The Portland daily press., 1886-02-16
IF GEN. JACKSON WERE PRESIDENT
HANCOCK AT HOME.
The Pleasant Kindly Life He Led at
Governors Island.
New York World.J

New York World.]
The life of General Hancock for the past
six years, during which he has made MS res
idence on Governors Island, has been an eX-
ceptionally quiet and simple one. He stroye
to make everything as pleasant and enjoya-
BILE as he could to those about him, and how
far he succeeded may be judged by the many
expressions of general sorrow which are
heard ON every side. He saw the possibili-
ties of his army post as an ideal home, and
few people of the great metropolis are aware
what paradise ON earth the place had
grown to be. Military rule and subsection
was stripped of much of its pomp, and all
its needless parade and red tape. While
everybody throughout the Division of the
East were made to feel that General Han
cock was commandant in fact as in name,
there was no unnecessary harshness at any
point
He was an early riser, a hard worker and
generous liver. He never insisted upon hard
work from subordinate while he took ease
behind the privilege of his position In fact,
his punctiliousness ON matters of personal
duties and obligations brought upon him
mass of work which other men in equal
WOuIu nave Sllllhtu. liz IClL
that personal courtesy was due to every one
who called upon him, and to every note or
letter of inquiry he felt that an immediate
reply was necessary. Yet he SO ordered his
time, SO carried his old army habit of prompt
decision and equally prompt action that he
had ample time for all the duties of his posi-
ton.
At the post he was the universal favorite
and for everybody, high and low, he had a
kindly word. The island has upon it quite
colony of officers and their families, and the
broad lawn behind Fort Columbus is skirt
ed about with the residences of staff and post
officers. Further away to the south and east
stand the quarters of the men and non-c0m-
missioned officers, so that in all the island
has a population by no means small. 1t is
safe to say that to every one who resided on
the island or had occasion to yisitit frequent
ly General Hancock made himself personal
friend, or at least it was not his fault ii this
personal friendship did not exist. He was
democratic in its broadcast sense and was
never seemingly so pleased as when he was
making some one else the happier for his
being.
The children of the post-and there is
whole battalion of young Americans--were
on the most intimate terms with the gener-
al As he stepped out on his yeranda there
was a general scamper to meet him, and it
was no uncommon sight for him to go along
the,walks with whole cluster of the young
sters about him, and when they left him he
sent them back to their rompings and roller
skating on the broad asphalt walks, feeling
that he had enjoyed rare treat
His house was model one in many re-
SpeetS. 1t is a brOadly-built wooden struc-
tlre after the southern type, with wide
hall running from the veranda overlooking
the lawn in front to the yeranda overlook
ing Buttermilk Channel in the rear. 1t is
richly and tastefully rather than luxuriously
furnished, and was the center of an almost
unbounded hospitality. The General knew
everybody Of prominence and had long line
of visitors, and when away from the duties
of his position in the headquarters building
further down the lawn could be discovered
in the little library in the southeast corner of
the building seated in his favorite broad arm
chair either reading the current literature of
the day or listening to well-told stories from
old army comrades.
He had weakness for old army chums,
and no man whom he had known in active
campalnlng days ever went without the Ia
Vor which rested in General Hancock S power
to bestower. Capt. VIM. G. Loring, Of the
tug Atlantic. was an old Second Corps SOL
der, and always on going to and fro on the
little tug the General climbed into the pilot
house and had a chat with the genial cap
tain. Sergeant Linn, at the New York land
ing, was also trusted subordinate, and ms
fearful eyes yesterday told his thoughts OF
his dead superior. Occasionally when the
tug was missed the revenue cutter Washing
ton was placed at his disposal, and with
Capt. Congdon and Pilot Jack McMath the
General was on the best of terms and always
ready to render service Only few days
ago, when it was suggested by the Police
Commissioners to put old Dick Ganley, the
policeman near the Barge office, away on
patrol duty in the goat district, the General
heard of it and sent a personal letter begging
that the old man might remain where he had
so long done well.
The constant endeavor of the dead COM
mander was to make the surroundings at
Governors Island as pleasant as possible for
those residents there. He personally looked
after the lawn trimming and the tree cut
ting, and he was perfectly happy when, on
pleasant summer evenings, the music stand
in the centre of the green was occupied by
the band of the Fifth Artillery and every
veranda had its group of listeners, while
everywhere, fitting in and out, were the
children of the post, frolicking and chasing
the great, good-natured mastiff of which
Gen. Hancock was so fond.