Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-06-13
MR.. TILDEN.
HOW he APPEARS NOW AT HOME

Mk IlLDEN.
HOW he APPEARS NOW AT HOME.
Editor Wattsrson's Impressions of the Sage
OF Gramercy Park After . visit-Un-
able 10 Speak for Tnden.
Henry Watterson, who has been spend.
ing some days with Mr. Tilden, has writ
ten the following account of his visit for
the Louisville Courier journal, in which
paper it appears to-day.
IL have been spending q few days at
Greystone with Governor Tilden, and not
merely because his old friends IN the West
and South have an ever present personal
interest in him, but because his name is at
the moment upon the lips of politicians of
every class all over the country. propose
to give the readers Of the Courier, Journal
some particular account of him.
"When I parted from him a year ago
did never expect to SEQ him again. Indeed
I was 80 skeptical of the stories concerning
his restoration to health as to feel a
delicacy about intruding upon his privacy.
He was good enough to send for me and
went over to Gramercy park in some
what sorrowful, sympathetic state of
mind. My surprise almost exceeded my
qualification. The old house is un-
dergoing reconstruction and enlarge:
ment on magnificent scale. But tho old
library is still the same, being held from
the hand of despoiling splendor for tho
last. take it rs tribute of affectionate
rememberance of old times, old friends
and old books. There found the COVER
nor. If an apparition had stood
before me l could not have
been more astonished. The days
of 1851 seemed to have come back. His
low voice was found again. His eyes
were bright and his cheeks rosy. His
intellect as sinewy and clear and his wit
as incisive as they were when he made
nothing of riding Blackstone to Harlem
and back or driving the Kentucky bays
from Gramercy park to GreystOne. He
took me all over the new house, pointing
out the various changes, explaining his
general design and discussing architecture
and architect with characteristic intelli.
gence. He quite tired mo Out-a favor.
ito and malevolent way he has Of punish
ing his Misunderstanding long stairs,
meandering through labyrinths Of decora:
tive art and threading the tapestried and
frescoed mazes of corridor and chamber.
On current affairs no talked with his usual
pungency and candor. When endurance
had ceased to be a virtue l said "Gov
ernor, don't you think We have had
enough of this?' He smiled and in his
dry, half pitying, half-sarcastic way
replied If you are tired we will go
down stairs"
cat Greystone his life is of the simplest
and busiest. He has farm hard by and
no end of pigs, poultry and bloOded stock.
OF course, l had to be dragged over this
farm, and the devices which the old gen
tleman put shyly forth to trap me into
some unguarded treason to the butter aud
! eggs of my blue grass country were many
and ingenious. stood my ground like a
hero, but it must be owned that the gov
crnor's farming is, like everything he
undertakes, thoroughly we'll done. asked
him whether no tried to make any money
out of it. oh, no, he said. 1t is easier
made some other way While at Grey
stone not so much as the shadow or the
ghost of q politician crossed the
threshold or appeared upon the grounds.
Surrounded by his nieces and his books
the old statesman was rs unrcServcd in
his conversation as he was and always is,
simple and cordial in his hospitality. One
of tho young ladies' told me that the little
household had got through over 200 vol
umes the last winter. The governor is a
vOracious and versatile reader, no less
than an attentive and wise observer OF
affairs, and we talked Of everything from
Thomas Attempts to Thomas A. lien.
bricks. He playfully observed that the
chief objection he had heard to the cleo
tion of Mr.. Carlisle to the speakership was
that in some recent volumes published by
ono Mr.. Froudo there was a suspicion
that he had mistreated his wife.
"uere must stop. l know that the
public is most curious to learn what are
Mr.. Tilden's views of political affairs,
currers and prospective. l have little
doubt that if had the right to speak
could. by faithfully reporting him, make
myself at once entertaining and instructive
But the opinions of every man are his OWE
and his house is sacred. Inever knew a mar
more entirely frank in his intercourse will
his friends than this sage of Greystone
but l am not his mouthpiece and it is moi
for me to come all the way from Kentucky
to New York to do that which he is sc
much better able to do for himself. | CAL
say however, for myself, that nothing passed
which leads me to modify the opinion
have SO often expressed-that no power OF
earth could induce him to accept tho pres
ilcncy.'