The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-02-21
A VISIT TO MR.. THURMAN
The Great Ex-senator at His Home

From the New York World.
CoLUMBUs, o., Feb. 11--In a quiet,
unpretentious looking two-story red brick
house on High street, few blocks away
from the State Capitol Building, lives ex-
Senator Thurman He built the house
when he moved from Chillicothe, o., to
Columbus, in 1853, and it has been his
home ever since. There is no yard in
front and the door is reached by single
stone step. High street is the main street
of the city. It is nearly six miles long
and there is crowded on it very large
part of place that has but IS, 900 inhab-
itants l could but wonder yesterday, as
[ stood in the doorway of that modest
dwelling, at the contrast between it and
the dwelling g-place he who has gone in and
out there for over thirty years has builded
in the hearts of the American people.
I had never met Mr.. Thurman, and
only knew him as most of his other fellow
citizens knew him-through what he has
said and DONE To go and see him in his
own house, by his own freside, under the
roof where he had come into the bloom
and perfection of his splendid manhood,
was glad pilgrimage. | was let in by a
little house-woman, and went back through
the broad, high hallway, that reminded me
of Virginia house of the olden time, to
the library, and found it to be large
square room with many easy chairs, ta-
BILE with lamp, shelves of books reaching
to the ceiling on two sides of big, roaring
fire. And in moment in came the great
ex-senator / knew before | went there
he was seventy-one years old, and | ex-
pected to see a man somewhat bent with
age and very white-headed. But he was
not bent nor was he very white-headed.
He carried his left arm as though it was
somewhat paralytic, and he was little un-
steady on his feet, but he had great,
broad, massive chest and his face was as
clear as boys He broke his left arm
two years ago, and it has never entirely
recovered and he is somewhat unsteady
on his feet from rheumatism in his knees,
malady that has afflicted him for twenty
years, and which he got by inheritance. 1t
was not from paralysis, then, that his left
hand and arm looked slightly limp and
shrunken. When be had sat down in a
big armchair, which he comfortably filled,
he looked very hale and comfortable. He
was stronger, far fresher and younger look
ing than two-thirds of the members of the
United States Supreme Court, and Her
cules compared with Mr.. Tiden, when he
was nominated for President in 1876.
His great, fine head sat on his broad shoul-
ders as steadily as if he were but thirty
FIVE. His eye is clear, his complexion rich
and healthful and his mouth firmly set
AS he sat and talked with deep, rich,
musical voice his face and head reminded
me of the marble statueIof Napoleon in
the Corcoran Art Gallery at Washington.
There is the same over-shadowing breadth
and extension of the brows, and the same
massive, beautifully proportioned forehead,
and something of the same contemplative,
far off look in the eyes. There is of course
not the wasted form nor the shrunken jaws
nor the hollow breast that seems ready to
yield up its last breath, but of all the stat
ues of Napoleon none have so much mean
ing in the head and face. There is about
Mr.. Thurman's face a strikingly similar
revelation of great soul, though it is an
expression more elevated with the buoyan-
cy of strong vitality. He has a short
gray beard that covers the lower part of
face, but his upper lip is clean-shaven and
fits down squarely and solidly without a
wrinkle His mouth is large, and when
he smiles or laughs, as he often does, be
shows set of remarkably well-preserved