The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-04-23
The Chief Justice a. Home.
MR.. CHASE AND HIS RESIDENCE.
rCspondence OF the N, Y, Postl

MR.. CHASE AND HIS RESIDENCE.
Correspondence OF the n. Y. Post)
WASHINGTON, April 0, 1s72.-some
two years ago the Chief Justice bought
what Is known as the Berry Place, metro.
polltan View" about two and a half miles
from the "Capitol" on North Capitol
street. The estate contains tify.fyo
acres. The surface Is uneven, with here
and there large old forest trees scattered
about on it. The house was built some
tit(y years ago by the late Mr.. Washing.
ton Berry, the son Of very large land.
owner here, at an early day. His father
gave him large tract of land with au.
thority 10 build himself a house. The son
put masous and carpenters to work, but
after time the bills came Ii so large that
the father went out TO "view the situa.
ton" and stopped the supplies. The son
demonstrated, and said, "You authorized
me to build house" YES" re.
sponded the father, "but l did not
authorize you to build q Capitol" The
house Is OF brick, two stories high, about
sixty feet long and fifty wide, with very
high ceilings. The hall Is wide, with q
generous, winding stairway at one end.
The rooms are large and square, The
front room ON the east side Is the library
Of the Chief Justice. A wing has been
added on the east side Of the main build.
ing, and the first story Is the dining room.
The house is plain, substantial and mas.
sivC. The furniture IS plain, but rich,
and shows tho cultivated taste Of the &C.
cOmplishCd daughters Of the Chief Jus.
tiCe. On the south side of the house q
piazza has been built. and from this one
Of the finest views Of the city of Wash.
ington Is 10 be obtained, with the Capitol
directly in front, and seemingly but the
distance Of Title.shot away. On every
side the prospect Is very fine. This house
Is away from the noise and dust Of the
city, and Is hidden by the branches Of
innumcrable cedars, among which the
wild birds sing undisturbed.
This retreat seems fit dwelling place
for Chief Justice Chase. Few men have
made q deeper impression upon the legis.
lation Of the country. He was a consti.
tutional opponent Of slavery, and every
blow lie struck at that giant wrong was
within the limits Of law. He BELOVED, he
said in 1916 in Cincinnati, when the ne.
groes presented him with silver pitcher
for his labors in the cause Of freedom,
that "the iron Of oppression, II 1t enters
into the soul OF the oppressed, poisons
with its Cankering rust the soul OF the
oppressor." These are memorable words
Chief Justice Chase Is probably the best
scholar that has ever presided over the
Supreme Court. AS Latin scholar he is
not surpassed by any man in the PROBES.
sion. While he was Governor of Ohio, q
friends tells me, he read through the Greek
Testament during his first term. He
reads French as readily as English. He
can translate Faust" into his own strong
and vigorous tongue; and reads Italian
and Spanish like the natives OF those sun.
ny lands. While he is not poet he is
fond OF Evenings with the Poets" and
has a high appreciation OF Chaucer,
Shakespeare, Milton, Dante, Goethe and
others. He has made some good transla.
latlons OF the Latin poets, for his own
amusement. In mathematics he is q wor.
thy pupil of Euclid. He is in the broad.
est sense an elegant and accomplished
sch olar
The health Of Chief.Justice Chase has
improved greatly since he was in thee lty
oil New York, year ago last January. He
eats well, digests well, sleeps well, exer.
cises much and works hard. On Thursday
evening he worked until halt.psst 10
o'clock, writing out one decision and
looking up authorities for another. lie
says that it is seldom that he works be.
You'd the hour Of ten at night in his libra.
~. His old smile, his hearty laugh and
his buoyant cheerfulness have come back
to him. His general health is better now
than it has been at any time in the last
three years. On pleasant mornings be
walks in to the Capitol. This is his sea.
son q heavy work, as the Supreme Court
| is in session