The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-08-11
STORIES Oh THE HERO.
rSTrnrsTIsa REMISiscE.cEs.
mo Personal Hab Ii. and charaeseristics et
tho soldisr.prss idsnt Illas.ta.sdby
incidents cleaned from
Many soaress. .-

Philadelphia Pres. .i if
George w. Childa sat in his cosy, private
office in the Ledger building yesterday az
ternocn and chatted long and pleasantly
about the characteristics, habits and per.
sonal attributes Of his beloved friend, Gen.
eral Grant. He recalled, always with q
touch Of sadness in his voice, the many
years that they spent together living side
by side at Long Brancn, and spokewith
evident satisfaction Of Grants attachment
for Philadelphia. t
"The Generalwas such q simple hearted,
sympathetic, whole.souled, generous man
that it was hard to be less than friend Of
his. We who knew him best and most
intimately loved him; our attachment for
him could be called by no other name than
love. AS his next door neighbor and In
innate friend, I saw him OF times and in
moods when none others save his family
saw him-when he had thrown of the
cares Of the world, and was bent on the
quiet enjoyment with his family in which
he so delighted. He used TO say, when
he came to Long Branch, be felt like .
boy just free from SCHOOL. He had left all
ofhis cares behind him" BE was one OF
the most thoroughly unselfsh and modest
men i have ever known. No amount OF
iattery spoiled him. In relating incidents
OF the great struggle, he never said 4 did
thip,' or Il did that. The pronoun 'we'
was invariably used, and he never openly
took full credit to himself for any OF his
achievements. 10 say that we forced
Lee to surrender perfectly satisfied him,
and he was seldom more gratided than
when hearing the praises Of Sheridan and
Sherman SOUNDED"
GRANT AND HIS CIGARS. 81
"speaking Of cigars, how many did the
General smoke In q day before he broke
Off the habitb?"
II should say about dozen. Until OF
late years he always smoked very strong
tobacco, and his cigars were always OF u
most expensive character. have seen
the statements published frequently that
he did not know bad cigar from q good
one. This Is not true. There we're certain
brands that he always liked, and have
often heard him speak of them. He was
not at all slos in detecting good tobacco.
The cigars he got in Mexico he appre-
ciated very highly. Grant was q, very
easy guest ocntertain. Henever wanted
togo to any trouble Tor him,
and was very much avelae to carsing'in-
Why, when he first began
coming to my house, went on Mr. Childs,
raising his eyebrowsin a half-amrsed way,
s'mueu as ne liked his cigar, he would not
smoke because / didn't. dtwas only alter
great persuasion that he consented to In
iuige in his fayorite habit. But l do not
think the General was slave to that or
any other habit, He was too great q man
for that. He had complete mastery OF
himself anu his appetites. AS soon as he
found he was smoking too much, he
tapered of, using milder cigars and less
Finally he stopped altogether
[ have letter here from him"-as he:
said this Mr.. Childs produced letter
from drawer in the desk at which he
was sitting-"in which he says he smoked
his last cigar on the 20th Of last Novem-
Der, He also says that he missed the
tobacco for the tirsttwo or three days, but
after that he did not feel the loss oi it,
at was the same way with his drink.
ing,p continued Mr.. Childs, earnestly.
,.Some newspapers have been saying that
he used to drink and swear terribly. Now,
know that during my many yeats OF in.
innate acquaintanceship and association ]
never heard him swear. He was opposed
To- 1t. He did not like profans people, and
objected to the use OF prcfaniiYin his
presence. Asto the use ofl.quor, 1 never
knew him to lrinS TO excess. He used 70
drink at pubic dinners, but he did not
drink alone. During his second tenn as
President he even stopped drinking at
public dinners, and always turned down
bis glass. He had no more difficulty 10
doing that than he had when he stopped
nmnkinp.