Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-10-27

Irwin is the queerest genius of the
family, though don't know how to de-
scribe him. "Abe" is an artist. He is
always making pictures and seems to
prefer drawings of machinery. A train
Of cars is one OF his favorite drawings,
and he will have the engine, baggage
and mail cars, the coaches and sleepers,
all so perfect that it would take an ex-
pert to find a part left out.
Mrs. GARFIELD is very pleasant but
not demonstrative woman. She is
well educated and appreciates the good
things in literature and art. She reads
"solid" books, and the magazines;
looks well after the house and teaches
her own children; she is an help
meet and an entertaining companion
for her husband, and abundantly able to
entertain his most intellectual friends
and visitors. [ should think her most
marked characteristic is that of per-
feet attention to her own business, and
no meddling with other peoples. She
is unostentatious. She refused to al
low her photograph to be sold, or her
picture to be engraved though earnestly
pressed to do so by photographers, en-
gravers and by many friends. [ sus-
pect she don't care to be written about
much either, and I don't wish to do
violence to her desire in this respect
by extended comments.
GRANDMA"
is an interesting member of the Gar
field family. She is 70 years old, and
very vigorous both in body and mind
for one of her years. She lives around
among her children, but spends the
greater part of her time with "James."
1 think she is little proud of her
sons distinction, but she is very careful
not to fatter him by saying SO. She
spends her time knitting, reading the
papers snd the Bible, and keeps diary.
She is very resolute and plain-spoken.
Two anecdotes will illustrate: Two or
three years ago one of her sons-in-iaw
had bought very poor old horse late
in the fall, because he got him cheap.
"GrandIua'' thought it a poor invest
ment, and recommended that the ami
nal be killed, as he would die before
spring anyway, and all he eat would be
dead loss. The owner said the horse
might be killed if she would do the
killing. She promptly said she would
do it. During the day neighbor came
to her house with a rifle gun. "Is your
gun loaded Mr.. -?" said she. He
told her it was. would you show me
how to fix it to shoot?" He showed
her, and she took the gun, walked down
to the stable lot and shot the old horse.
Once while travelling on the railroad
she heard two men talking about Gen.
Garfield. One of them said he was
drunken, dissipated man, and insisted
on it against the circumstances of the
other, who said he must be mistaken.
The fellow stuck to his assertion, finally
saying he had seen Gen. Garfield drunk
himself. Grandma" asked to be intro
duced to the man as Mrs. Garfield, and
told him that she was Gen. Garfeld's
mother, and that he was either mis-
taken in the man he saw drunk or ne
was lying puppy" The passengers
applauded, and the fellow skulked out
OF the car. If James A. Garfield is
not man of nerve, it is not the fault
of his mother. So much for the family.
GENERAL GARFIELD
himself is both physically and men
tally a very strong and active man.
When boy he was probably as rest
less as his son "Jim" now is. Indeed,
have heard him say that he was so
restless that he could not be still even
when asleep, and that he perpetually
kicked the clothes off the bed at night,
so that his older brother, Thomas, with
whom he slept, learned to get up and
put them on again without waking; and
when he was put to sleep with cousin
who came to visit him he nearly kicked
the life out of him the first night. To
break himself of the habit he finally
tied his feet to the foot-board of the
| bed so he could move them but a few
inches. don't know how to write much
about such a man within the limits of a
newspaper article. I have seen a
good deal of him both at Washington
and ION the farm" and have been with
him on number Of tours away from
home. should say he sis always the
same" He hardly knows his power,
and [ am sure he did not know his
popularity nor the estimation in which
he is held by the American people till
ne was nominated for President. The
storm OF applause which greeted the
first calling of his name in the Chicago
convention was as much a surprise to
himself as to anybody in the vast audi
ence. His nature and tastes are liter
airy and intellectual, rather than COM
mercial or sensual. He likes books
and music and pictures. He is withal
very versatile. He sings songs and
reads poetry, studies mathematical
problems, and translates "knotty" pas
sages of the Greek Testament with
equal interest and relish. [ remember
once seeing a gentleman showing him
what is called ''trick with cards. "
After trying it few times, Mr.. Gar
field said: THAT is no trick-it is the
result Of some law of numbers; it's a
mathematical problem, depending on
the number of cards, spots, etc." That
night he determined to solve the prob
lem. L went to bed about midnight,
and left him working at it. In the
morning he said he had sat up till after
3. but. like Archimedes. he had "fOund