The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-12-28
Miscellany.
kneedoses Of MilissrT MeI

AnELu4sG6
A newspaper correspondent tells the follow
ing stories of Grant and Sherman, which have
not hitherto appeared In print:
hear of one told at the expense of General
Grant, which is quite characteristic and not
without humor, 1t is stated that at the late
dinner given to the President elect by MT. A.
T. Stewart, conversation turned on the SUD
ject of the naturalization FRAUDS Gnicn Gu
abled the Democrats to carry New Aorh ioI
Seymour, and the amounts OF money spent
by prominent individuals to secure the cleo
ton of their favorites. Some one loosely
turned to General Grant and asked him how
many speeches he had made, and how much
money he had spent to secure his election.
He said in reply that he had expected when
he accepted ne nomination of the party to
be more roundly abused during the campaign
by the newspapers of the other party than he
had been; and be had early resolved to let all
abuse pass unnotieed. He had heard years
before of farmer in the West who had been
repeatedly urged to run for Congress, and
who at last consented, on condition that he
was not TO be asked to make speech or
write letter during the canvass. He was
nominated, and soon after it was rumored lar
and near that he was in the habit OF steailng
the hogs of his neigbbors. BE rushed into
print and mounted the stump, Indignantly
denying the charges, throwing them back lin
the usual style) into the teeth OF his Vlllihers.
"Of course he proved his innocence" sug-
gested one of the listeners. by Ito means"
Returned Gen. Grant; "his neighbors hogs
had occasionally strayed into his Enclosures
and so they proved it OH him. L was afraid
to deny any charges" he added with a smile,
''tor fear they'd prove it on me-" The moral
of which story, especially dedicated to poll
tcians, is, make denias and explanations
only after an election" as Grant did in the
Sew order" case.
There are new and true stories told, too, of
Sherman. One or two of him l have not
previously seen in print, and the best one he
tells himself, The Lieutenant General, as is
now well known, is not the neatest of NOR
tails, and one day an intimate friend in the
Army of the Tennessee, asked him why he
dressed so. IL will tell you," said the Gener-
al. "When was Second Lieutenant, was
ordered one day to Washington city, and
went III all the glory Cfa bran new uniform
was standing in front OF the hotel, summing
myself, and quietly smoking cigar. when
became aware that had attracted the atten.
ton of number of small boys, who gathered
around in such numbers, and with such ad-
miring countenances upturned to mine, that
could but notice them. As l did so, one Of
the boldest OF them spoke up in loud voice
and asked, Mister, where Is your engine
going to squirtp" General Sherman has
never been guilty of a completely new uni
form since; he buys his uniforms In detach.
ments, and wears them out in installments.
And this once told, recalls the equivoca
compliment which poor dead "General jim
better known as 'Judge Hart" OF Ohio, once
paid Gen. Sherman. Hart had been one OF
Ohio's shrewdest lawyers, as the successor OF
Ben. Wade in the Senate, Senator Thurman
found to his cost on more than one occasion
and when the examination into the famous
Quartermasters' frauds at Nashville was or
dered in 1854, Col. Hart-he was only Col
onel, though always called General-was put
in charge of the Coult of Inquiry. When he
reported the decision to Gen. Sherman, who
was always most earnest In the prosecution
and punishment of any rascality in his com.
mand, he said to Hart: "Colonel, you think
this decision is perfectly just, eh?" Hart inn
rnediately replied: "Gen Sherman, you may
be better General than AMI think you
are-but I'm id sight better lawyer than
you are.' Considering Shermans ignomin:.
Gus failure in his 1lrst law case at Leyen-
worth, in which he was so badly beaten by a
pettifoggng opponent that; fortunately for
the country, he abandoned the profession for
the army, this opinion of Harris was at any
rate doubtless strictly Just.