News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-01-15
Vanderbilt and Grant.

, Mrs. Ulysses s. Grant:
Dear Madame.-So many misrel
reservations have appeared in regal
to the loan made by me to Gen. Graz
and rejecting unjustly on him an
. myself, that it seems proper to brief
f recite the facts. On Sunday, the At
of May last, Gen. Grant called at NJ
house and asked me to lend one hui
bred and fifty thousand dollars for or
day. l gave him my check withor
/ question, not because the transactlo
was business like, but because the re
quest came from Gen. Grant. Th
misfortunes which overwhelmed hir
in the next twenty-four hours arouse'
the sympathy and regret of the Who'll
country. You and he sent me within
a few days of the time, the deeds o
YOUR Joint properties to cover this Oh
legation and urged my acceptance OF
the ground that this was the only deo
of honor which the General had per
sonally incurred, and these deeds L re
turned. During my absence in EUROPE
the General delivered to my attorney
mortgages upon all his own real estate
household effects and the swords
medals and works of art which were
the memorials of his victories and the
presents from governments all over
the world. These securities were in
his Judgment worth the one hundred
and fifty thousand dollars. At his
solicitation the necessary steps were
taken by Judgment, etc., TO reduce
these properties to possession and the
articles mentioned have been this day
bought in by me and the amounts bid
applied in reduction of the debt.
Now that / am at liberty to treat these
things as my own the disposition OF
the whole matter most in accord with
my feelings is this: l present to you
as your separate estate the debt and
Judgment hold against Gen. Grant
also the mortgages upon his real es-
tate and all the household furniture
and ornaments, coupled only with the
condition that the swords, commits
siens, medals, gifts from the United
States, cities, and foreign govern
ments, and all articles of historical
value and interest, shall, at the Cen
erals death, or if you desire sooner,
be presented to the government at
Washington, where they will remain
as perpetual memorials of his fame
and the history of his time. l enclose
herewith assignments to you of the
mortgages and judgments, a bill OF
sale of the personal property and
deed of trust in which the articles OF
historical interest are enumerated. A
copy of this trust deed will, with
your approval, be forwarded to the
President of the United States for
deposit in the proper department.
Trusting that this action will meet
acceptance and approval, and with
kindest regards to your husband,
am yours respectfully,
W. H. VANDERBILT.
To this communication Gen. Grant
replied as follows:
New YORK CRY, Jan. 10, 'S5.
Dear Sir.-Mrs. Grant wishes me
10 answer your letter of this evening
to say that while she appreciates your
great generosity in transferring to her
The mortgages given to secure my
lebt of $4,000 she cannot accept |
n whole. She accepts with pleasure
he trust which applies to articles
in your letter to 60 to the
government of the United States at
ny death, or sooner, at her option.
N this matter you have anticipated
he disposition which had anticipat-
ID making of the articles. They will
De delivered to the government as
soon as arrangements can fS 49,
Tor their reception. Papersy
TO all other property will be ret
with the request that you have it
and the proceeds applied to the
dalton of the debt which L SO
owe you.
You have stated in your Il
the minutest accuracy the hlsatye aof
the transaction which brought me in
your debt. / have only to add that |
regard your giving me your check for
The amount without inquiry, as an act
Of marked an unusual friendship.
The loan was to me personally.
got the money, as l believed, to carry
he Marine National over one day,
,eing assured that the bank was sol
'ent, but owing to unusual calls need
d assistance until it could call in its
aans. I was assured by Ferdinand
Ward that the firm of Grant & Ward
od over 100000 to their credit at
hat time in the Marine bank, besides
Il 300, 900 of unpledged securities in
heir own vaults. l cannot conclude
Without assuring you that Mrs. Grants
inability to avail herself of your
yrat kindness in no way lessons either
Ter sense of obligation or my own.
Yours very truly,
Z. S. GRANT.
Two additional notes passed be-
,ween Mr.. Vanderbilt and General
Grant, but Mrs. Grant closed the cor
by assuring Mr.. Wander
oilt that they could not accept his
nunifcence many form.