eliusive in bis manner at timra. He was always retired and reserved. Even in his owu lainily be was not demon strative, und he never was what is called a had fellow, well met man with strangeis." HOW OfcNKkAL OR ANT WROTE IMS bTArit fAI-URll. 1 here referred to General Grant's hook, and Mrs. Grant told me that it had already netted f;oo,ouo to the lamilv, and It was still selling. She said that Colonel Fred hud gone over Ihe I book and revised it, adding a great many nmrgtnal notes as to dates and other mattrra, and that the new edition, edi-tion, which bad recently been brought ! out, waa much better than the first, which had been hurriedly prepared. 1 spoke to her of Grant's wonderful literary lit-erary ability, and asked her if it was not a surprise even to her. Si- replied re-plied that it was not. Said she: "Gene-ral "Gene-ral Grant always had a wunderlul power ol expressing himsell quickly aud clear-ly, clear-ly, U uicd to nuke me very angry to see the papers question whether he had written his own reports irom the war, or whether they had not bent the work of some ol his litetary cciks He wrote all of his own reports and that with a pen. His last rehri of the war was penned in Georgetown in a house near the rtseivoir there, 1 1 which mu were living at the lime. Kve y one of his messages as Prentdent was written with his .'wn hand, and no one ever aaw thi m until thry weie bent lo be copied, or lo the printer. He wrote many of thorn in my room, coining there to be tree Irom calleis. He would be writing at my denk, mid I would interrupt hun by telling hun goiip uud stoiic, and, perhap., usk ug him questions. He would staml il for a w.uie, but at the third or fourth ii-itri option he would uiiictimtM say, 'Julia, you must realty not talk to me now. 1 have a very important im-portant paper which I urn writing, und 1 can't doit if you interrupt me.' Tlun he would goto work ag.u.i, and in about halt an hour 1 would loigei about what ha had said, und would burst out with L'lyr, don't you know tli.it, 'and would go on wnh another story. He would listen until 1 got thruiijli and then go back to his writing. He made lew ror rectious in what lie wrote, and he was thoroughly well pouted on almost cveiy-thing." cveiy-thing." . HOW UKS. GRANT OVKRCAMR TUB GUN-LKAL'S GUN-LKAL'S KRTICbNL'at "Was he much ot a talker?" I asked. I 'Yij" lepucd Mrs. Graut. "be could ' talk very well if he wlihed to, though it was ollen hard to get him to talk. He seldom spoke about the war, and there were some subjects whirh he would never take up of his own accord. He would never allow me. however.to make a misstatement II he could help it, and 1 l ollen fo him to talking about certain things hy intentionally stating them in a I way whirl. I knew ws not correct, whereupon the general wouid look at 1 me in a despairing way and say: 'Now, Juha, I think you are mistaken about that, you have it all wrong. It wi this j way.' He would then go on to tell the I true story ol the matter in all its details. He grew interested as he talked. His tare lighted up at such times, and he expressed himself in good language. He was a very well read man. and during most of bis life he waa a bard student." THE TRUl BTORT OP THR HARVARD DtNNkR. That Is different from the Idea gen erally held.' said L "Yes, I know it Is," was the reply, "but many idea are held concerning 'General Grant which are not Ihe true ones, t remember one instance in particular par-ticular which shows how su h stories sometimes arise. It is in connection with the statements maiteaome lime ao by the president of Harvard College to his pupils in a lecture, in which he re (erred to General Grant, and said that, great as he waa in natural ability, it was surprising how meager wan Ihe general's knowledge of books and how ignorant he was as to matters of literature. He then referred to a dinner which he bad attended at which be had eat next to the general and had asked him simple questions ques-tions about books as lo wbicU he dm not seem to understand how to answer. I remember that dinner very well and General Grant's remarks to me upon his return from It. He said complain ingty: 'Why It it that 1 can never have any fun at a dinner? At thtsdinner born which I have just coma they wauled to do me great honor, as they always do, and they sealed me next the greatest man at the table. This was Ihe president presi-dent of Harvard College. 