Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1868-03-05
election Of salmon P. Chase as Governor


was q young man; that ! would never |
have slaves. That was the reason that |
left Kentucky and went TO Ohio. 1 |
would not own slaves, and would not |
live where. there were slaves and not |
own them.
~ voted for General Jackson for Presi-
dent every time he was acandidate-that |
IL, three times.
Mrs. Grant was the second daughter |
OF Mr. John Simpson, Of Montgomery |
county, Pennsylvania. She was born |
aDd brought up in that county, about |
twenty miles from Philadelphia. when |
In her nineteenth year she removed with |
her father to Clermont county, Ohio. |
The family were highly respectable
people of veracity and integrity; but not |
of any particular ambition beyond that |
of1iving independent farmers
p Mrs. Grants father was werth some |
property; but it was all in land, and he !
kept II until he died.
y 1t was nearly three years after their re-
imovaI to Clermont that we were married
A few of the neighbors expressed their
surprise that Mr.. Simpsons daughter
should marry q young man hardly yet
established in business.
But this did me no harm, and as soon
as 1t was seen how l was getting along,
II heard nothing more of 1t. l supposed
there could hardly be marriage at which
somebody would not be surprised. was
not worth dollar wheu l married; but
, 1 did not stay that way long; and as soon
az | was known to be prosperous the
neighbors seemed to think the match
was exactly the thing-just what had
thought from the beginning.
At the time ofour marriage, Mrs. Grant
was an unpretending country girl; hand
some, but not vain. She had previously
joined the Methodist church, and 1 can
truthfully say that it has never had a
more devoted and consistent member
Her steadiness, firmness and strength of
character have been the stay of the fam
ilythrough life.' She was always careful,
and most watchful over her children;
but never austere, and not opposed to
their free participation in innocent
amusements. The leading passion OF
Ulysses, almost from the time he could
go alone, was for horses. The first time
he ever drove a horse alone, he was about
seven and half years old. 1 had gone
away from home to Ripley, twelve miles
off. l went i'm the morning, and did not
get back until night. / owned at that
time three year old colt, which had
been ridden under the saddle to carry
the mail, but had never had collar on.
While / was gone, Ulysses got the colt
aud put collar and the harness on him,
and hitched him to a sled. Then he put
a single line on him and drove off, and
loaded up the sled with brush and came
back again. He kept at it, hauling sue
cesssve loads all day, and when l came
home ut night, he had pile of brush as
big as cabin.
u he used to harness horses when he had
to get up in the manger to put the bride
and collar on, and then turn the half
bushel over and stand on that to throw
the harness on. i..f
d At eight and half years of age he had
become regular driver, and used to
| work my team all day, day after day,
hauling wood. There would be a man
| i'm the woods to load, and another at the
house to unload, but Ulysses would drive
| the team. rsaf rE
( At about ten years of age he used to
| drive pair of hovses alone from George
town, where we lived, forty miles, to
Cincinnati, and bring back load of pas
sengers.
|, When Ulysses was boy, if circus or
any show came along, in which there
was call for somebody to come forward
and ride a pony, he was always the one
to present himself, aud whatever he un-
dertook to ride he rode. This practice
| he kept up, until he got to be SO large that
he was ashamed to ride pony.
Once, when he was boy, show came
along in which there was mischievous
pony, trained to go round the ring like
| lightning, and he was expected to throw
any boy that attempted to ride him.
"Will any boy come forward and ride
this pony?" shouted the ring g-master.
Ulysses stepped forward and mounted
| the pony. The performance began.-
Round, and round, and round the ring
| nd fast af NJ
the greatest effort to dismount the rider.
But Ulysses sat rs steady as il he had
grown to the poHy's back Presently out
came large monkey and sprang up be-
| hind Ulysses. The people set up great
shout OF laughter, and OH the pony ran |;
but it all produced no effect on the rider.
Then the ring-master made the monkey
Jump up on to Ulysses's shoulders, stand
I ing with his feet on his shoulders, and
with his hands holding on to his hair
AT tthst there was wasanotherand,aiitill louder
shout, but not a muscle of Ulysses face
| moved. There was not tremor of his
nerves. A few more rounds and the ring
master gave it up; he had come across a
| boy that the pony'a and the monkey both
could not dismount.
Il ULYSSES had the habit of riding our
horses tn water standing pon their bare
backs, He began this practice when
| about five years old. At eight or nine he
would ride them at the top oftheir speed,
I he standing on one foot and balancing
| himself by the bride rains. The ground
tbver which he used to make these per-
ifofniances was little ledescending towards
the river; near neighbours boy who un-
dertook to rival him in speed, although
/ without standing up. was unfortunately
| thrown from his horse and killed.
I He always broke his own horses. l
never knew q horse to balk with him.
He used to get one colt perfectly broken
Itand then put another in by the side OF
| him. He had most wonderful faculty
for breaking horses to pace; it became
known in the neighborhood and people
used to apply to him To break their horses
TO pace; but he had an idea that IL was
7degrading and would never undertake it.
One day q neighbor came to me and
said: "Ulysses has q remarkable faculty
| to teach horse to pace; 1 have a fine
young horse; now, how can l get Ulysses
to teach him. to pace?"
~ Said I: "You mustn't say q word to
him about 1t; bnt send him on a mission
To some place, aAd get him, while he is
lleone TO teach the horse to paoe.pl nj'-
iH;Said he: al will do it.'t So he came
over again. and said to Ulysses: " / want
to send letter, I'm hurry, thirteen miles,
TO Decatur, and I will give you two dol
lars 20 get on my horse and carry it.' lo
IBlIUlysses was then nine or ten years old.
He was fond OF making money, and fond