The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-11-21
STEPHENS home
Liberty Hall, in Which he Enter
tanned the Last One of the
Irish Kings
Atlai Ia Constitution /.

Aiisl Ia Constitution.
TIE committee appointed to escort
Alexander n. Stepi ems fron his home
to the eubernaioriai mansion, arrived
at the Liberty Hall estate early on
Monday morning. The members Of
the committee were invited to break
fast. No less than eight servants
clustered about the table and bel ped
the guests, while major-domo of un-
yielding dignity directed their move
ments, and three pickaDinnies stood by
the fireplace, and watched the pro-
ceedings with undisguised interest.
A family of five kittens tumbled about
the floor. while two dogs. occupying
the rounds of a staircase that led from
the diaing-rOom into the second story,
overlooking the scene.
81 bought this house." said Mr.
Stephens, {" in 1912. from Mr.. Bird
and to-day. for the first time, it is to be
closed up. We ara packing up every
thing, and the house will be closed up
to-day. except for MIR. ONeill, an old
friend of mine, who is now approach
ing his 90th year, and who will con-
tinue TO live here.
This is a library" said Mr. Ste
phens, in which have spent mar y a
day and night of work. and which /
leave with great reluctance. 1t was
not a pretentious room, but we'll filed.
An immense basket Of seed for distri-
button sat on the floor. In a corner
Was pile of sweet potatoes. The ell
tire wall space was covered with hooks.
These were mostly on topics relating
to the war and constitutional questions.
Every conceivable history of the war,
aud every treatise on government ever
published. it appeared, were here and
tie most Of them were we'll thumbed.
You will notice." said Mr.. Ste
rhens, . that l have my house liz hted
with gas. 1t is curious fact, but my
gas costs me less than my matches"
You must have unskillful scratch
ers, them"
mo. But great many Of my
visitors smoke pipes. as [ do, and it
takes four or Eve to light a pi pc,
especially in the hands of those who
are used TO Goals. 1t costs me so cents
a week for matches. and only $40 a
wear fer gas. There is no investment
a country gentleman can make that
pays so we'll as to have his own gas
machine
This room." said Mr.. Stephens.
entering a bedroom adjoining the Ii
brary, g vas occupied the night it was
finished BY Smith O'Brien, the last of
the line of the Irish kings of Munster
He spent q week with me, and was the
graudest man in some respects ever
knew. His book on representative
government is the profoundest work l
ever read. except Mr.. Calhouu's. and
is much more elaborate. He was the
foremost of the Irish patriots in digni-
" and power. l had Toombs here to
meet him frequently, and it was in
teresting to see them together. Mr..
Toombs was then very extreme-it
was in 1859. and | had resigned in view
of the coming storm-and was fond of
painting to UBrien what q magnifi-
cent republic we could make of the
south. il we were only cut off from the
main body of death. as We called the
north. In his quiet but positive way,
O'Brien would insist that the perpe-
tuity of the American union was the
only hope for true representative gov
ernment on the face Of the earth. /
never entertained greater man than
this brave and saddened Irishman"
1t is we'll known that Mr.. Stephens
is poor. He spends his income on
charity and in entertaining, and has
ALWAYS done SD. While he is scrupu.
lousy exact in his own personal ex.
penses. he has little thought of money
spent on others. 1t is his boast that
he has never turned any one away
from his door His income on his
books amounted to but little. An old
negro of seventv-six, who is one month
Younger than Mr.. Stephens, and who
has been with him seventy-six years,
said, "Why. he's better to dogs than
most folks is to folks. He feeds every
dog as comes to him. and when he
dies he don't just let him dry up; he
buries him.. ''Buries the dogsy" Eyes,
sir, just like folks; he's got a regular
dog graveyard in his garden. /
buried Frank there two weeks ago,
and Rio was buried there, and there's
a heap O dogs buried there"
As the car rolled out of the little
town this old veteran was seen waving
a tattered kerchief, while what seemed
Ia be the entire population Of Craw.