The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-07-01
At MT. M'GREGOR.
General Grants Journey Safely
Accomplished.
How the Distinguished Invalid Made
the Trip to the Drexel Cottage.

General Grant, accompanied by his family
and DR.. Douglas, has takcn up his residence
at the Drexel summer cottage, Mt McGresor
N. Y. Incidents of the trip from New
York are given as follows:
A few minutes after 8 o'clock three CIR.
riages drove up in front Of the house, and
shortly afterward Colonel Grant anh wife.
Mrs sartoris, J $50 Grant and wife, and
| Ulysses S. Grant, Jr., and wifo and tho chill
dren of F. D. and Jesse Grant came out and
entered two of the carriages They We're
driven to the Grand Central station. The
carriages had hardly turned into Madison
avenue when the door was again
opeued and the general came slowly out upon
the stoop. Harrison had hold of his left arm
until tho General reache tli9 top step, where
no stood for q moment and lookel up and
down the street. and at the windows OH the
opposite side, where there were many faces
and many hanis waving him adieu lie
Carried cane in his right hand and was
dressed in 4 suit of black, with high silk
hat. He waved salute to number of pco.
ple who were standing on the sidewalk,
| and then waving his attendant behind him,
he put his cane under his arm and walked
alone and unaiIed down the stoop with quick,
nervous steps. He limped slightly in walk
| ing from the stoop to the carriage. He stood
for second at the door and looked back at
and Mrs Grant. The carriage was driven
| down Madison avenue at a slow pace to Forty
| fifth street, anl through Forty-tfth street to
| the depotmaster's room.
Colonel Grant and DR.. Douglas then took
the general by the arms anl walked him
| quietly through the depotmaster's room and
went directly on board the car Vanderbilt,
which is the special car OF William H. Van
derbit. The generals family, were already
| in the car, and when he entered they spoke to
him cheerfully; but he said nothing and sank
exhausted In the large easy cushion chair
| that had been prepared for him. He was
greatly fatigued, and his face wore al anx.
| ious careworn look. After leaving his house
he had bundled up his neck in dark hand
kerchief His hand as it rested upon the arm
of the chair was greatly emaciated, and the
bones in his wrist were skcleson-like in ap-
pearance. His silk hat was removed and a
dark travelling cap put on his head. he
raised his hand several times to his forehead
and pressed it. There was an air Of weakness
and tremulousness in every motion, and
finally when hc spoke his voice was not louder
! than O whisper Dr. Douglas bent over
| close to him to hear what he said. He wanted
| the windows arranged SO that he could not
| feel the draushts Of air. His beard, which
was nearly white, had been cut close and gave
| a full appearance to his face, and also e1-
posed the large swelling in his neck
As the hand of the clock in the depot
pointed to 0 A. n. there was sharp ring OIL
| the engine bell and the special train drew
slowly Out of the depot. A cheer went up
| from the spectators as the train started, and
the general partly rose from his chair and
sadly waved farewell.
The Journey to Saratoga was uneVentfuL
| The generals family made no attempt to en-
gage him in conversation, knowing that an
Effort on his part to make himself understood
only increased tho irritation IN bis
throat and further weakened his
voice. Once when tile train was flying
past West Point tho general rulseu Ills selci;
and called attention to the hou'e OF an old
friend of his-Mr. Dinsmore Norishment
was administered to him at intervals OF two
hours Most Of the time he sat fronting the
engine in his invalid's chair, but once ho
wa!kod to the rear of tho car sat down III q
cane bottom chair there, and for several
miles looked out of the rear doorway.
The train ran into Saratoga ut l:35. On
the little Mt MuGregor road a special cal
attached to the locomotive j. w. DreAel
stood waiting with steam up. On the car
were General Manager L. H. Fonda and Di'
rector John Kellogg of tile Mt. McGreSor
road and J. w., DreXel, General Grants
generous friend The general was a
{ Then the ipudgy little engine began
the tolsome ascent of twelve miles to Mt
| McGregor. The run up the mountain was
made in about thirty:tive minutes, the
train arriving at Mt. McGregor about 2:io.
