Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-10-13

Sartoris was Ia the West. alter no DC.
came engaged TO Miss Grant, ne mad
boosted Of his engagement 70 the
Presidents daughter, aud when ms as
sertion was doubted. because ne vas
not sufficiently we'll tlaoaght Of in that
locality for II ID be supposed possible
tina. the daughter Of the President OF
the United States would marry him,
that he had actually shown her letters
to prove that she had promised to do
so. In the spring Of 1874 saw copied
in the Washington 90. CO. Cdp'tdf
o very sarcastic paragraph from the
Waukcsba WIS., Plain Dealer. de-
scribing the uncoath appearance OF Mr..
Sartoris when in that town, and men,
tioning how the girls had laughed at
him, and adding that he had courted
one Of them, "who preferred that he
should marry Nellie Grant or some
other girl.n and would have none OF
him. / wrote to the editor Of that
paper, A. Y. Pratt, TO ask him If the
paragraph was true, or If it were only
written as a Joke. have his reply,
dated April 90, 1874, and another
letter from him on the same subject,
dated May IL, 1874, now before me.
In these letters he told me that the
young lady TO whom he referred
was his next-door neighbor, gave me
her name for my private information,
and said that she was an old sweet
heart Of Mr.. Sartoris and had a large
photograph Of him, which he had given
her. / have also before me letter.
written March IL. 1874, by young
Englishman Of high standing, who was
then in Washington, which, in giving
me a sketch Of Mr.. Sartoris's family.
mentioned that "Algernon aud his
father came over TO this country last
year in the steamer Russia for the pur-
pose of looking after some lands the
father owned in Wisconsin, and the son
was subsequently left there TO look after
the lands. 1t was on the steamer Rus
STA that he met Miss Grant"
COURTING OTHER GIRLS.
So that il appears from these two
letters, as well as from other sources of
information had at the time, that it
was after he met Miss Grant, and the
courtship began on the steamer, as
named, where they saw more Of each
other than at any subsequent time UNI
ill taeir marriage, that Mr.. Sartors
courted the young lady in Wisconsin,
so was in point Of fact counting two
girls. one Of them the daughter of the
President Of the United States, at the
same time.
1t was well known here that Presi-
dent Grant was greatly depressed at the
time of his daughters marriage, and
quite broke down when he babe her
good-by on her wedding-day. know
that Mrs. Grant said within week be-
lore the marriage that she greatly re-
GREETED that Nellie had chosen for
eigner for a husband, and added that
she had always hoped that Nellie would
marry some nice young army or navy
officer. | have heard more than once,
first not long after the wedding trip
to England, and again within the
last few months, from those who
said they knew whereof they
spoke. that Mr.. Sartoris's neglect Of
his bride on the Baltic, on which YES
sci they left New York, the third week
in May. lS74-the Odd Of that month,
| think-excited the greatest indigna-
tion among the American travellers,
and that this indignation came near be-
ing made public then, especially when
on their landing in England 1t was
found that he had made no arrange
ments to insure her being made COM
Portable on their arrival, not even
having had rooms engaged in the
hotel. lie was then about twenty
three years old. but seemed totally de-
void of any idea Of how to take care OF
any one but himself, and his poor little
bride, who was sea-sick all the time on
the voyage to England, must have had
a most unhappy honeymoon. Mr.. Sar-
toris's father, Mr.. Edward Sartoris. has
been from the first devoted to her, and
has kept her with him as much as pos
sible. lie lives on his own property in
the country, near Southampton, Eng
land. He was very talented man when
in his prime, having good voice and
being a good amateur artist. lie was
very we'll off at the time Of his sons
marriage, and had previously been
q member of Parliament. His wife,
Adelaide Kemble, as a singer was
favorably known Gil over Europe. AL
gernon's only brother was older than
he. His name was Greville, and he
was killed b. fall from his horse only
a few months before Algernon's mar
riage. The latter had every advantage
given him for a good education in Eng
land and Germany, but never showed
any evidence when in society of having
improved these opportunities. lie has
recently undertaken the charge of his
fathers estate in the country.