The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1869-10-21
Corbin's Sale OF His Washington House
to t,Fant

to Grant.
WHEN Corbin determined to change his |
base ofoDeratiOns from Washington to New |
York. he at once put his elegant mansion
in the former city in the market for sale,
hut for a number of months unable tn
find a purchaser at any price. Indeed,
though one of the most spacious and ele-
can't dwellings in Washington, its location
was undesirable, and at the time of its Of
fer Corb,n was unable to dispose of it, At
last he approached Gen Grant with a
proposition, but Grant urged that the value
of the house was beyond his means, and
declined 20 become u purchaser. Nothing
daunted By this refusal, Corbin hunted up
Gen w = Hiliyer, whose personal rela
tons to. the then General were OF the
closest nature, and to him renewed the pro
posal. The proposition he made through
Gen. Hillyer was certainly most inviting
one He would sell the place to Gen
Grant for $4,000, and would leave the
whole amount In bond and mortgage on
the house for ten years with interest at .
per cent, and if, at any time during the
ten years Gen. Grant should become sick
of his bargain, Corbin would agree 10 sur
render the bond and mortgage and receive
the place back. AT this time Gen. Grant
was paying =, 600 year rent Tor house,
while this arrangement would give him
house at only 1900 rent. Still the Gen
cral hesitated. 1t was, he insisted, too
much money for him to put into 4 house,
At this point COrbin suggested to Hill
yer that if Grant would buy the house
the public would quickly help him pay for
it, and pointed out the obligations the ma
ton rested under to the cOnquerOr of the
rebellion and added, GU see Grant again,
and get him to take the house, and then
we will 90 to New York and raise a fund
to pay for it Hillyer went back to Grant
with this suggestion, and found but little
difficulty in inducing the General To ac-
ccpt the proposition, it being distinctly
understood that COrbin would interest
himself in raising testimonial that would
enable the General promptly to pay the
mortgage.
When these preliminaries were ar
ranged, it was found necessary to come to
New York to execute the papers, and Gen
Grant announced his intention to be in the
city during the next week when the papers
could be executed and exchanged. He
came according to appointment and stop
ped at the Metropolitan hotel, where he
was ut once beseged by a crowd of visit
ors who would not be shaken Off Indeed
So great was the rush to see the hero of
the war that it was found necessary to 90
elsewhere to transact the appointed bust
ness Accordingly an evening was set
when all interested should meet ut Mr..
COrbin's house, in Twenty street,
and close the transaction. At the appoi ut
ed time there assembled at Mr. COrbn 5
parlOrs the following company Gen L.
>. Grant, Mr. Abel r. COrbin, and Mrs
COrbin, since deceased; Mr.. f. +. Math-
er, attorney for Mr.. COrbin; Gen. w ).
Of u
Clark, of the Supreme Court, by invita-
ton, to take the necessary acknowledge
ments, and Mr.. Amos X. Emo, as witness
10 the papers. The papers having been
previously drawn and mutually examined
by the attorneys of the two contracting
parties, were now formally read, signed,
sealed, and delivered and Gen. Grant be-
came the owner in fee simple and absolute
of the Washington mansion, and Mr. Cor
bin became the pOsseSsor of a mortgage
upon the same for S30, 900, with interest at
> per cent.
Within very few days after these oc-
currences committee of prominent gen
tlemen OF wealth assembled in a private
room in Fifth Avenue hotel, on the invita-
ton Of Mrs. Amos r. Emo, to consider the
prOpriety of making a testimonial presen.
tatiOn TO Gen. Grant Who composed that
company, or all that was said and done al
that meeting it IS unnecessary now to re
hearse. 1t viii be sufficient to saw thai
Mr.. Able X. COrbin was not present, but
Mr.. Amos Il. Emo was present, and wa.
the leading spirit OF the meeting. Whsr
1t was urged by 4 prominent merchant
President Grants subsequent choice fo
Secretary of the Treasury, that the gov
eminent should reward Gen. Grant. as tn,
British government had rewarded tin,
Duke of Wellington, and that individual
ought not to be called upon for contribu
tiOns to such testimonial, Mr. Emo assent
ell 10 that proposition on general princi
pies, but remarked that as the government
would not or did not take hold of the mat
ter, 1t was the duty of the citiZeus To do il
and remarked that Gen. Grant was now
living in a house upon which there was
mortgage Of $4,000. This hint produced
telling effect upon the large hearted mer
chants and capitalists thcrcasscmbled an,
1t was determined to raise the means a
once to pay off that mortgage.
The result of the movement then an(
there inaugurated is well known. No
only was sufficient sum raised to nav of
COrbin' 5 mortgage, thus making his sal,
virtually cash transaction, but the test
mOnial swelled to 100000. with tn,
balance OF which Gen. Grant furnished
his house, paid of some incumbrancc OF
his Missouri property, and had "A handsom,
sum ieil which ne invested in government
bonds
Thus is seen the shrewd management o
Mr.. Able Il. COrbin, his adroitness in keen
ing In the background, and the obligation
under which he succeeded in placing Gen
Grant toward himseif-Eittern Paper.