, 1884-04-06
HORACE GREELEY.
Anecdotes About Him and His Wife
IA Somewhat Uncomfort-
able Domestic Life.


1t seems TO me that the time has come when
tho truth about Horacu Greeley's domestic
life can be told without seriously hurting
anybody's feelings. 1t has been whispered
around New York a good many years, and
perhaps will be less likely to be exaggerated
nnd misunderstood II put in plain type, His
domestic life was unfortunate and uncomfort-
able, and this was partly the result and
partly the cause of his own eccentric habits.
Sidney Howard Gay, one Of Tho Tribune's
best editorial managers in those old days, in
sists that Horace Greeley is n myth, like Her
cules, Diana, Hebe and Mrs Harris. "There
naver was any such man." he said to me
awhile ago. when the truth Is known it
will be seen that the Horace Greeley Of popu-
lar fancy never existed, and that the real
Horace Greeley was a person OF attributes
diametrically the reverse" | think he is mis-
taken here, and that the real Greeley, though
somewhat different from tho ideal Greeley, is
aSsuredly the same individual.
In tho fall of 1861 | came here to engage
Mr.. Greeley TO go to Washington and lecture.
Inquiry at The Tribune office took me to his
nous on Nineteenth street. rang long and
repeatedly, and at last a lady came down
stairs 10 the door with sleeves tucked briskly
up her arm, md her hair twisted to a knot
oii top OF her head. The following conYelsa-
ton took place:
"Is Mr.. Greeley inf'
Ale is not"
ADO you know where he isr
81 do not. He is not stopping here now."
"Cun see Mrs Greeleyf'
you dol am Mrs. Greeley"
"D9-was-is-does Mr.. Greeley come homo
sometiniesf'
Occasionally. He has not been home this
weok."
ado you know where he is stoppingf'
81 do not He stopped at the Everett house
last week"
l went down to that hotel and inquired.
They said he was at the Now York hotel, and
there found him raging up and down his
room and stormins over n pile Of dispatches
on tho table, l seemed do trop, and inquired
what was the matter.
"Mnttnrf' hu repeated in his high falsctto
voice, enough, l should think; battle yester-
day at Pittsburg Landing; rebels whipped us,
of course. Our soldiers are being driven into
the Tennessee today. Our generals are
drunk. Buell. ought to be shot and Grant
ought 20 be hungi"
After a while he quieted down sufficiently
TO enable me to do my erraud and take my
leave.
l have met n lady this week who was init
mhtely acquainted with the Greeley house
hold for twenty years.
Mrs Greeley" she says, chad not the
knack Of making a home. She was always
clean, but never neat-never neat in appear
ance, l mean because she was always wash
ing something and always disheveled. /
have seen her take her children without a
garment on them out into tho street and
pump water on them to wash them. When
1 was there ono day the servant washed out
nm apron of her own anil hung it out to dry.
Mrs, Greeley jumped up, seized u carving
knife, rushed out and cut out the piece of the
limo containing tho apron, and flung it to the
girl, saying, How dare you hang your apron
on the same line with my baby's clothesf
There was neatneSs for you'll
"Yet when they lived on Nineteenth street
she kept three goats in the house for the chill
dren to play with, and when | let ono Of my
servants 20 there to live she came running
back to mo the next day, saying, Il won't live
there. missus, neverr asked what was the
matter. Sure, l have no bed at all, but must
just bunk down on the pile OF hay they got
for the goatsl"
.%Mr. Greeley asked me one Sunday to come
around in the morning and go TO Chapin's
with him. l went, and when l got there
there was a tracas going on in the vestibule
he and his wife and the children and the
goats were all mixed up together.
"'Tho question is said Mr.. Greeley,
whether the goats shall go up Broadway
with us. Mother insists that | shan't go to
church unless l go at the head Of a procession
Of children and goats. That seems moro Xix,
u secular blowing l believe we got OF at
last without them, though Mrs. Greeley said,
Its only your cussed PRIDE"
"Mrs. Greeley had an antipathy for kid
| gloves-she would never put them on. l re-
member a bout she had with Margaret
Fuller on this subject We all met on the
street, and instead of saying good morning
or some such human salutation, Mrs. Greeley
Touched Margaret's hand with a little shudde-
and said, Skin OF II beastl skin of a beastr
why, what do you wearf inquired the as.
tonished maiden from Maine. Silk said
Mrs. Greeley, reaching out her hand. Mar
garet just touched it aud ~shuddered, CRYING
'Entrails of a worml entrails of a worml'
IL was once In n stage with Mrs. Greeley,
going up Madison avenue, when she suddenly
pulled the strap, whisked n tin pail out from
under her shawl, and. reaching it out to the
Rev. DR.. Brett, in the other end Of the bus,
to whom we bad just bowed. said, You get
out, please and run 10 that bakery on the cor
ner and get . cents worth of ycastr Mr..
Brett laughed. but he good naturally got out,
went TO tho shop, and brought back the COW
eted bread exhilarator, tho driver waiting
meantime, his serenity broken only by a
smile.
"When Mr.. Brett returned he handed the
little pail to Mrs Greeley. with a remark
that the bread was evidently kneaded, to
which she replied, 'H-nl-old joker
sShe was very eccentric-Mrs Greeley
was. He vnce told ms that the day before,
while going down to Staten Island on the
ferry boat, she walked calmly mp to a passen-
ger who was smoking. snatohOd the cigar out
OF his mouth, ami flung it overheard. Il ex-
Psct=d u be knocked down on the spot that
] minute said Mr.. Greeley" =