Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-11-14
CINCINNATI LETTER.
Fighting Hoe HOOker-OlIVa Gr0es-
beek-Changes Of Fortune.

EEEnElnE Zoe H0Okef-OAWA GHE0e47
beck-Changes Of Fortune.
General Hooker is buried. A few more
anecdotes viii be told of him, some re-
grets will be expressed by his aequaintan-
ces, and soon by all but few, his death
viii be forgotten. His body lay in state
at the second Presbyterian church. From
that same place, few years ago, the body
of his wife was borne to Spring Grove.
He had military funeral. The process
ion was an immense one. The most in
teresting part was the Generals white
horse, which was led behind the coffin by
a steward who had been in HoOker's en-
pIoy several years. That horse is the one
which he rode al Resaca amid shower of
shot and shell. The General in those
days was a handsome man. he had had
the advantage Of military education.
He was as straight as an arrow. His skin
was as soft as s WOman's, and his COM
plexion like that of a schoolgirl, yet he
was not in the least effeminate. There are
those who served under him, ready enough
to say that he was as brave man as ever
lived. he had great power Of endurance,
and was not afraid to exert himself. In
fact it was over exertion that brought on
a stroke of paralysis, from which he never
fully recovered. 1t always seemed pity
to me that the General was defeated at
Charlottesville. 1t has been attributed
TO the fact that all McClelland's subordl-
mates, whom Hooker retained when he
took command of the army of the POtO-
mac. had become so inert by the ''all quiet
on the Potomac" policy, that when the
time came for action they were wanting.
1t was while stationed in Cincinnati that
General Hooker WoOed and won Olivia
Greesbeck. She was the handsOmest WO-
man Of her time, bat hsd become an old
maid long before Hooker married her.
Her eonquests during life had been not
few. Her face would have been her for
tune, even had she not had an ample in
heritance of her own The Duke of Well
ington acknowledged her attrsctlveness.
Her haughtiness, however, was as great as
her beauty. Indeed, this is a character
istie of the Groesbecks. 1t has earned for
the Hon. ". S., Oliva's brother, the sp-
pelation of the great Western iceburg:
There is story told OF General HOOK
ef s 10 Llc 6ucCE LubL az OLC VI EnO
great receptions in London, she overheard
one of the notables, a duke or earl. or
some Of the titled aristocrscy, on being
asked il he would not like to be presented
TO Miss Groesbeck, replied, ''trot her out.
Wheusthis same individual was presented,
slowly raising her eye glasses, with cool
and non chalant air, surveyed him from
head to foot without saying a word. Then
e. H. r.a,flauron Who hoH infrO-
duced him, she quietly remarked, 'YOu
may take him away now, ! have seen him"
Notwithstanding her cool and unimpul
sive temperament, she loved the General
dearly. To him she decided all her proper
tv, and he thus became owner of what is
now the Reuben Springer homestead, and
of the Spencer House. which, though at
that time, very productive piece of prop
erty, could not now be given away, as the
taxes come to more than the income OBJ
tanned from it.
am anxious to see what disposition he
has made of his property. Part of it will
90 to pay for a monument which he had
ordered before his death for the family lot
at Spring Grove. This will be a pretty
large amount as the monument is to be
perhaps as fine as any ever put up in the
cemetery. don't think the Groesbecks
will get much Of it at any rate. They
were not on the best terms in the world.
The last time the General was out here,
although he stayed some time, he never
but once called at the Groesbeck residence.
l imagine, Olivia Groesbeck's disposition
of her property had something to do with
this GOODNESS. If it were left to me to
surmise what Hooker had done with it,
should guess that his secretary, Mr.. Law
Ter, had about as good a chance to get
some of it as anybody. He was a great
favorite of the Generals. No one could
do anything for lin but TON" as he
called him. On one occasion it was nee
essary for some one 10 witness the execu-
ton Of an instrument concerning some
property out here. The papers were ready
for signature, but Tom not being present, !
the General would not sign them until he |
could be sent for, although it took about |
half an hour, and there were half dozen |
persons present, any of whose signatures |
would have been as good.
From General Hooker to Trueman B. |
Handy is not an abrupt change. Handy |
was the manager of ROOker's property at |
this place. He was once one of the capi- |
tahsts of Cincinnati. Il was he who un- |
dertook to build Handys Opera House.
While it was in process of erection, Handy /
failed. The city took the unfinished
building of his hands and turned il into
a public library for which purpose it is
still used, although now made much larg-
or by wings and annexatiOns which have
been necessary as the size Of the collection
Of books grew.
Handy, after his failure embarked in
the real estate business. His old friends,
who, in prosperity used to eat bis fine din
lers, did not cast him off when he became
poor, but many of them threw their real
sstate business into his hands. 1t was be,
Who, for example, negotiated the purchase
If the lots on which now stands ShilliIo's
Try goods house, the finest outside of New
York. This involved the outlay of a
quarter Of million dollars, and Handy
vas probably paid ten thousand for the
hare he had in the transaction of thus
business. Now he has SO far recovered from
his reverses as to be able to start into act
We business on his own responsibility.
Such are the ups and downs of life. To-
lay on the street, met Jacob Elstuer.
There was a time when he was the surg of
he exchange. have known him to write
)ut check for a hundred thousand dol
ars. His transactions in wheat footed up
many thousands each day. He owned
.hree flour mills-all of them Of large ca
1acity. To-day he wears an old worn out
straw hat, although it is bitter cold, for
he simple reason that he has no other nor
has he the money with which to purchase
new one. JUvENIs.
Cincinnati, Nov. 18th, 1879.
ELECTION. result of the late election,
With tboso bold IN Ootobar hos |