The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-03-12
GEN. GRANTS STRAITS.

Grant and all members of his family
have been reticent-yeEy reticent as
might have been expected-as to
the prIvstIons and anxieties they
have suffered since the failure OF
Grant s. Ward. But the facts commu-
nicated to old friends In confidence have
been gradually coming TO the public
without any intentional betrayal of trust
anywhere So much, however, is known
that it occurred TO the writer of the COM
munication herewith published that
connected and careful account of Gen.
Grants pecuniary straits would be more
satisfactory to the people, and give q
jnster view of his trials and conducI than
the more or less exaggerated stories that
are afioat. The communication which
follows was written by one whose rela-
tons with the Grants have been
and are such as to insure
the most intimate knowledge of the in
terestIng facts stated. OF course the
writer prepared and furnished this CON-
munication without the knowledge of
any member of Grants family, and with
out any solicitation on the part of any
one connected with the Mail and Ex-
press. But so interesting q story will
speak for itself. Here it Is:
-Four days after the failure of Grant s.
Ward Mr.. Charles Wood, of lansing
burg, N. Y, wrote TO Gen. Grant, whom
he had never seen. Offering 10 lend him
$1,000 for his note. ct twelve months
without interest. with option of renewal
at same rate. He inclosed q check for
$500 on account of my share due for
services ending about April, 1885,
"At this time Gen. Grant had absolute
ly no money for current expenses.
Everything he owned in the world had
been invested CT deposited with Grant &
Ward. About $50 In his pocketbook
and $3.50 IN cash belonging to Mrs.
Grant was what he had to live on. The
trust fund had been invested IL Wabash
securities, and the company at this
ljuncture defaulted payment, while the
guarantors, the e. D. Morgan estate,
could not pay until the company had de-
faulted for SIX months. Gen. Grant &C.
cepted the timely offer of Mr.. Wood very
gratefully.
About the same time MIR. Romero,
the Mexican minister, came to General
Grant and also insisted on aiding him
with loan of $1,000 The general at
first declined to receiYe the money, but
Mr.. Romero left the room abruptly,
placing the amount on the table. But
for these two acts of friendship-one
iron a man whom Gen. Grant had never
seen, the other from gentleman by no
means wealthy-the distress of the gen.
eral would have been actual. The
days before the failure were of course
not met, the payment May on the trust
f0nd was swallowed up by Ward, and
there was absolutely for q time no other
resource.
Mrs. Grant, however, had a little
house in Washington, which she had
bought some years before for $500, and
she was able to sell this in few weeks
for $1,000. A check was at once sent
TO Mr.. Romero for the debt to him, the
outstanding checks of Grant s. Ward fol
personal or family expenses were paid
and little was lett for living during the
summer. The sons had all been ruined
by the failure as absolutely as the father
and two of them, with their families
were obliged for time to live will
him.
I'm this emergency the general wa!
asked to write couple of articles fol
the Century magazine. He was Offered
81 600 for the two and consented to Try
his hand at literature. The articles wer'
| written and the payment made, anC
about Christmas the general was able t
, pay off the pecuniary Indebtedness to hi
friend Mr.. Wood. with whom he is still
/ personally unscqualnted. The Occupa
ton of writing interested him; the story
of his old campaign distracted him from
the thoughts of his Wall street troubles
. be continued TO write and finally decides
/ to complete his military memoirs
3 The first volume of these is complete
2 and the second nearly 60. The worl
gives details of his early history not pre-
= yiously known, and graphic picture @
, life in Ohio before 1899, when he went t
! West Point. His account of the Mexical
i war is also extremely interesting, as b
. vas in every battle except Bueua Visits
z uuder both Scott and Taylor. The mar
raIive of those campaigns as seen by
lieutenant, who afterward became th
l. foremost soldier Of his time, is SAID b.
: those who have seen it to he fascinating
even To unmilitarY readers, while tn
|. sketches of The great generals in bot
!, northern ANA southern armies whom h
q knew as subalterns, is something th
4 ike of which has never been written b
. such an author in al history.