The Portland daily press., 1882-01-31
DANIEL wEBsTER's VISIT TO PORT
LAND.
"Reminiscences of Days Ride with Him
in a Stage Coach.

The centennial of the birth Of Daniel Web
ster came the 18th inst ,and was considered of SO
mcuh interest by the people and papers of Bos-
ton that they commenced to celebrate the event
and publish "reminiscences several days before
It occurred and continued the discussion sew
eral days after.
This calls up from memory chance visit to
Portland from Mr. Webster forty-six years
ago. He had been to Bangor in the autumn of
1886, having been engaged as counsel in the
notable suit of Veazie VS.. Wadleigh, involv-
ing title to valuable lands and water power on
the Penobscot This suit attracted good deal
Of public attention at the time, not only on ac-
count of the parties interested anu the matter
at issue, but of the great eminence of the
counsel engaged. Mr.. Webster was opposed
by jeremiah Mason, and they were the ac-
knowledged heads of the Bar in New England.
John A. Poor, then practiciDg at Bangor, was
the junior counsel with Mr. Webster-I think
for the plaintiff. The case was tried at Wis
casset.
On his way home by stage from Bangor Mr..
Webster took lodgings for q night at the Cum
berland House, Portland, which, with some
enlargement, is now the United States Hotel.
That, think, was the first year of its occu-
pancy as hotel, and it was kept by g. E.
Nudge, who recently died in Massachusetts, a
wealthy merchant of Boston. Mr.. Webster
had accepted public dinner at Bangor and
at Hallowell, but was compelled by engage
TO n him in,
Portland.
AS soon as it became known that Mr.. Web
ster was at the hotel, his friends called upon
him and obtained his consent to hold a public
reception in the Congress street parlors of the
hotel in the evening. OF course large COM
pany of citizens of all parties in politics as
sembled to pay their respects to SO distinguished
gentleman After kind words of greeting he
was addressed formally and made fitting re-
ply. After which Mr.. Webster received all
personally in his plain, affable manner, and the
that Mr.. Webster must leave at an early hour
the next morning for Boston
At that time, the mail stage for Boston left
the Elm Hotel on the north corner of Federal
and Temple streets at ) O'Clock a. M, fare $8.
This hour in October is an hour and half
before sunrise, when there is very little day
light. AS tho steamboat did not leave for
Boston the previous night the writer took
passage in the stage coach the same day. Fisk
and Charles CArle drove to Portsmouth on
alternate days, and this was Fisk's day. The
passengers were COL Black of Ellsworth, an
Englshman who had for years been the agent
of the Barings of London for the sale of their
Bingham lands in Maine, besides he was
doing an immense business in numbering on
his own account, having all the logs he would
cut free of charge. He died wealthy in 1856
leaving $1,000 and his library to the Maine
Insane Hospital. The only other passenger
except the writer. was Neal Shaw of Calais,
a prominent proprietor of timber lands and a
large mill owner His wife was a sister to
Neal Dow His father was of the same name
as himself and owned a rope walk in Portland
He built the large house. on State street since
owned by j. S. Little and more recently by
Cyrus S. Clark.
To listen to these distinguished gentlemen
who knew each other well, and we're perfectly
at their ease, was a pleasant pastime for even
O long days ride. The eastern land specula-
lation Just then commencing was a prominent
topic for discussion. Col Black was familiar
with the whole subject, and Mr.. Webster had
learned something OF it at the Bangor law
suit.
AT this time the stage passengers took their
breakfast at Saco and dined at Portsmouth.
At old York lady was taken up, who proved
to be Mrs. Emerson of YORK, the daughter OF
one of Mr.. Webster's friends in Boston; and
now for subjects, the history and welfare of
Boston families alternated with Maine lands,
numbering, and the current politics. Except
for two years, Portsmouth was the home of Mr..
Webster, for the first twelve years of his law
practice, and of course he had many friends
remaining there. The stage had hardly stopped
at the hotel for dinner when the house became
thronged with his old acquaintance, to whom
he had to apologize for leaving them abruptly
to get his dinner. Party bitterness was then at
its height in New Hampshire. Isaac Hill,
editor Of the New Hampshire Statesman, and
afterwards Governor of the State, had recently
been chastised in the street by General Up
ham, one of Mr.. Webster's friends, for some
thing published in the Statesman. In passing
out Of the town, two ladies on piazza were
evidently surprised to recognize Mr.. Webster
in the coach, and expressed their respect by
the lowest and most graceful curtsy. Mr.. Woh-
ster, observing our interest to know who they
were, said they were the wife and daughter OF
General Upham. This brought up the whole
subject and cause of the castigatioD, which
Mr. Webster did not justify
1t was nearly dark when we arrived at Sa-
lem, where we were to SUP, and on entering the
town we heard the rubadub music of a broken
up regiment, which had been holding general
muster. Mr.. Webster said to Annobe, the
driver, whom he knew, ''go round some by
way and avoid an upset from these drums"
We soon obtained our supper and arrived in
Boston at s o'clock-ffteen hours from Port
land.
Mr.. Webster then lived at the corner of
Cr1,r aDd Hi0h gtrpatS Ha inSSfad
companying his lady friend to her fathers door
before he should be set down at his own home.
At this Summer street residence he received
and entertained Lafayette on the 18th of
June, 1926, after laying the corner stone OF the
Bunker Hill monument. To mako room for
his numerous guests on that occasion he bor-
rowed the adjoining house of his neighbor
and door was cut through the partition wall
and used for the passage of the large company
for that evening only. Summer street, at the
time of which write, was occupied on both
sides by fine old mansions, gardens and over
arching trees, and was the finest street in BoS-
ton. These now have all given place to ware
houses. Through this, then splendid avenue,
the rattling stage coach was driven amidst the
hustle of an old-fashioned alarm Of fire. On
drawing up at the door, a black servant came
out to receive Mr.. Webster, who said John is
the house on fire?" and on being assured that
all was safe, he took leave of his fellow travel
ers, and I did not see him again until eight
years after when he delivered his oration at
the completion of the Bunker Hill monument.
I could fill column with the anecdotes re-
lated by Mr.. Webster during this journey, of
his long experience in Washington, but have
already exceeded my intended limits at the
commencement.
Windham, Jan. 27. w. G.
William L. How.
The following resolutions, in memory of the