Stepping out OF tho cars and on to the plat
| form, and declining assistance, General Grant
walked about one hundred feet up the plank
walk leading to the Drexel cottage. Detec
tive Freyer and Constable Minnick walked
behind with q chair, and carried him
| in it for q part OF tho distance
to the cottage. The General a'isn'eo
| and without assistance mounted tho ten OF
a dozen broad steps leading to the piazza at
pace that astonshed his assistant. 1t was
case of sheer grit. He seated himself for Q
while on the piazza and inhaled the invigorat
| ing atmosphcro with evident relish. Then hi
entered the house. and fifteen minutes later
appeared in q black frock coat in place of the
dressing gown that he had worn. He stooo
| in the doorway, his hands on his hips io'
some moments, taking in the scene WITT
| much satisfaction. Without other assistance
than his stick ho walked the length of the
piazza several times, and the family were de-
| lighted with this evidence Of rigor and ap
precintion. Directly after his arrival DR.
| Douglas examined and cleaned the general:
throat, which had become considerably irrl
tated during the journey. The patients
yoic, had also failed him during the trip.
How lorg General Grant will remain at
Mr. Drexel's cottage is uncertain. The
move later on to the Catskills has not
yet been decided on. An old veteran, Sam
| tVillett, OF Lew Benedict Post, No 5, Albany
has had tent put up near Drexel cottage
and will show his devotion to his old chief by
keeping all intruders at bay.
General Grant Worse.
General Grant slept we'll OIL the first nigh
at 6 o'clock the next morning. During th'
afternoon be took short walk along tn
mountain side with his servant, Harrison
When the general reached his cottage
after his walk to the brow OF the
mountain he was much exhans
ted and sank into chair in the parlo
of the cottage. Soon he indicated by sign
that he wanted some writing materials, wh!rl
were provided for him, and then lie wrote lo
nearly half all hour. The result was two ietter
or papers. One was headed" Memoranda ior ~,
thought he was failing, and for certain IN
strrlctious that he desired carried out ne re-
ferred his family to other and more detnit
| memoranda prepared by him little whlls
before leaving New York. The other not
he folded and addressed to Dr. Douglas. III
handed both papers to Colonel Fred Grant.
The afternoon wore away with the genera
sitting outside OH the piazza AFTER haYin|
written as stated The sunset found INN SUI
on the piazza, and when the dusk deepenec
and the lamps were lighted inside the SIC
man was vet OUTSIDE, thou sh the air was chill
and d stiff breeze was swayinS the pine ire
tons 1t was after u'clo"k when the Genera
went inside the cottage Then Dr.. Dougla
sent message to DR.. Sands in New Ior
asking him to come Immediately.
A Change for the Bitter III HIS con
ditiOn.
General Grant felt somewhat easier on th
18th having recovered from the fatigue tao
followed his imprudent exertlon III ~alhill
on the day after his arrival at Mt Mcule?ol
Tho ,hysicians, Oh examination, founo II
particular change in tine condition OF Il
throat ,rh
A dispatch from Mt. Mc::ires1rr SAYS: IN
crowds of people who tioskst ren lIere nt iTo: s:
ming himself on the veranda of his cottat
found few signs OF the fear which oveI
whclmed the family last night. 10 ever
ir1u:r,r ca ne the res ,,on'e: "Th, general !
l Il; WILL us he has ben for months. -
the excitement ol tIe h'o'' - .
/, became n matter to wonder at: ami YET II a
cam. about in such Il way that the fam:
5 were quite jusjilic in their alarm. The no; 10;
: which the general wrote to his phy;;tc," p;tc,a
ma lie DR.. Douglas moro an.l more aSitat'
, every moment after reading it IN
!, the sufferer iatimated that IL" ieit T..
q hand OF death upon him md c"u
keep up the light III longer u
Douyas knew that there w;.s really no gre;
danger. The generals III nj ha been aiir''
j cd by tho utter weari,cs' which tho Iuar''
o. mile walk had produced and he hal CIV?
, , NJ hope. Ibis lEil occurred olrc !c:o:c'
, tn. cal " day; Of tie fight against t"e cal
! c,r hut General rant despair hal nos b,r
81 great. ir: D1uslas n'w watched II
, cvcry movement anxiOu|ly.
Ait.r tie neral had dozed oil t"lon
Fred t;rant called all the family into tic pa
lor and read the niSSivr to them. In 1t 'ei
: cral Grant said he felt weak and exhau'te
= and that his strength to resist disease ";