River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-10-21
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SENATOR CONKLING AT HOME.
a Glimpse of the New York states
man in His Own Castle

Special Correspondence Chicago Times.
UTICA, n. Y, Oct. S.-No one, pass
ing along Rutger street, in the charm
ing little city of Utica, could fail to OBJ
serve several handsome houses stand
ing far back rom the street and sur
rounded by trees and beautiful lawns.
! There is no fence or other barrier be-
tween the different houses, and they
have the appearance of being built in
beautiful park. The central house in
this group, which is also the largest and
handsomest, is the home of Senator
Conkling.
1t is Il massive-looking structure of
grey stone, consisting of two stories and
basement, square in outline, and with
but few windows visible from the front,
but these of unusually large dimen-
sions Ascending rather long flight
of stone steps, you enter wide hall
extending the whole length of the
house, with the staircase at the further
end 1t is handsomely furnished, and,
among other adornments, there hangs
upon the wall a portrait of Mrs. Conk-
lings mother, Mrs. Henry Seymour, a
woman of great beauty and with sin
gularly refined and lovely expression
of countenance To the right Of the
hall are the parlors, two large and
handsome rooms with folding doors be-
tween them.
On the opposite side is the dining
room, in which it would be possible to
give very good-sized dinner par y. 1t
is wainscoted in black walnut from floor
to ceiling, and the walls are hung with
many beautiful engravings.
Lord ROscoe's beauty and grace have
become almost proverbial; but for once
the newspapers have not exaggerated
Prepared to see something very unusu-
al, my expectations were more than full
filled. OF his personal appearance |
need not speak; it has been made Ia
miliar to most of our citizens, but that
combined with the bewitchipg grace
and courtesy of his manners, the pc
culiar sweetness of his low, rather Ian
guild tones, and the consciousness of
his greatness, produced an effect almost
intoxicating.
But, however charming the great SEN
atOr may be in private and social life,
he does not indulge very much i'll its
pleasures. During the time that he is
free from senatorial duties, be devotes
himself with great ardor to the practice
of his profession. He usually works
until very late at night or rather or
8 o'clock in the morning, and as a nat
ural consequence takes his matutinal
oatmeal and coffee at an hour when
smaller men are considering the diff
cult problem, what shall they have for
| lunch.
The senator, being excessively ner
vous, requires the most absolute still
ness when he is at work, and certainly
| the house is the quietest In which |
| have ever been. The domestic ma
| chinery seems to work with absolutely
no friction at all, and the servants glide
about noiselessly as shadows They
are all of shadowy complexion, having
once been slaves in the Jefferson family.
OF the presiding genius of the house,
the benignant divinity who guides, con-
trolls and tranquilizes all, | can not re-
frain from speaking a few words. Mrs.
/ COnkling is certainly one of the lowell
est women in the country. Beautiful,
dignified, with the grace, the manners
| of n duchess, she combines all the no
blest christian virtues. AS was said of
one far less worthy, to know her is a
| liberal education. No one can be in
her presence without feeling that he is
breathing an atmosphere higher and
purer than that which usually sur
rounds him. She is wholly devoted to
her husband, and no one seeing them
together can doubt their happiness.
Whatever the papers may say of him,
Senator Conkling PROFESSIONALLY en-
joys the confidence of his own wife, and
with that he may we'll be content, and
leave it for time to right him in public
estimation.