New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-08-21
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
THOMAS JEFFERSON.
HIS HOME AND HABITS AS DESCRIBED BY HIS
GRANDSON.

TO fbs Edior Of The Tribune.
SIR: read in THE TRIBUNE Of the @th ult'' uhuel
the title Through South" description Of Monticello 's
j,ses Of Thomas Jsssrsos which appeared TO me to eon'an
, i with the truth sent paper to uscs l. h,a
dOlph grandson Jefferson sh the request tna ne you"
the proper corrections received from 'rrniA oV py
request herewith give Ou portions Of ny uo''',
your Correspondents letter
Neo. York, Aug, Il, 1902
A. ,be entrance the writer mistakes the stone pillars
for brick mastered He does not appear to have seen
central ass door aanked by windows to the noor
statue OF Jefferson, Of which he speaks is nsefAoe
c,rcsture introduced by proprietor subsequeI 70
Mr. Jeferson's DEATH and Is even worse than Oia"io
statue ON the public square at Richmond Inc Oehuu
parlor floor sadtto have cost several thousand uoa
cost only $500 and Is made OF the native Deecn anu u
cherry trees instead Of mahogany ana lNe oaA mo
house single story, although over the paro'
room with dome roof Intended for billiard ROOM ana
by stairs at each end OF the gallery described
bv the writer These stairs continued IN inc COT
ners of the gallery to the above as an no
the billiard rOOm and not as dressing room 70 INC os'
ROOM as THE TRIBUNE's correspondent was toiu IN"
forbiddng the game OF billiards In public OF private was
enacted by the State and rigdy enforced This de-
featcd the object for which the room had been punt ana
tina public sairs obstrucng the hall below were taken
down and the room above was used az bedroom The
gallery was ornamened with paintings ana was the up
stair connection between the two wings OF tho mousse
Mrs Jefferson died 1882 at which date the mousse was
barely underway and therefore no special room was
constructed for her use The hrepaces IN the house
ware finished with castings panels These have proba
bIy been removed The covered ways leading out hor
zontay 10 the basement offices on each side Oh the apex
through which he said have escaped by the device OF
inverted horseshoes not excavated at the time Oh
the British invasion. There pursuit. for Mr Jener
son was warned by friend that the British were ascend
ing the mountain and he left the house hiteen minutes
before the British cavalry made their appearance on tho
lawn Taking q telescope In his pocket he PROCEEDED
quietly along good bride path made on the crest OF the
mountain range from time immemorial by Wiid animals
to Ioin his family, whom he had sent OH ~ an carrier
hour Monticello is not one Of the spurs OF the blue
Ridge as your correspondent says but belongs 10 the
Mountains and rs or 80 miles from the Blue
Ridre II "a also distant from Charlottesville q miles
and not ga.
Mr. Jeferson was liberal contributor to churches Of
all denominations attended regularly the Episcopal
service even before they had church in Charlottesville
when services were held In the Courthouse The re-
mark mentioned by the writer for THE TRIBUNE WASH
IN onposton 10 contributing the church. but cdS In op
postion 10 pew rents for jefferson Thought That as
money made choice OF seats In Heaven It ought not
IN church." The account given by an OLD merchant Oh
Charlottesville TO THE TRmUHEs correspondent mac
curate. Tho man probably clerk In nrm with
which Mr. Jefferson had dealt almost exclusively for II
years At one time Mr. Jefferson owed them debt OF
between o. 900 and $1,000 but this debt was hquidaed
moro than twelve months before his death. Mr. Jeher-
son, unlike many public men Of the present day who
amass wealth the public service left that service after
so years It, with hands as clean as they were empty
He left 1t is true his family destitute, but no creditor I'M
Maid and his memory unstaned by failure 20 meetany
engagement pecunary otherwise With regard 10 tho
discreditable traditions which THE TRIBUNEs CORE
spondent heard in Charlottesville, and believed, Mr.
Jeerson rooms in the private part OF tho mousse
surrounded by those OF his daughter aud her children
They had often heard these fsehoods and ISLANDERS oil
their day which have become the traditions Of ours Tho
old graveyard at Monticello Is private property and be-
longs 10 the descendants OF Jefferson. The new made
grave noticed by THE TRTDUsEs correspondent was that
OF grandson OF the author OF the Declaration OF Indo
pend6noe recently deceased Two slabs OF marble have
been placed over Mrs Jefersons grave nut the MANI
for relics from the graves Of the great mas PLAY ca sa
havoc with them. The hard granite OF the uuucated
obesk JeffersOns monument ressts IN part these
assaults IL particularly dsgraeefu that the Denehca
NJ work, the University OF virginia,
should be the prncpn desecratos Of his tomb and yet
this rs even So for the students from the University arc
the principal persons who carry away the sacred ehps
ruthessy broken from the monument oil thelr Etoa'
| bencfnctOr.