Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-08-28
THESKELETON INTHECLOSET
Gen. Sherman's Domestic Troubles
A Condition of Things Not
Generally Known.
Mrs. 6heYman's Devotion to the
Romish Church, and the Re-
solve of the Oldest Son.
Special Correspondent, Inter-Ocean.


Special Correspondent, Inter-Ocean.
WASHINGTON, Aug. l4.-Genera
Sherman has not gone out into New
Mexico, with the border troubles il
bis mind, but has sought novelty, an,
the excitement of travelling as u dis
traction. Within the last six month
Gen. Sherman has grown old very
fast. The attempt to reduce the army
wore upon him more than one woult
have supposed it would, but ths
crushing weight was the departure oil
his favorite son for European mon
astery. Most people do not know
that the General is .as much foe tt
to Catholicism as his wife is friend
and the reason he lives apart from
his family-he in Washington and
they in st. Louis-is that he will no,
tolerate the presence of a priest un-
der the same roof with him.
Mrs. Sherman ia the most ardent
and active lay worker that tho Pope
has in America she stands high in the
councils OF the church, both ut home
and abroad and her name is a. ia.
miliar in Rome as tho name of st.
Agatha, although she was never there
in her life. She is the trustee in this
country of "Peter's pence"-the offer
ings of devout Catholics to the Pope's
Iprivate treasury-and shortly before
ne died, on the occasion of the ami
versary of his Pontificate, the late
Plus Ninth sent her a rosary of solid
gold, with fragment Of the "true
/ cnf ss. hn
Her house in st. Louis is the home
and headquarters of all the migratory
priests OF America. She is admitted
to all the condolences of the church,
and Bishops aud Archbishops go to
her for advice. On the contrary,
Gen. Sherman hates priest with o
profound hatred he despises their
methods, aud curses their class as the
destrOyers of his home; but Mrs.
Sherman was Catholic before he
married her-the Ewings are all Cath
olics-and while his married life has
always been happy one, he has new
er been able to abide with priest
and Mrs. Sherman has never been
able to abide without one.
Thomas Ewing Sherman, the oldest
son, was intended by the General for
the bar, and he was educated at
Georgetown College, u Catholic insti-
tuition, chosen by Mrs. Sherman, and
afterward at the Yale Law School,
an institution chosen BY his father
After he graduated at Yale he went
to his mothers house in st. Louis,
and entered the law office of Samuel
Reber. The second son Gen. Sher-
man wants to make soldier of, aud
the boy, now at the age of Ia years,
is well read in the whole library of
military history, and can describe in
detail all the military operations OF
the war. There are but two sons and
Mrs. Sherman had fixed her moth
er's heart on having one of them for
the church. To any suggestions of
this he wonld not listen, and she
knew him well enough to realize that
an argument on the subject would do
no good. But while the eldest son
has had his eyes on his law-books,
his mother has been inspiring in him
desire to distinguish himself in the
priesthood, and not until his cOnvic-
tion was formed, and his plans lecid-
ed upon, did his father have the slight
est suspicion of a change Of intention.
When the decision was announced to
him, General Sherman is said 20 have
groaned with sorrow, aud he has not
since seen his wife or son.
Before leaving for tho monastery
\ IN Europe. Young Sherman wrote y
letter to his law preceptor, in which
he said:
"My father, as you know is not a
Catholic, and therefore the step am
taking seems IS startling and as
strange to him as have no donbt it
does to you, my::dear sir. 90 with
out his approval, sanction, or consent !;
in fact, in direct opposition to his best
wishes in my behalf In conclusion,
my dear sir, have one request to
make and make it not only to you,
but to all our friends and relations to
whom you may see fit to show this
letter, or communicate its contents !; it
is this: Feeling painfully aware that
| have grieved my father, beg my
friends and his, one and all, of what
ever religion they may be, TO spare
him inquiries and comments of any
sort, for I cannot help feeling that
anything of the kind would be iIl-tim-
ed and inappropriate"
| / have seen in the newspapers a
story that young Sherman's determi-
nation to 60 into monastery was be-
cause of the marriage of his cousin,
Miss Lizzie, to Senator Cameron
All the family pronounce this absurd
and say that the cousins had almost
been strangers to each other. This
would be very romsntic, and the
Washington gossips have accepted it
as true, because, perhaps, they have a
precedent in the daughter Of Gen.
Scott, who became nun, and, it is
said, is now an inmate of convent
in Washington, because her father
prevented her marriage with worth
less, but titled foreigner who chewed
his whiskers around one Of the lega-
tions here. Young Sherman's choice
was made under his mothers influ-
ence after she had taught him to
share her infatuation for the Catholic