The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1872-01-13
The HICKMAN COURIER.
ANTE-BEELUM GRANT.
In Old NeighbOr writes Ekiul q p
Correspondence PomerOy's Democrat.


ST. LOUIS, No, December, 1871.
In the Missouri Democrat l noticed a
statement copied from the New YORK
Times. headed president Grant the
Slauders aud Lies told of Him, SAID
lies and ISLANDERS purporting TO come
from the Brooklyn Eagle, New York Sun
and other papers bitterly opposed to the
President, said to have charged the sald
President with twenty-five appointments
of his wife's relatives.
Now, sir, let me give you few ideas,
and | think that | am sufficiently we'll
posted to give you facts, U. S. Grant,
with his father in-law Dent, were for
years close neighbors of mine on the
Graeois road, in St Louis county, ia the
same neieh borhood where our President
now holds his large farm.
liz may be said that "a does not be-
come me, or any private citizen of tbs
nation, to speak lightly Of our PresideEt;
but, sir, dislike very much to hear me
New York Times, or any other pa>er,
make statement to the public whi'h l
know to be false That Grant vas
worthless loafer before the war no man
in this neighborhood dare deny. L he
does. have only to refer him to the
upper eud of Market street, near the
Wedge House, where every saloon keep
er has the name Of u s Graut as hmse
hold word, and where | can purchase
many Of his grog bills. still left unpaid,
for a very small consideration.
can name many Of his old assochtes
IN gambling operations, where he sattIll
he gambled and lost the very last cen OF
the value of his cord of wood, which he
repeatedly brought on an OK cart toSt-
Louis market The Times states that
man of purer private lie than Genmai
Grant never occupied the Presiderti1l
chair. If this be 50, what must lave
been the character Of the Father OF our
country, General George Washintton,
and many others who occupied thatchair
since the days of the Revolution Is 1t .
not a gross insult to the Americas peo
pie for the Times, or any other PAPER, to
make such 4 declaration? Ny blood
boils at the unbushing impudenee OF
such statements from any quarte'. But
YOU or your readers may see ftto hold
me to account, or ask me what | know
derogatory to the character of I. ,.
Graut | do not ask the nation to be
lieye what say on statement alone, but
to 20 to his former haunts ia aud around
st. Louis, and they will soon hud out
what he was up to the year 1860. Let
ME here relate one circumstance Not
long bsfore our natiOuai troubles a
neighbor of his named Ssppington,
brought into the market load OF pump
kins and squash Finding no safe Tor
the same he returned to has home, In
tending to feed them to his pigs. On
the Gravois road, about fge miles from
81. Louis he noticed by the moonlight a
something lying before him rufhng
up his horses, he called out, " no.
there p
No reply. Ee finally got out Of his
wagon aud shook what seemed to be a
human being, at same time asking:
Who are you2 What are you doing
here p
The drunken object, raising himself up
aud brushing aside his hair, tried to say
that be was Captain Grant. Sappington,
finding his ncighbor in such a helpless
condition, pulled out the tailboard Of
his wagon, lifted up aud showed our
present President to keep company with
a load of ripe squash aud pumpkins,
until the aforesaid wagon drove up IN
front of his father in laws (Dent's)
house. Sappingtou called out, stating
that he had found Captain Grant on the
roadside, and brought him home in his
wagon.
Soon Grants wife and all hands were
at work irving to pick him out from
among the squash and pumkins. l will
leave you to judge what his appearance
must have been Certainly, if he had
not coat of tar and feathers on him, he
was we'll besmeared with the pulp and
seeds Of squash aud pumpkin.
/ sir, simply give you this as one
transaction in the life of mau said to
be the "purest private character that
ever oecu pied the presidential chair"
If this is not sufficient to shut the ig-
norant or lying mouth of the New York
Times, or any other journal so POLITICAL
iy controlled and debased as to try to
deceive the public, write to me, aud ]
will give YOU much more, aud for all OF
which statements | can give you sub
stantial proof Or, if you prefer, dele
gate some one to fad out facts iu our
| am, sir. yours,
G r. JOHNSON