Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-04-06
alEn LATE 6Hx. nuRLB6T.


CHICAGO, April 3.-Knowing Mr.,
Il. II. Talbot has been General
Stephen A. Hurlbut's successor as a
Representative in the Legislature from
the district composed of DeKalb and
Boone counties, and that he was
closely related to him by marriage, he
was briefly interviewed to the follow
ing interesting results
MIR. Talbot, | suppose YOU have
seen the sad news Of the death Of
General Hurlbut. Minister resident at
Lima, Peru. Have you any further
information in regard to the matter?
mo, / have not; but | have no
reason TO doubt the truth Of it. Gen
eral Hurlbut had not been in his old.
time physical condition, which was
exceptionally good, for several years.
He had said 70 me some three years
ago that he felt confident he should
not live five years longer; that this
was the outside limit which he then
put upon his life:
Have you had any personal letters
from him with reference to the Peru
Wan complications, about which so
much has been written2"
YES, have 8 letter before me now
in which these references to the mat
ter to which you refer are made:
You understand in my position |
cannot enter into a newspaper dis
cussion. For this reason | am at the
mercy OF those journals which are
criticising my action. No folly can
be so transparent that some OF them
will not indorse it, and the more
flavor it has Of scandal the better it
will be received by the greedy public.
You may rest assured ] at all events
am not complicated 10 the least degree
with any discreditabl, project, and
that | have taken all proper means to
keep the prOef where it ought to be.
This man Shipherd is a curious mix
ture Of the knave and fool, with de-
cided preponderance of the former.
His project is insane-has no founda-
ton in law or equity-has no evidence
of any kind~in its favor, but there is
somebody behind it. Shipherd him
self, from his reported interviews, is a
pretentious liar, but somebody be-
lieves in him. | have sent long ago,
to the Department a full examination
and rejection of his schemes, and have
also sent back to the Department his
very extraordinary letter to me. All
these will soon be in the possession Of
Congress, and my vindication will be
complete as to that.
"'But | think the United States is
going to back down from the position
| have held here, and this compels my
return home. / have written the
Secretary that if the government pro-
poses such action | cannot and will
not represent it any longer.
docs General Hurlbut leave his
family in good shape pecuniarly?"
No: his home at Belvidere is all he
had to leave them, and this fact ought
to put at rest all insinuations as to his
personal honesty. throughout his
army and political experience of so
many years, be had not saved anything
except a small portion Of a salary,
which, as you know, was never princely
in its proportions. He was always
truer to his friends than he was to
himself"
WAS his family with him at
Lima?"
Yes. He was accompanied to his
post Of duty by his wife and his son
and sons family. and they we're all
with him undoubtedly when he died.
The General was very devoted to his
family, and was always accompanied
BY them when away from home any
length Of time. His only child is this
SOD, who is about thirty years Of age,
and who is by profession a civil engin
ecr, having graduated in that depart
ment of the Chicago University.
When had the General expected to
return to this country"
HE wrote me that he expected TO
sail about the 18th of this month.