The Red Cloud chief., 1886-08-13

Curious History az the ON. a: the EisSs
House IN wAsh,ay.oa

Man haV- noticed "a. ful!-leny-h
portrait u: Pre.idcn. Lincoln which
hangs in the Rigg- House There j. a
curioa, story regariing IL The figure
i, Of heroic size and represent. the
MARTYR President standing a: 3 ta-
be holding the constitution in hi
hand. Its fidelity 10 nature ha- been
commended by many old !rGnd, Of Nr.
Lincoln AMI positively testified 10 by
hI- son. IN" eN-S .cre;ary of War. !;
l. the work Of a young German artist
named W. X. Travis. and the cirrum-
stances surrounding IL execution arr
quite romantic.
In the eariv -,imme Of I.62 bright
eyed German Of about twenty aT,-
pearcd a the capital he wa, the .on
Of ! portrait painter Of :ocal repu,e in
Frankfort-on-the-hIain. According -
the son. the father had served under
BIucher during THE Hundred DAYS"
that eliminated IN the battle Of Water
loo. Young Jrayi- had had a military
education IN addition TO Al admirable
course of instruction in III. gymnasium
OF M native city. Like IN. Count al.
Paris and other foreigner, o. greater
distinction than the pDn- artists son.
Travis came 10 See some real war. IL
offered hi services in New York BE-
fore coming TO Washington: had been
2 49,, " E H.. -. -
been rejected on account Of clearly
marked pulmonary affection. When H.
reached her. Travis vi, ~d--ponden:.
He wandered abou; the c:tv for several
week, but made Few acquaintance br-
rau-c If hi, knitted knowledge of the
English language. One dav Ia. visited
the Whit" HOUSE aud saw tac portraits
of tn" cN-Pr--ii.ni-. An idea occgrr-i
70 him. |. he could not tigh, for the
struggling Nation. he could q; least
paint a picture %. it, President. who
occupied a haliowc,i place in the
artist, heart. But "A realization Of hi,
fancy was not 80 easy. Ia vain he
personally applied n the Whit iiou>'
to arrang" for a sitting with Mr..
Lincoln. He could not even Cetto See
him. 1'u; he continued 10 20. One
day be met Mr.. Lincoln or the stree.
He approached and introduced himself
III very broken English. ii" told how
he. AN alien. had tried to fight for this
country. had been rejected. and what
he desired to do to leave something a.
a mOmcnio 10 the strange land h"
loved % well. Though ne probably
did not understand more than half
what In" Young artist SAID, the Prr>i-
dent WA, impressed with hi~ manli-
ness and his carnc>tncS,. He gave
him an appointment for the following
day and kept it to the exclusion Of
every thing else. IL. sat for an hour
and told the stranger several good
Travis understood. A subsequent sit
ting was arranged. but it was inter
ruptrd just after i; began. and Travis
never saw Mr.. Lincoln again. He
VIM W W." loIh III Sl4itI lOE
home.
Now ONE the really curious par,
of the story.
General Webster, 4 relative Of Ben
jamin +. Butler. WAS one of President
Grants first foreign appointments.
He was made ConSul-Grneral at Frank |
fort In the spring of l>6j. 4 tall.
~full-bearded man entered the consul
ate. introduced himself. and said tina,
he had paint ID a portrait of President
Lincoln. and asked that h. might
bring it Their. for inspection and crit
iciSm by Americans. General Webster. !
surprising that il was = small portrait.
gave the permission in u spirit OF
frIcndllneS> t. the people among
whom he was residing. Imagine hi,
surprise. then. "a y heavy truck backed
up before the door aud deposited this
gigantic piece Of anvas. 1t required
a dozen por.erS to place it on the walls
of the consulate. A. those know who
have seen the picture nj the Riggs. the
canvas Is fully ten feet high by >iN feet
broad. The frame is nearly n foot
in width.
The picture attracted much atten-
ton. Con~ul-G-neral Webster pur-
chased IL. Ten Years later II was sent
10 the Centennial Exhibition a; Phila-
dclphia. Al the close of that show the
pictures remaining unclaimed were
stored in IN. vaults of the Academy of
Fine Arts. in tina. city. Their. it mar
rowly escaped destruction hy tire.
About this time tive grown children
of Mr.. Webster died: his " f. soon fol-
lowed. and he passed to the grave in
1877. The existence of the picture was
heir. Mr.. Ecn'ic. Webster. Of Lowell.
Mass. Ii >lumbcicd in the darkness
If the cellar. in Philadelphia. until the
winter Of lsS2. when i; was rcdi>cov-
cred. 4 friend OF IN. Webster family
brought it IL the attention Of the only
surviving heir. He placed i, in the
CUSTODY of that friend. who brought it
10 Washington las; year. and nv Mr..
>poford's courtesy. found it a place a,
the Riggs House. Surely \ curious
story. hut true. Go. take a look III the
picture. - Washington Ha.chet.
Not q Serious Obstacle
Young Woman-And Go q think