The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-04-30
FARMER CAMERON.
The Venerable Ex-senator among
His FIocks and Herds.

The Venerable Ex-senator Among
His FIocks and Herds.
LANCASTER, April 20.-He wore
single white hyacinth IN the lappei
hntfonhole of his black Prince Al.
bert coat. and Just enough trace OF
the soil upon the polished neatness
of his shoes to hint that hels a iarm-
or His tall. slender figure stoops
from the six feet of his prime very
very little. considering the weight ol
four score and four years, full OF
anxieties more wearing than concern
tor the chances of wheat surviving
the frost of green winter, and bat
tics fiercer than those he now wages
against the tobacco worm. ltstaops,
indeed. about as one of his height
would have to stoop to take the han.
dies of a plough. A full head OF
white hair, swept straight hack from
his face, falls in silver wave from
underneath hi. somewhat worn tllk
hat 70 the red silk handkerchief
loosely knotted about his neck. his
face is clean shaven and almost rud-
DIV. his ewes clear and bright, his
forehead wonderfully free from WIN
kles. as though he had never In all
his life concerned himself With any
project deeper than turnips or more
intricate than a furrow. so yester-
day | found Simon Cameron, the
grandfather. tutor and original mod
el of all the famous school OF Penn
.ylvania politicians the man who
began life for himself as an appren-
tice printer in country newspaper
office. and made himself banker,
railroad president and a millionaire,
Senator. member Of the Cabinet and
foreign Minister; swayed Legisla-
lures at his will, made and unmade
Presidents, dictated National poll
tics and conducted the most gigantic
political operations of his time. he
stood in the sunshine beside his
country house with ii couple OF his
hired laborers and pointed this way
and that with his long straight staff
as he talked to them with great ami
nation upon certain work about the
farm.
GENERAL CAMERON AND HIS NEIGH
BoRs.
His farm comprises about five
hundred acres of the best land in
Lancaster county, living in IT. ex-
IRENE northwestern corner. 1t is Is
miles from the county seat, and is
most readily reached by way of Ma
rietta. which lies within three miles
of it, on the Pennsylvania Railroad.
A quarter of a mile away are the
broad farms of his son, the young
Senator. who, by the way, has quite
recovered his health abroad. AT
least his father remarked, "he
writes like a well man and says
nothing about his health" Another
of General Cameron's neighbors, and
his intimate friend, is James Duffy,
the greatest tobacco farmer of the
largest tobacco growing county In
the country, for thrifty Lancaster
has given the best of kentucky and
Virginia the go-by in the magnitude
of its tobacco product. Mr.. Duffy
has extensive farms in the neighbor-
hood of the Cameron homestead,
and is somewhat famous for his din
ners. Grant, Sherman and Bayard
are among his frequent guests, and
his hospitable mansion in Marietta,
is also favorite resort of the Farm
ers' Club, that wonderful agrieultur-
al society which has on its roll such
men as George w. Childs. proprietor
of the Philadelphia Ledger; Judge
Green, of the Supreme Bench; ex-
Attorney General McVeagh, and G.
b. Roberts, president of the Pennsyl-
yania Railroad Company. The
chief characteristic of the Farmers
Club is that its membership ha. all
sorts of people in it except farmers.
THE CAMERON FARM.
General Cameron raises chiefly to-
bacco, and the white sides and red
roofs OF the large barn-hke drying
sheds about the house mark it to the
eye a great way off. lie devotes a
considerable share of his acres to
other crops, however, and has fine |
herd of Jersey cattle. The State
formerly had fish nursery on the
premises, supplied with water from
a strong spring which rises in the
cellar of one of the farm buildings. |
1t was abandoned about a year ago,
however. The farmhouse is large,
two-story brick, built on the SUBJ
stantial, spacious plan of years ago. |
A porch level with the ground and |
hoored with red brick tiling extend.
along the whole front. Red wooden |
rocking chairs loll about here and |
there as ifinviting guests, for the old |
general is fond of company, particu-
larly the company OF young people,
and the old fashioned and dull brass |
knOcker swings very easily and mu-
sically on its gudgeons. The chief
ornaments of the grounds are
thrifty growth of young locusts,
stretching from the house to the
church-yard fence, and royal bed
of hyacinths, red, white, yellow, pink
and purple. Here and there one of
the elder growth of trees has been
cut off and thestump fashioned into
a rustic seat. 1t is a very quiet,
peaceful home. The robins pipe and
the blackbirds whistle and the wood
pecker drums on the trees, undis
tur5ed by the sound of gun from
years end to years end. The farm
houses round about are none of them
very close. The only near neighbors