Daily Republican., 1881-10-07
ANECDOTES OF saARFlELD.
Remtn lsseneeS Of she Late Preai.
asnt-Ais Actions ON and on sl
Duty-At Homo On His Farn-A
ssBoy" af Larger Growth,

Duty-At Homo On His Fara-A
"Boy" "sr Larger Growth.
Congressman Williams was in Mil.
waukee yesterday, and, in answer to
questions as to his acquaintance with
the lamepted President, replied:
"Happening TO ait within one seat of
him for four years in the House, l. with
others, perhaps, had better opportuni-
ty to see hi n in all his moods than
those more removed. In action he was
u giant Off duty he WAS % great noble
boy. He never knew what auSterity Of
manner or ceremonious dignity meant
After some of his greatest efforts in the
House, such as will live in history, he
would turn TO me or any one else and
say: "Well, old boy how are You,
how was that ?" Every man was his
contidant and friend so far as the inter
change of every day good feeling was
concerned. He once told me how he
prepared his spcechee; that first he
filled himsefwith his subject. mas5ing
all the facts and principle, involved,
so Tar as he would; then he took pen
and paper and wrote down the salient
points III what he regarded their logi-
cal order. Then he scanned these crti.
cally and fixed them in his memory.
And then, said he, Il leave the paper
in my room and trust to the elner-
gency.
He told me that when he spok, at
the serenade in New York year ago,
he was so pressed with callers that the
only opportunity he had for prepare
tion was to lock the door and walk
three times arOuud the table when he
was called out to the balcony to be-
gin. All the world knows what that
speech was. His two boys would
come up to the House just before ad.
journment and loiter about his desk
with their ooks in their hands. After
the House adjourned other members
would 60 off in cars or carriages or
walk down the avenue in groups. But
CARRIED, with d boy on each side Of
nim, would walk down Capitol Hill, as
we would say in the country, cross.
lots," all three chatting together on
equal terms.
He said to me one day during the
canvass, while tears came to his eyes.
81 have done no more coming up from
poverty than hundreds and thousands
Of others; but am thankful that
have been able to keep my family by
my side and educate my children. He
was man with whom any body could
differ with impunity. l have said
that were Garfield alive
and fully recovered, and a dozen of his
intimate friends were to 60 to him and
advise that Guiteau De left off, he
would say: Yes; let him go" The
man positively knew no malice. And
for such man to be shot and tortured
like dog and by dog He WAS ex-
sensitive.
have seen him come into the House
in the morning when some guerrilla OF
the press had stabbed him deeper i'll
his feelings than Guiteau bullet did in
the body; and whar he looked paid
frola suffering and the evident loss of
sleep; but he would utter 10 luurnur,
and in some short time his great exub,
erance Of spirit would surmount it all,
and he would bc boy again. He never
went to lunch without troop of friends
with him. He loved to talk at table,
and tbereis no sush in saying hs talked
like god, socially and Intellectually.
Some off h2snd expressions were like
burst of Inspiration. Like all truly
great men, hs did not seem to realize
his greatness. And, as have said, he
would t1ik az cordially and confidently
with a child as with mo'arch. Aud
| only refer to his conversations with
me because yon ask me to, and because
think his off. hand conversations with
anyone reveal his real traits best. Com
ing on the train from Washington after
his nomination, he said: "Only think
Of this, | am yet young man; II eject
sd and serve i"y term shall still bt
\ young man. Then what AIN going
to do? There seems to he no place iii
America for an en-President!' Ana
then came in Wha; l thought tbe ex-
treme simplicity and nobility of IA man.
'Why,' said he, Il had no thought oI
beiug nominated. l mad bought me
some new books and WAS getting ready
for the Senate.
laughed at the idea of his buying
books, like a boy going to college, ana
that during his Congress
sional career, he had furnished material
for few books himself. And then,
with that peculiar roll of the body and
slap Oh the shoulder with The left hand
which all will recognize, he said
'Why do you know that up to 1856
had never seen a Congressional Gicbe
nor knew what one was - And he
then explained how he stumbled ou to
)ne in the hands OF IN opponent in his
first public anti-slavery debate.
A friend remarked the ther day that
6 lrtield would ge' as enthusiastic in
tigring q six foot ditch with his own
hands rs when making speech in Con
yress. Such was my observation. Going |
Town the, lane he seemed to forget for
. time there was any Presidential can
rass pending. He would refer first to
,ne thing then the other, and always
with tina: off hand originality which
was characteristic. Suddenly picking
ID a smo, tn, round pebble he said i:
Look at that Every stone here sings
If the sea p Asking why he bought
lis farm, he said he was reading about
METALS, that you could draw them to Il
point million times and not
mpair their strength, butif you passed
hst point once you could never get
hem back.
so" said he, 81 bought this farm to
hift the muscles of my ml"d! J! CoIn'
ny to two small wooden structures in
he field, he talked rapidly of how the
leighbors guessed he would do in Con-
,ress, but would not make much Of a
st at farming, and then called my at.
ention to his corn aud buckwheat and
ther crops, and said that was o marsh,
ut he und deIdrained with tile and found
pring water flowing out Of the bluff,
nd with p .mps of a given dimensio,
water dam could throw water back
lightly rods to his house and eighty |
.et above it. "But," said he in his
,cularly impressive manner, II did my
urveying before did my work.
Mr. Williams added that had not