The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-12
THE SICK MAN In NEW YORK.
How Mr.. Vanderbilt Saved the Country
a Very Humiliating Experience.
Tie Saddest Incident in the History of Gen.
Grants Financial Misfortunes- Social
Distinctions Applied to Actresses
cerrs.psnasnss u tho lnal.napo j. Journal.

has gone out from all hearts toward the
dying cheftain in his last hours The eyes
of the Nation are turned in sorrow toward that
historic sick-room in East Sixty sixth street,
but it is no exaggeration to say that the city OF
General Grants adoption has, for the past week,
hung on every official bulletin as to the grim old
heros sonditon with anxiety unparalleled in
the history of any community Roscoe Conk-
ling and Clarence Seward have had charge of the
legal affairs of General Grant since the failure
of Grant & Ward, and have been hard at work
trying to put his affairs in some sort of intel
ligible shape before his death. A day or two
ago / met gentleman connected with Mr.
Stewards Office. Both Mr.. Conkling and Mr..
Seward are very reticent as to what they nave
done to bring some sort of order out of almost
utter chaos, but this gentleman, who is in po-
sition to know what he is talking about, tells me
that confession of Judgment was made by Gen.
Grant to William III. Vanderbilt for $l50,000 adj
vanced to him by the railroad king and interest
a month at least before the public knew any
thing about it. 1t was only through the filing of
the official documents in the case with the New
York county clerk that the matter got out at
last According to this authority the govern
nnent of the United States is to-day the actual
owner of Gil of General Grants personal prop
erty, priceless because of historical associations.
The General, at the close of his lfe simply held
all his valuable trophies, presents, ETC., as the
trustee of the government Formal doc
uments to this effect have been made
out and are already filed with the
proper authorities. Knowing that this
friendly arrangement with Vanderbilt which,
after all simply carried into effect before his
death what General Grant intended should BIO
done after he had passed away, viz: that the
Nation should become the possessor of the ma
terial relics of his greatness as we'll as the heir
to the spiendor of his military fame-knowing
that this was intended to save the personal
property from the host OF hungry creditors of
Grant & Ward, asked my informant from Mr..
Stewards Office if many suits had been com
menced against General Grant arising out of the
collapse of his disastrous Wall-street venture.
He said that there were literally stacks of
them" which, in the natural order of things.
would never come TO trial; for there was now
nothing for the creditors to get. Still, while
the arrangement with Vanderbilt was
pending, they kept coming into the
Office and there already preliminary
legal papers enough in re Grant to fill
ordinary sized book cease Certainly, if Wander
bit had not dropped in to save the personal
property Of the General the country would pos
sibly have been treated to the humiliating spec
taele Of the great soldiers effects, gathered from
all parts of the world, under the hammer Of the
aucticneer 1t is equally certain that it was this
consideration, and not any personal advantage
to himself or the members of his family, that
induced General Grant to reconsider his deter
minaton not to accept Mr.. Vanderbilts mag
unanimous offer of quit-claim on condition the
historical effects should go to the government
III.
The saddest incident II the history of General
Grants financial misfortunes has never appeared
in print until now; and, as | stated above, it
comes TO indisputable authority from
LAWYERS. When the General returned from his
trip around the world and decided to make New
York his place of residence for the future, a
number of leading citizens of the metropolis
subscribed hundred thousand dollars to buy a
house for him. After looking the ground over
the brown-stone structure on East Sixtysixth
street, between Madison and Fifth avenues, was
decided upon as in every respect eligible. The
price too was within the amount sub
scribed-$l0O, 600; but. when the donors
came to purchase the property, they found there
was q mortgage for 500, 900 upon it, which the
holder was not wiling to yield up. He was en-
tirey satisfied with his interest of some per
cent, and it was determined to pay $4,000 in
cash, and assume the mortgage. This was DONE
and the remaining $50, 600 was turned over to
Dirs. Grant the property having been purchased
In her name. 1t was decided to let the mortgage
expire by the limitation of its own terms and
when it fell due to meet it. Meantime, the $780,
current rate of interest, and the family
moved into their new home in
She city of their adoption When the
General got into the firm of Grant g. Ward and
became dazed by the vista of financial possibii-
ties which opened up TO his unsophsticated eyes
In Wall street, family council was called and
it was deemed advisable to invest Mrs. Grants
800 600 in Wall street enterprises which the head
of the household fondly believed were paying
magnificent and legitimate interest Why should
hn nj Ara n hner rlxy anfE
oyer cent, when it might just as well be turning
over 10 or 20 per cent. the street! The 500 0G0
that was TO clear the mortgage on the Grant
home on East Sixty sixth street was invested
with Grant a. Ward, aud it was swept away
with the rest. Thus the Grants are in one sense,
merely tenants of the house in which they live,
and all because the original holder of the mort
gage thought he had too good an investment
to let 20 of when Mrs. Grant had the
money to wipe il out 1t is said that this loss
brought to the door of his family by his conf
dence in the scoundrel Ward, embittered the
dying hours of the ex-Prcsident more than all
his other misfortunes, and that the engulfng OF
his wife's property, some of il in the West which
be had given to her years ago, cost him the most
acute mental agony when the cancer was eating
ats way slowly but surely into his shattered
frame. a prominent physician told mo few
days ago that year and half is the period of
an epthelial cancer, such as that which at
taxed General Grant, and cases have been known
torun FIVE years before death supervened; but Gen
Grants low physical condition. consequent
upon the breaking of his leg, favored the rapid
development of the disease, and the mental
trouble that followed the frightful catastrophe
of last summer, and his anxiety regarding the
bill to place him on the retired list of the army,
soon made il acute,
III.
There is n matter connected with Irvings
visits to this country which, it is the talk of
the clubs and of theatrical circles, and as Mr.
Irving and Miss Terry not to pay another
with righteousness TO distinguished visitors
When Sarah Bernhardt came to New York, be-
fore she bad yet confded her mature affections
20 the ma.1tal care of Mr.. Damaa, although
she left grown-up young man son in Paris be-
hind her. our best people and our church
people elbowed their way to see her play Gil
berte and Adrienne. went into ecstasies over her
unquestioned genius, aud wept over her simu
latad eulferinn hui civ clnsad ararx