Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1882-11-23
ALEXANDER STEPHENS, HOME.
Liberty Hall, in which He Entertain
ed the Last One OF the Irish Kings.


ed the Last One OF the Irish Kings.
The committee appointed to scort
Alexander II. Stephens from his home
to the gubernatorial mansion arrived
at Liberty estate early Monday NOR n
ing. The members of the committee
were invited to breakfast. No less
than eight servants clustered about
the table and helped the guests, while
a major domo of unyielding dignity
directed their movem ents, and three
pickanipnies stood by the fireplace
and watched the proceedings with un-
disguised interest. A family of FIVE
kittens tumbled about the floor, while
two dogs occupying tbs rounds of a
staircase that led from the dining
room into the second story, overlooked
the scene.
"I bought the house." said Mr..
Stephens, sin 1912, from Mr.. Bird
and to-day, for the first time it is to be
closed up. We are packing up every
thing, and the house will be closed to-
day, except for Mr.. O'Neill, an old
friend of mine, whois now approach
ing his goth year, and who will con-
tinue to live here"
"This is library" said Stephens,
''in which [ have spent many a day
and night of work, and which [ have
with great reluctance" 1t was not
pretentious room, but we'll filled. An
immense basket of seed for distribu-
ton sat on the floor. In corner was
pile of sweet potatoes. The entire
wall space was covered with books.
These were mostly on topics relating
to the war and constitutional questions.
Every conceivable history of the war
and every treatise on government ever
published, it appeared, was here, and
the most of them well thumbed.
"You will notice." said Mr.. Stephens,
''that | have my house lighted with
gas. 1t is curious fact, but my gas
costs me less than my matches"
"You must have unskillful scratchers,
then?' No. But great many of our
visitors smoke pipes, as I do, and it
takes four or five matches to light q
pipe, especially in the hands of those
who are used to Goals. It costs me
81 cents week for matches and only
$19 year for gas. There is no invest
ment country gentleman can make
that pays so well as to have his own
gas-machine.
''Tsis room," said Mr.. Stephen, en-
tering bedroom adjoining the library.
"was occupied the night it was finished
by Smith OBrien, the last of the line
of Irish kings of Munster. He spent a
week with me and was the grandest
man IN some respects ever knew. His
book on representative government is
the profoundest work | ever read, ex-
cept Mr.. CAlhoun's, and IS much more
elaborate. He was the foremost of the
Irish patriots in dignity and power. I
had TO0m6s here to meet him frequent
ly, and it was interesting to see them
together. Mr.. Toombs was then very
extreme it was in 1859, and I had resign
ed in view of the coming storm-and
was fond of painting to O'Brien what
magnificent republic we could make of
the south if We were only cut off from
the main body of death, as he called
the north. In his quiet but positive
way O'Brien would insist that the per-
petuity of the American union was the
only hope for true representative gov
ernment on earth. | never entertained
a greater man than this brave and sad.
dened Irisnman."
It is well known that Mr.. stephens
is poor. He spends his income on
charity and in entertaining, and has
always done so. While he is scriptisus-
ly exact in his own personal expenses,
he has little thought of money spent on
others. 1t is his boast that he has
never turned anyone away from his
door. His income on his books amount
ed to but little. An old negro of 76,
who is but 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 that
comes to him, and when he dies he
don'tjust let him. dry up; he buries
him." "Buries the dogs?"
Eyes, sir, just like folks. He's got
regular dog grave yard in his garden.
| buried Frank there two weeks ago,
and Rio was buried there, and there's
a heap of dogs buried there"
AS the car rolled out of the little town
this old veteran was seen waving a tat
tered kerchief, while what seemed the
entire population of Charlottesville
cheered Justify and gave the new gov
ernor hearty send-of.-AHant1 Con-
stiIlution.