The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1885-08-01
aNICDOYAL.
How Grant Received The News of His Re.
tirement.

How Grant Received the News of His Re.
tirement-
The Philadelphia North american recently
published the following interview with Geo. w.
Childs:
The last time saw Gea. Grant was on the 4th
of last month" said Mr. Childs last night lie
realized that his life was drawing to close,
but seemed 10 regard the approach of death
calmly and without the slightest fear. lie eX-
pressed the hope that he would be able to
finish his book before he died. While we were
talking OF the efforts of his friends TO
have him placed the retired list he
testified how kindly he felt toward them and
spoke of the pleasure he felt at tn" kind re-
marks OF the newspapers advocating his retire.
mcnt. While we were chatting l observed that
ii was II 80 o'clock, and the General said. 4
suppose the Senate Ia adiourniuG now Just
then received telegram from Mr.. DrcXel stat
ing that Gen. Grant had been placed on the re-
tired list. There, General, said J, read that
smile of pleasure Illuminated his couutenanC
and tor a moment he appeared unable to speak
Mrs. Grant entered the room and told her tie
news With a bcamng face she cried out
They have brought US back our cid com.
mander. The scene was very affecting.
The General could hardly express the de
light he felt at the compliment which had beet
paid him. He bore not tho slightest ill-wil to-
ward those who opposed the BILL Tor though he
is the greatest soldier that ever lived, he is as
kind and gentle as woman. He frequently
told me how much 1t panied him to be accused
of butchery. lie said he was always overcome
by feeling OF sadness before a battle at the
thought that many poor fellow would never
return from the field He is generous t. fault
and has given away a fortune IN chariti,s IN
this, as in everything else he was modest. The
same moGesty that prevented h;m from asking
for an appointment or pI emotion caused him
to maintain silence concerning his gifts to th3
needy. / remember that when he On one II
his visits TO me during his Presidency good
many people called here to ask favors of him.
Not caring to have him worried | infused
admttanCe to all whom suspected OF being on
an errand of that kind. One day a lady vino
lived in the same block-in fact, only few doors
from my house-callcd and asked to see himI
You may see her, General, said !, laughing, I
guess Ene is not after an appointment He
came back in q little while and said: Nou
wrCng; she was after an appointment l looked
at him in establishment and ne explained that
the lady wanted him 10 transfer the sjstcr-in-
law Of Edwin Nj. stanton, Llncoln's Secretary
of War, from the mint, where she was then
ployed and where the work was too hard for
her, 10 the Treasury Department.. lie re-
quested me to see the Assistant United States
Treasurer in this city and ask him to give her a
position. | did so and the Assist ant Treasurer
told me he had no vacancy. Gen. Grants
quest is law, however said he, and can make
room for Mrs. Stanton by removing lady who
has no need for position here. This was done,
and some time a. terward | met a son OF Mr..
Stanton the latter wRs dead at the tme) who
thanked me for giving his aunt the appoint
ment. Gen. Grant appointed her, said i. oh
no, said he, Gen. Grant himself told me that
you had got the apI ointment for her. This Is
characteristic of the General, who Is continually
doing good and giving others the credit.
1t was at my recommendation that Gen.
Grant took the cottage at Long Branch. 1t adj
joins mine, and there is no fence between the
two properties. There the General has spent
some of the happiest days of his life. He
usually got up at a. IN, ate his breakfast, and
then took drive of about twenty miles He
went alone in his buggy. on his return he
would look over his mail and read the ncwspa-
pers. lie dined at o'clock generally, although
Bome years ago his dinner hour was 7, with
lunch at ?. After the meal at o'clock he took
another drive, and III the evening he rat
on the porch and Chatted with friends,
many of whom visited him. We called ON
each other every day, and he sometimes
Btrolled over to my cottage and tax with
me while he enjoyed his cigar. While the Gem
eral is fond of fast horse. he never visited the
race-course at Long Branch and never entered
a gaming house.
lie told me OF laughable incident that oc-
Cured to him while taking one of his twenty
mile drives on the road A short distance ahead
Of him h saw COuntryman driving mean
looking hors with shabby buggy Deter
mined not to take the dust from such sorry
turnout he gave his horse the head and tried
to pass. But the countryman also loOspned the
lines and held his Tosition. After quite an
citing race, the General saw he was beaten
and pulled up his horse. The COuntryman
turned in his seat and waving his hand said
with laugh / made YOU take my dust, Gen
eral, and drove of. The General enjoyed the
joke on himself very much, and said lie would
ike to meet that man again. but he never did.
The last time Gen. Grant appeared IN public
was ut Ocean Grove. Dick oClesby, Governor
of Illinois, was with him, and Dick told me
that when the cheers of 5000 people
rang out at the sight OF the old hero he
turned around and saw the tears coursing
slowly down the Generals checks. / thought
that 1t would lie very ard for him to stop
smoking when his PHYSICIANS prohibited it. His
iudomitab G viii made the mat er easy for him,
however. Did yOu find II din cult to give up
the weed! asked him 1t was hard during
the first two DAYS, lie replied, but after that
did not mind It. ] have no desire to smoke
again
1t has been said that Hamilton Fish wrote
the speech the General made at the oreniug Of
the Centennial Exhibition. Gen. Grant wrotd
that speech in this house and have tie original
manuscript"
Mr. Childs then produced the manuscript
handsomely bound in morocco with fly lcay of
silk The manuscript written clearly, hay
ing but few erasures and was corrected here and
there i'll lead pencil