The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-06-28
The Ghost OF GreystOne.

New York, June 12.-The Hon.
Henry Watterson, who has been spend.
ing some days with Mr. Tilden, has writ.
ten the following account of his visit for
the C0urier-Journal, in which paper il
will appear tomorrow morning:
have been spending g 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 Mt the moment is upon the lips of
politicians of every class al, over :!is
country, propose to give the readers Of
the Courier.Journdi some particular &C.
count of him.
When l parted with him year ago
did not expect to see him again. Indeed.
! was so skeptical Of stories concerning
his restoration to health as to feel q
delicacy about intruding upon his priva-
cy. He was good enough to send for me
ant went over to Grsmercy Park in
somewhat sorrowful, sympathetic state
OF mird. My surprise almost exceeded
my qualification. The old house is
undergoing reconstruction and enlarge
ment on magnificent scale, but the old
library is still the came, being held from
the hand of despoiling pplendor for the
last, take it, as tribute Of effectionate
remembrance of old times, old friends
and old books. There found the Gov
ernor. If an apparition had stood before
me could not have been more astonish-
ed. The days or '75-76-77 seemed 70
have con,e back. His !cv yoics was
found again. His eyes were bright and
his checks rosy. His intellect is as
sinewy and clear, and his wit as inclusive
as they were when he made nothing of
riding from Greystone to Harlem and
back, or driving the Kentucky bays from
Gramercy Park to Greystone. He took
me all over his new house, pointing out
various changes, explaining his general
design and discussing architecture and
architects with characteristic intelli.
gence. He quite tired me out, favorite
and malevolent way he has of punish.
ing his friends, climbing long stairs,
meandering through labyrintbs of deco
rative art and threading tapestries and
fIescoed mazes of corridor and chamber.
On current affairs he talked with his
usual pungency and candor. When
said: Governor, don't you think We
have had enough of this9h He smiled.
and in his dry, Multiplying, half.sarcas.
tic way, replied: "if you are tired We
will 60 down stairs." At Greystone his
life is of the eimplest and busiest. He
had farm hard by and no end of pigs,
poultry and blooded stock. Of course I
had to be dragged over this farm, and
the devices which tho old gentleman put
elyly forth to trap me into some unguar-
ded treason to the butter and eggs Of my
bluegrass country were many and
ingenious. stood my ground like o
hero, but it must be owned that the
Governors farming ia like everything
he undertakes, thoroughly we'll done. 1
asked him whether he tried to make any
money out of it. "Oh. no." he said.
1T 10 easier made some other way"
While Mt Greystone not 80 much as q
shadow or ghost Of o politician crossed
the threshold or appeared upon the
grounds. Surrounded by lis nieces and
his books, the old statesman and philos-
opher was as unreserved In his conversa.
in his hospitality. One of the young
ladies told me- that the little household
had got through over 200 voluDes last
winter. The Governor is e voracious and
versatile reader no less than an attentive
and wise observer of Affairs, and we
talked Of everything, from Thomas
kempis to Thomas A. Hendricks. He
playfully observed that the chief obiec.
ton he had heard to the election of Mr..
Carlisle to the speakership was that in
some recent volumes published by one
Mr.. Froude there was suspicion that he
had mistreated his wife. Here I mus.
stop. I know that the public is most
curious to learn what are Mr.. Tilden's
views Of political affairs current and pro-
spective. have little doubt that i'll
had the right to speak could by faith.
fully reporting him make myself at
once entertaining and instructive, but
the opinions of every man are his own
and his house is sacred. never knew o
man more entirely frank in his inter-
couse with his friends than this Sage OF
Greyatone; out am no. his mouthpiece,
and 1t is not for me to come all the way
from Kentucky to New York to do that
which he !. 30 much better able to do for
himself. I can cay, however, for myself
that nothing passed which leads me to
modify the opinion have 60 often ex-
creased, that nc noyur on earth could in
duce hin 70 accept tae Presidency.