The daily gazette., 1875-05-04
Fernando Wood.
Gath Interviews the Congressman,

TAIN TO WIN IN 1875.
Correspondence Of the Philadelphia Times J
New YORK, April 29.--To-day being a
good day for a country walk, went over
to the residence of Fernando Wood, ex-
Mayor of New York, and one of three or
four notable candidates for the Speaker
ship of the Forty-fourth Congress. Wood
is one of the very successful politicians
OF the period. "Is he worth million 2"
[ asked of Robert V. Roosevelt. ooh
he's worth millions" was the answer. A
piece of ground for which he has denied
1886. .0OO-ten acres in extent-stretches
between the great Bloomingdale boule-
ward and the Hudson river, and there,
in an exquisite cottage of sort of cha
let character-rustic. gothic perhaps
which meanders in several wings and
with many gables over rolling lawn of
shaven grass, the old Mayor lives with
his third wife and eleven living children.
He has great fondness for children and
for domestic life, and he intimated to
me that after all his career in New York
he liked Philadelphia the best for q home
and repose. can very nearly quote his
exact language: 81 love Philadelphia
very much" he said; "it bears the rela-
ton to New York that London does to
Paris: In Paris there are scarcely to be
found such things as homes. London is
complete in its homes, like Philadelphia.
Last week visited the Quaker City, and
there is very elegant domestic republi-
canism there, l like to walk the streets"
"You were born there?' said "Yes,
sir; l was born in Eleventh street, five
doors below WalhGt, east side. Not long
ago | visited the dwelling. June IA,
1872, was the date Of my birth. After
that my father and mother moved to
the corner of Front and Union streets
very distinctly remember our residence
there. was seven years old when we
moved to New York"
'How do you account, Mr.. Wood"
asked, "for the general belief that you
, are of Southern birth and family ?"
! "Well, my father was an invalid and had
to go to the Southern climate in winter,
and he died in Charleston in 1882. For
some time | had tobacco factory in
Richmond, subordinate to my store in
New York. There is nothing else to
identify me with the South. / am an
older American quaker than those who
came over with William Penn. When
Penn arrived in the Delaware he found
my great-great-great-gre
Henry Wood, already settled among the
Swedes, at the Pea Shore, north of Cam
den, New Jersey"
| This is a rare old fact in your local his
tory. About 1860 Henry Wood was driv-
en- out of Massachusetts, for Quakerism,
to Roger Williams settlement. He sail
ed from Newport for the Capes of the
Delaware, and the dried peas he threw
out OF his vessel opposite Kensington
sprouted, and gave the name to Pea
Mann's fish-house is ON this tract OF
ground The Woods are buried near the
Camden gas works, somewhere about
| Cooper's point. Woodbury. town, lack
of Camden, takes its name from Isaac
Wood, the great-grandfather of Fernan-
do Wood, who settled it, and near that
place settled also Fernando Woods mo-
theirs father, German Quaker from
Hamburg, Henry Lehman. Both of Fer
nando Woods grandfathers were Revo.
lutionary soldiers. They lost the Pea
Shore by the waste and neglect of SOL
diering. The Woods and Lehman were
put out of Quaker meeting for going to
the war, and since that time the family
has generally been Presbyterian and
| Episcopal.
Its little singular" said Wood,
that the three men named for Speaker
are all Pennsylvanians-Randall, Kerr
and myself. Yes, sir; and Sam Cox, who
is also in the list, very nearly was a
Pennsylvanian. His mother, Miss Sulli-
van, was a native of the northern part
Of Delaware"
l CLEAN from various sources the fol.
lowing notions of the Speakership;-
Kerr is probably the strongest ut pres
ent. His locality is not alone favora-
BILE one, but the Barlow Belmont Mar
BILE corner of the Manhattan Club is
working for him. He made visit to
New York not many months ago, and
was greatly feted and caressed by this
Gould, who will hereafter require to
have a hand in national politics. This
assistance from the East may provoke
ire as we'll as give strength to Mr.. Kerr.
| Sam Cox relies upon Holman, of Indi-
ana, to help diversion for himself Cox
( and he expects support from Ohio and
New York. Meanwhile Randall is not
idle, although very philosophic. His
wife is lady from Sing Sing, near New
York, and he has associations in this
city which take him to the Manhattan
Club as well. l believe that he is now
in the West looking for his chances.
an office in the American News Compa-
ny's building, Nassau street, New York.
where he is punctually in attendance
every day from one o'clock to three OF
four 2. NJ. There he receives calls, and
the newly elected Congressman general
/ ly visit New York and stop to see the
great Philip Won Artevelde and Due de
| Mozart. Then his elegant carriage and
span pull the visitors out TO Woodlawn,
at Seventy-sixth street and the Grand
Boulevard. The Martel brandy is good,
for 1 have sampled it.. Forty years of
eventful leadership look down upon the
guest like the forty centuries that ex-
claim from the pyramid. The 1.-THE,
straight old man, standing like silver
arrow, relates his "reminiscences well of
Albert Gallatin and De Witt Clinton,
George Law and Captain Vanderbilt,
Martin Van Buren, and Silas Wright.
Before I was born, in 1850, Fernando
Wood was elected to Congress. There
he messed with William G. Rives, "Old
Bilr' Allen, Millard Fillmore, Lynn
Boyd, Judge Clifford and others. He
knew Calhoun and named son for him.
Fernando Wood says that when he came
to New York the blocks of marble were
heaped around the unfinished City Hal,
which was probably the earliest of civic
buildings to follow the organization OF
the Government. He has been elected