National Republican., 1888-02-05
THE WISES OF VIRGINIA.
"REMINISCENCES CALLED UP W a
PORTRAIT or HENRY :. WISE.
Dcstitution of the Ex-Governor After the
War and How the Lord Provided-The
story of Famous Decentralization of
Special correspondence of Tmr RrrrnucAs.

RIcnMoNp, February 1.
Onr of the portraits that especially at
tructcd my attention when rambling through
the picture gallery of the Capitol building
one duy last week was that of Henry ;. Wise.
He had II remarkably intellectual, earnest,
and determined face. He had II large lus-
trous eye broad expansive brow, and II
firmly compressed rcsolutc mouth. He had
much of the stern sense of duty that he
lungcd to the Puritan Fathers, and was Il
man who made his religion II part of what
ever he did, whether in politics or war or in
the peaceful pursuits of private life He was
elected Governor of Virginia in 1886 and
served up to the breaking out of the great
civil war. His public career is well known
and don't propose to more than alludc to il
in this letter, but | write rather of the per-
sonal fortunes of himself and his family
Mr. Wise. was opposed to the breaking up
of the Union, though he was always claSScd
us an extremist lie was an extremist in the
sense that he labOrcd to accomplish whatever
he believed To be right with almost supcrhu-
man energy, leaving no means untricd, en-
huuStng every resource. When he saw that
the maintenance of the Union was hopeless
struggle and that the people of Virginia were
determined tu 90 out he deemed it his duty
to 20 with his State. He went into the war
with his three sons left one of them on the
field of battle, returned To Richmond when
peace was declared, and, when he was per-
mittcd, resumed the practice of law, which
he continued till his death in 1877, refusing tu
take any part whatcvcrin public life.
Like most of those who took their chances
with the i'll -iatcd Conicdcracv. the close OF
| hO>tiliticS found him completely poverty
stricken. His family was in Richmond and
had suffered all the privations that bctel tho
! people OF that unfortunate capital. When
uiovcrnur Wise reached home he found his
| wife aS destitute Us he was, and they lived
! for many weeks and months having but few
of even the most ordinary comforts of life
| The first food they had was an ambulanc,
| full of provisions sent to them by Genera
Meade who had been II warm persona
! friend of the WiscS before the war. ! hay,
/ heard Mrs. Wise, who is IL most gentle an,
accomplished lady, talk most touchingly %
! those days of priVation. She said Genera
/ Terry, who was in command of Richmond
| sent for her husband and urged him to TAKE
| the oath So he could practice his profession
and thus provide for himself and family. liz
went home and asked his wife ifshc though
he could take the oath. She replied that sh'
did not think he could. He said that wa
the view lac took of it, and he never did taxi
it, II was purely Il matter of conscience. n
the same time his distress of mind ut til,
necessities of his family were intense. Mrs
Wise told me with touching pathos how, II
her left he one morning he asked her will
indcScrbahlc sadness if She had anything il
the house for dinner.
lie suspected they had come to the last cX
trcmity, and this was true, but Mrs Wis
begged him not to be troubled for She ha,
faith that the Lord would provide. lie wa
cunrOlcd more by faith than by reason, bu
went ON without uttcring another word. III
had not been gone half an hour when
former friend from Shenandoah count
drove up in his wagon, bringing two barrel
of flour, and soon after him came anOthc
friend from the country with twelve ham
and an abundance of eggs, buttcrf and veg
ctablcS. So when the governor came hOm,
still with sad heart, for he was empty
handed, he was ushcrcd into such Dime
Us hc had not seen for long time, and wa
told with joy that there was well-iilc
lurdcr.
Things frightened up after this. Bcfor
the war Governor Wise had purchased fin
plantation near Norfolk, but when NOriOl
was evacuated his family left Ii hastily
abandoning mansion filled with books
pictures, tine articles of furniture, and mIIc
rare china and silver, one of the SONS RI
turned and cut from its frame the Originl
Of the wcll-knuwn picture, "Thc Nillug
Blacksmith from which steel engraving
were made thai are to be seen in thousand
of English and American households. Al
know the big white horse being shOd by til
huncst-luOking smith, rs his wife stands h.
with his dinner The young man escape
out of one side of the plantation us III
Union troops came in at the other side.
All thcpropcrty including the houses an,
lands, was CuniiSCatcd, but the picture wa
preserved to the end Of the war, and 500
after the pleasant little episode spoken ,
above, when Mrs Wise said the Lord wuul
prDyidc. Governor Wise sold ii for 81 IN
This was the first money of any consequence
hc had after the restoration of peace. 1t VA
Il large sum to himut that time, hut the pi,
turr finally found its way back to Eugun
and Il few weeks ago was sold for SiO,OOO
Governor WiSc'S plantation was restore
to him by the Federal authorities, along wit
Il portion of his library and some Of the art
clrS of furniture that belonged To the huuS,
\ man came down from Massachusetts an
purchased the place from ia" Governor iu
SgI 900 In gold. This madc him CumiurtahI
the rrmuimdcrOi his life
: Governor Wise was married three tim,
e and his third and last wife yet survives him
4 son by his first wife, Henry s. Wise If
was an eloquent preacher in the Epscop,
church, but died young man from col
sumption.
Ills two living sons, John 4, Wise an
Richard = Wise were both ut school whr
the war commenced the former At the vi
ginia Military Institute the latter ut Wilml
and Mary College, Both left school and wen
into the Confederate army. John \. va
badly wounded and was reported dead II
recovered to the surprise of everybody and
to-day the ublest lawyer in Richmond an