1 saw that if I engaged in conversation with him I would probably spend the whole evening discussing suh-crts as dry as dust, andl concluded thai I would not stand it and that 1 would have a good lime like the rvt of the fellows, shortly alter we sat down the president turned to me and asked me some questions regarding Napier's Peninsular War. 1 looked as though I knew nothing about any penm sular war, 1 answered something, but my answer was evidently not satisfactory, lr the president did not bother me again lur hficen nnnutcs. When he neat turned turn-ed tome it wa with a question about une ul Oickens' novels. 1 looked very blank at this, aud answered in such a w ay as lo make him believe 1 had never heard ol Di.keus. Tne result was that he lelt me alone for Hie rest ol the even iiu', and 1 ready had a good timet '1 suppose, however, that 1 have ru'tted my reputation wnh him. " 'Hut you ought not lo do tuch things, Ulys1 said 1. 'It gives people a bad impression ol you, and they think )ou don I know anything.' "'1 don't care replied the general. That man was only a book woim, any how, and I did not want to tlk books.' "As to Napier's Pcuiniular War," continue con-tinue d Mis. Grant, "1 doubt whether the l-arucd President wat nearly so well posted il, on it as the general. I remember remem-ber that Iiu read this during the earlier days ol our marriage, and not only read it, hut nude copious nutes Irom it. He was well posted on all military warks and upon all kinds ol literature. Why, he has read thousands of pages aloud to me. My eyts have never been very strong, and during the greater part of our life he read lor hours to me every evening. While we were at Galena he read all the speeches in Congress Irom both sides, and I was, perhaps, as well posted on public questions al that time as any woman In the country. His reading covered a wide range. It em-bracstf em-bracstf all Ihe great hiitories. He has read most of the novels ol Dickens and - Thackeray aloud to me, and 1 doubt whether there was a better read public man in the United States than he was." GRNVRAL GRANT' TOMB. The conversation here turned to the general's death, and 1 asked Mrs. Grant whether, having now moved to Wash-j Wash-j inn tun, she would not prefer to have him buried at Arlington rather than at New York. She replied that she did not wish any change made. She said she could go to New York to visit his grave, and that she hoped his resting place would never be changed. She then told me how she happened to come to Washington, saying that she had not intended selling her New York houte, but that bemg told that a purchaser wanted it, in order to save discussion she hd fixed a price upon it so h gh that she Hid not think any one would take it. She had sake. I $i 30,000 fur it. To her surprise this olfer wasacccpied, and she had to let Ihe house go. In the meantime Mrs. Sartorts came over to this country, and she wished to live at Washington. Mrs. Grant had found that the climate ol New York was such that she could not live there but a lew months in the year, and she had hence bought the house in which she is now living. She told me tti.it she hked Washington very much, that some ol the pleasantest days ol her Itle had been soent here, and that she had re gretted much when General Grains presidential term had come to au end and she had to leave. COLON It L I'RRD GRANT AND THE RK-FORMS RK-FORMS AT NRVV YORK In closing my Interview 1 asked Mrs. Grant something about her sons. She told me tnat Jee and Uisse, r ore doing well in San Diego, where they are largely Interested 111 teal estate, aud are aiding in building up that city, which they believe will be one of the greatest on Ihe Pacific slope. She is much interested in-terested in Colonel Fred Grant and In his work in New York city, which she, in connection with miny others who know what Colonel Grant Is doing, thinks is hardly appreciated by the republic. re-public. The truth, as 1 learned from welipted outside parties, and not from Mrs. Grant, is that Colonel Grant is one ol the hardest workers on the police force. Many of the l.nes of policy and some ot the best movements that have been made in cunneciion with the improvements of ihe New York city government were suget d by him, and a great part ot the active work ot the board is done by him. While Mr. Koos evelt and Ihe other commissioners have been tearing the air and making speeches, ne has leen working, ami, with the mode ay ol his lather, has made no lusa about doing what he considered to be Ins duty, Mia. Grant ulls me that Colonel 1-red grows more like his Utlicr every year in both looks aud actions, and ha has, she evidently believes, inherited in-herited much ol his lather's ability. |