The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-03-26
Andy Jonnson's House and Tailor

Andy JOhnsOn's House and Tailor
Cree,lrtNs Correspondence or the Cincinnati
Commercial.
If you want 10 see Johnson's house
and tailor shop, it is necessary TO leave
the train at the depot. From the
depot to the main street OF the town 1t
is about three hundred yards, and
there is good plank sidewalk, such
as is generally found in northern
village, all the way. When you arrive
on the main street, cross over, and
YOU find yourself at the northwest
corner of the court house. Right
in front OF you, 10 the east,
there is a hollow, and at the bot
tom of the hollow, there is muddy
looking street called water street.
Right on this street, and about hun
hred yards from you. there is small,
old-lOoking building with one chimney.
This is the famous tailor-shop where
Andrew johnson earned his bread
some thirty-five years ago. lmmedi-
ately TO the north of it there Is some
what larger but older building, very di-
lapidated and tumble.dOwn in appear
ance. This Is where Johnson's moth
er.in.laW used to live, and where she
and her daughter made slippers and
did general sewing for living, until
the tailor came along, married the
Immediately across narrow street
and opposite these old buildings there
Is a small old fashioned brick house,
with a little white pOrtiCO in front; this
is where johnson lived with his wife
and mother after his growing reputa-
ton as a tailor brought him considera-
BILE income for a mechanic. Now turn
TO the south and walk down the princi-
pal street of the town ROme two hun
dred yards, and you come to very
small frame building, plainly built and
sadly needing paint, in size about twen-
ty by eighteen feet; this Is Johnson's
office. The people say that when he is
at home Ne sits in his Office from morn
Ing till night, reading and wriltng. Oc'
casionallY he goes out upon the street,
shakes hands with all he happens to
meet, drops into neighboring store,
chats awhile, and then back he goes to
his little office. Such were his habits
when last at GreenVille.
Now Keep right on down the street
some thirty yards further, and you are
before the door of His ExCellency's
dwelling. 1t is a brick, two stories
high, in size about eighteen by forty
feet, with an III" running back some
thirty-five feet. That's all there is of
1t, 1t stands Immediately upon the
street, the front door opening from the
pavement. The doors, and windows,
ter, and, in fact, the whole house looks
as though it might be the dwelling of
country merchant or well-to-do black
smith. There are dozen houses in
town that are far superior 10 this in
size and CostIiuess, and it is about such
habitation as one would suppose
johnson would occupy had he always
been tailor, and nothing else but n
tailor.
I took peep into his Office. yester-
day, There were several large boxes
inside, apparently unopened, marked
"A. Johnson, Greenville," and which
probably contain his books and docu-
ments. Upon the wall, inclosed in a
plain frame, was president Johnson's
yeto of the Freedmen's bureau bill" "
which A. J. will probably keep hang
ing there for the benefit of his colored
fellow. citizens, who may be conttnu-
ally reminded of the fact that he is
still their Moses.
johnson retires from his office com
paratively a poor man. He owns few
corner lots in Greenville, little farm
| in the country, and that, aside from his
stocks and bonds, is about all. One
thing friend and foe alike unite in say
ing, and that is, that he never used any
of the positions he occupied for the
purpose OF self-aggrandizemen He
| has enough to live on comfortably, Dut
is by no means a wealthy man.