The New York herald., 1878-02-22
Another Interview with General
Grant,


A correspondent of the HERALD who has
accompanied ex-President Grant in his
Mediterranean tour and his visit to Egypt
sends us from Cairo, under date of January
II, an interview with him which will at
tract general attention. This correspondent
had made previous attempts to draw. out
General Grant on the same subject without
success, as the General was indisposed to
take any part in a controversy carried on in
newspapers. But Harper's Weekly OF De-
cember having by some chance strayed to
Cairo our correspondent called General
Grants attention to the article 1t con-
tdined on the Sumner controversy
Struck with the injustice of that article,
presumed to be from the pen of Mr.. Curtis,
General Grant threw off his reserve and
conversed freely on the whole subject. He
had not seen great deal that has been
written and published since the date OF
Mr.. Curtis article, and some slight dis
crepancies will be found between his state
ments and those of Governor Fish and Judge
Bancroft Davis but errors of detail are un-
avoidable in statement made from memory
after lapse of years by person who has
no access to documents to verify minor par
ticulars.
General Grant makes some explanations re-
lating to the original interview in Scotland
with another correspondent OF the HERALD
He says that conversation took place in
railway train moving forty-fve miles an
hour, and that no notes were taken during
its progress. The correspondent after the
end of the journey, wrote out the interview
from recollection and did not submit it for
revision before sending it. When it reached
General Grant as published it impressed
him as faithful in intention, although
his meaning had been misapprehendcd
or overstated on some points. He
says he did not accuse Mr.. Sumner
OF wilful violations of truth He thinks.
and always thought, that Mr.. Summers
errors resulted in part from infrmities Of
temper and in part from extraordinary hal
lucinations, unaccouutable unless by
morbid condition of the brain. He made
the statements in Scotland in con-
sequence Of assaults contained in an
article published by Mr.. John Jay and
London letter by Mr.. Smalley to the
Tribune The second conversation begins
by correcting the unintendei exaggera-
tion in the report of what he had said in the
first respecting Mr.. Summers surprising
deviations from the truth, which General
Grant did not represent as wilfur rfalsehoods.
In the Cairo interview General Grant
gives an amusing illustration of the way in
which Mr.. Summers imagination and self
esteem combined to make him their dupe.
A bill originating in the House and drafted
by Mr.. Boutwell, without consultation with
anybody except one fellow member of his
committee had become law and was
warmly approved by Mr.. Summers, par
ticular coterie. Mr.. Sumner afterward
claimed the authorship of the bill and de-
clared that he had drafted every line of it.
If the statement stopped here it would
look like pretty conclusive proof of false
hood prompted by vanity. But, wonderful
to tell, this statement was made to Mr.
Boutwell, himself! An intentional liar
does not expose himself to such easy
refutation. Mr.. Sumner had so fully de-
luded himself into the belief that he was
the author of Mr.. Boutwell's bill that it
required no power Of face to say SO to Mr..
Boutwell, himself with an air of perfect
assurance and innocence. This was O
singular species of mental alteration, re-
sulting, perhaps, from the brutal injuries
inflicted on Mr.. Sumner in that barbarous
assault which disabled him for SO many
years and lett his eloquent vacant chair to
speak for him in the Senate Chamber AS
Mr.. Boutwell, is still living that strange
hallncination can easily be verified