Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-10-03
THE HOME OF WEBSTER.
A Visit to Marshfield. Where the
Statesman Lived and Died An
Orator Fisherman.
Simple Daily Life Of the Great Man
Among His Rural NeighbOrs.
Webster's Dying Words.
PhlladeIphIa Time.

dered forever famous bg having been the
home Of Daniel Webster Ii Is situated
near the Atlantic sea coast on a branch Of
the Old Colony Railroad, about thirty
miles in a direct line from Boston. As its
name implies, immense tracts Of low,
marshy land stretch away in all directions.
IN the good old days it was favorlte res
idence Of sea captains and sailors during
their stay on shore Many of them lie in
the old church ward Their descendants
still remain, and together form com
munity Of people as warm-hearted, as
j0yia and as generous as can be found on
the Atlantic coast Here Daniel Webster
was known, not only as statesman, but
as plain, unpretending farmer and
fisherman. who loved his home and neigh
bors, and to-day one may still converse
here with men who were his everyday
companions and among whom he led d
rustic life.
A brisk drive Of a few minutes from the
sleepy little village takes one to the Web
ster farm The house is surrounded 10y
forest trees, nearly all of which were
planted by Webster's own hand. In the
rear of the house and stretching away for
about two miles is the marsh. Several
years ago the original Webster house was
burned. but a new house of the same style
Of architecture was erected upon the old
site Aside from the house, the other
buildings remain unaltered The farm
originally consisted of fifteen hundred
acres but since the dispersion of the fam
lily it has been sold off piece-meal, until
only a hundred acres remain. A short
distance away is the house Of Porter
Wright, who for fifteen years was Web
sters head farmer 4 notable trait Of
Webster's character was that he never
treated his employees as menials, but as
equals, and Porter Wright was his almost
constant companion IN all his fishing and
hunting expeditions There is probably
no man living to-day who knows rs much
Of the inner life of the great American
statesman. of his habits, his customs and
his disposition as Mr. Wright. When the
old man was called upon the other day he
said in CHEEKY tones:
Come in, come in. An! yes. Mr..
Webster was a grand old man and jovial
companion His death left a gap in
Marshheld that never has or never can be
filed
1t never occurred to his honest old soul
that the death of Daniel Webster left
gap that extended from Name to the
Golden Gate, and from the British posses
sions on the north 10 the sunny climeS Of
the Gulf of Mexico.
Mr. Wright related many anecdotes of
Webster and said that a man of simpler
habits never lived. For dres, me cared
absolutely nothing. At home hec0ud not
be distinguished from any of his farmers or
upighb0rS So far as dress was concerned
He rarely ever wore Il collar and was all
most always seen in a black slouch hat
with his trousers tucked i'm his boots But
as soon as be removed the hat, one saw
his forehead and eyes, When IhOrwald-
SEN saw the bust of Webster in the studio
of Powers. 1T Rome. be exclaimed: "Ah!
new design If Jupiter ! see Grand y
And it was a long time before the great
sculptor cond bee persuaded that the bust
was that on ? living American Webster
loved domestic life His house was his
castle i'm every sense. and every man wo-
man or child was as welcome to it as the
sunlight Whenever a man called at the
house, Webster ALWAYS went to the side
board, from which he would bring ont "a
decanter and pour ont q glass OF brandy.
If the visitor drank he was douhIy welcome,
if not. il Immediately lowered him i'm
Wpbster'~ estimation Webster was par
ticuarv fond of children and loved to have
them about him. At a fair. picnic on
circus he was always surrounded by them
and would amu>e them in true mimic style.
At home politics was never allowed to
be a subject for conversation. If the subj
iect was brought M. the brow of the illus
trious man darkened Fishing. hunting,
farming horses. pig and hens We're hlS
Stapie subjects for home conversation lie