The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-06-16

mother in pray r. She prayed for the safe re-
turn of the wandering son. At the close he
softly opened the door, and the prayer was an.
swered. Then for the first time did he fully
comprehend how his departure had crushed
her.
TOLD BY AN ORDERLY SERGEANT UNDER ROSE.
GRAMS.
A few days after we got into quarters in tfis
town of Murfreesboro Garfield Joined US to
take his place as chief of staff We boys
thought he was a perfect success, and as an in
stance of his kindness of heart, virtue not
often practiced by army officers in the field
toward subordinates at least, give you this
little story. One night very late the boys be-
ing rolled in their blankets on the hall floor
asleep and I at my post sitting ON chair at
the commanding officers door, awaiting orders
to be taken to their destination by my then
sleeping comrades; the light but tallow can
die stuck in a sardine box; 1, with chair tilted
against the wall had fallen asleep TOO, when
Gen. Garfield, the new chief of staff, emerged
from the headquarter room quickly. Not no
ticing my extended limbs he tripped over
them and dropped to hands and knees on the
floor. AS he was no light weight even then
the fall was not easy. Affrighted, 1 jumped
to my feet, stood at attention, and as the gen.
eral arose, saluted, expecting nothing else
than to be cuffed and probably kicked, too,
from one end of the hall to the other. But to
my astonishment he quietly and kindly said:
Excuse me, sergeant" / not only excused
him, but with all our little command, to whom
the incident was told, revered him.
OTHER ANECDOTES
An old neighbor tells this of his parents:
The generals father was large-hearted and
large-bodied man. His physical strength has
often been remarked upon. He welded true
type of high-souled, intellectual, pious, Puritan
womanhood, Eliza Ballou. The statesman was
their fourth and youngest son. This we'll
mated couple came into the primeval forests in
the township of Orange, some Is miles from
Cleveland. He was very ambitious man, and
well do remember the labor which he per.
formed. 1t was only short time till the for.
ests had yielded for many miles around to the
blows OF his eight-pound axe. A large wheat
held was at length ripening beneath the heat
OF a June sun, when large fire which had
broken out in the forest threatened to sweep il
to destruction. The pioneer by the exercise
OF his great strength, brought the fire under
subjection, but he was greatly overcome by the
heat, and seating himself in draft of wind,
he contracted severe cold which settled in
his throat. The rude surgery of the time di-
rected that blister be raised upon his throat,
and this choked the strong man to death. His
last words to his faithful wife were: ELIZA,
L nave piduttu IOur SapllngS IN Jn6 WOODS,
now leave them to your care" The eldest Of
the family was then 10 years old, and James
was barely two. The heroic struggles OF Mrs.
Garfield to get subsistence for her young
family are scarcely surpassed by anything re-
corded in fiction, but suffice it to say she sue
ceeded The wheat field was fenced by rails
split by her own hands, and her 10-years-old
son and herself laid them in their places.
1t is related of Garfield that, while teaching
district school at Warrensville, Ohio, during
his struggling years, he had but one suit and
that of Kentucky jeans, without overcoat or
underclothing. Toward the close of the term
the pantaloons became very thin, and, while
bending down one day, he tore one of the
knees nearly round. The chagrined teacher
pinned it together as well as he was able, and
that night made somewhat bitter complaint to
Mrs. Styles, where he was boarding in regard
to his poverty. "Oh, never mind said the
good woman. 'You can go to bed, and one of
the boys will bring down your pants, and L
will carefully darn the hole, so that it will be-
as good as new. When you get to be president
you will forget all about such little things as
that" The good old pioneer dame was long
since gathered to her rest, and did not live to
see the day of which she so unwittingly prophe-
sled.
Garfield and Arthur each taught school in
the same district in North Pownal, VT, the
former when at Williams college, the latter
two years before in 1851. Garfield only taught
penmanship. Arthur was born in Vermont,
and his father was British minister, preach-
ing many years over the State street BAPTIST
church at Albany. DR.. Armitage claimed
Garfield as Baptist at a minister's meeting at
Brooklyn the other day, and attributed the re-
suit of the convention to prayer. Rev. Mr..
Arthur helped ordain DR.. Armitage.
After Col. Garfield had whipped Humphrey
Marshall, very Falstaff for obesity, in the
mountains of eastern Kentucky in 1862, his
men grew short of supplies. They were on
the Big Sandy river, but it was so swollen with
heavy rains that the steamboat men declared
it impossible to ascend it. Garfield promptly
jumped aboard skiff and dashed down the
flood of waters to the Ohio river A small
steamer was seized and loaded, but no captain
or pilot would take charge of the craft Not
to be baked, Garfield whose service as canal
boatman stood him in stead took command
himself and drove the boat perilous voyage
through eddies and currents which threatened
to engulf all hands. He was absent from the
wheel but six hours for two days and two
nights, and just at the dawn of the second day
his hungry men greeted the arrival of their
plucky commander with tumult of cheers.