Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-03-17
Old Stuck in the Mire.

The father of General Grant is writing
sketches of the early life and character of the
General for the New York Ledger, for con-
sideratiou. The father commences with the
birth of the General According to these
sketches, the birth, sucking and early boy
hood of the General was most remarkable
The peculiarly of his birth, is that he was
born of a woman and, unlike those two
barbarians who founded Rome, he was not
sucked by she wolf, but by a woman. The
narrative is defective, insomuch that it leaves
tile public cropping in uncertainty as TO his
age when weaned, or the manner in which he
was weaned. Itappears that he early showed
a fondness for horses and was fond of the
circus, (nothing is said of the sabbath school,
and had 4 special ambition to ride horses and
villainous circus mules in the circus ring
None of these mules could throw him. On
one occasion he mounted one of these mules,
which vainly undertook to dot. A monkey,
full of mischief and in obedience to orders,
came to the assistance of the mule by mount
ing up behind the boy (now Genera) Grant,
and round the ring they went at a furious
rate, causing the whole ampitheatre TO ring
with boisterous applause. 1t was the best
part Of the performance. Young Grant dis
mounted at his pleasure. So proficient was
some distance to water bare backed, he the
while standing erect, while the horses were
under full speed As to breaking colts, it
was marvellous how he succeeded. These
things the readers of tie Ledger, and es-
pecialy the Republican part of them read
with mouths agape.
The last sketch, however, contains an eX~
plot in the boyhood of General Grant that
throws his other exploits all into the shade.
1t was christian and heroic, and conclusively
showed that there was the sort of stuff in
him to make Presidents out of. 4 distant
relation of his-a distinguished man from
Kentucky-was once on a visit to his father.
So one day the boy (now GeneraD Grant,
who had lot of marbles ranging somewhere
from one to two dozen, offered to bet the dis
tinguished stranger the whole lot OF marbles,
not even reserving one for ''nest egg" that
he could jump twenty feet. Distinguished
stranger looked at him, and while an incredu-
lous smile played over his features, he accept
ed the bet Near the house in which the
Grant family lived, there was a tolerable steep
declivity. To the top of that declivity young
| (now GeneraD Grant went, and he jumped
downwards, and in alighting he sank to his
waist in mire. The old man Grant, with an
| air of great satisfaction, and to relieve the
| suspense of millions OF people who were
worked up to high pitch Of wonder to know
which won the bet, says slut he (the boy
| Grant, aron the bet' Satisfied ~ The mat
ter is now explained. We did not before
know how it was that the General lately
jumped into the Radical mire. For few
marbles, in his boyhood, he did not hesitate
to jump into the mire up to his waist. In
! expectation of securing the Presidency, he
has jumped into the Radical mire, covering
himself all over-a mire dirtier and more
tenacious than the mire he jumped into for
| the marbles when boy. He can't be extri-
Gated from it before the Presidential election,
when he will discover that he dirtied his
clothes for nothing, and he will, in all likcli-
hood, be looked upon as old stuck in the
mire-OhiO Statesman