Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-10-03
THE HOME OF WEBSTER.
A Visit to Marshfeld, Where the
Statesman Lived and Died-An
Orator Fisherman.
Simple Daily Life of the Great Man
Among His Rural Neighbors.
Webster's Dying Words.
Philadelphia Times.

! home OF Daniel Webster. 1t Is situated
near the Atlantic sea. coast on 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 a fayorite res
idence of sea captains and sailors during
their stay on shore. Many of them lie In
! the old church yard Their descendants
still remain. and together form a COM
munity of people as warm-hearted, as
! Jovlal and as generous as can be found ON
the Atlantic coast. Here Daniel Webster
was known, not only as a statesman, but
as a 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
rustic life.
A brisk drive of few minutes from the
sleepy little village takes one to the Web
ster farm. The house is surrounded by
forest trees, nearly all of which were
planted by Webster 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 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
ster's head farmer. A notable trait of
| Webster 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 as 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. All! yes, Mr.
Webster was a grand old man and jovial
Marshfeld that never has or never can be
filled"
1t never occurred to his honest old soul
that the death of Daniel Webster left a
gap that extended from Name to the
Golden Gate, and from the British posses
sions on the north to the sunny chimes of
the Gulf of Mexico.
Mr. Wright related many anecdotes of
Webster and said that a man of simpler
habits never lived For dress he cared
absolutely nothing. At home lie could not
be distinguished from any of his farmers or
neighbors so far as dress was concerned.
He rarely ever wore collar and was al
most always seen in a black SLOUGH hat
with his trousers tucked in his boots But
as soon as he removed the hat, one saw
his forehead and eyes When Thorwald-
sen saw the bust of Webster in the studio
of Powers, at Rome, he exclaimed: ''Ah!
a new design of Jupiter, | see. Grand!''
And it was long time before the great
sculptor could be persuaded that the bust
was that of a living American. Webster
loved domestic life. His house was his
castle in every sense, and every man wo-
man or child was as welcome to 1t as the
sunlight. Whenever a man called at the
house, Webster always went to the side
board, from which he would bring out a
decanter and pour out a glass OF brandy.
If the visitor drank he was doubly welcome,
if not, it Immediately lowered him In
Webster's estimation Webster was par
ticuarly fond of children and loved to have
them about him. At fair, picnic or
circus he was always surrounded by them
and would amuse them in true mimic style.
At home politics was never allowed to
be a subject for conversation. If the sub
iect was brought up, the brow of the illus
trious man darkened. Fishing, hunting,
farming, horses, pigs and hens were his
staple subjects for home conversation. He
knew his cattle by name as well as he did
his brother Senator'S Of his garden he
was very proud and in the season would
spend portion Of each day IN 1t, pulling
weeds and hoeing vegetables. 1t IS said
that one day young lawyer came to HIM
and asked him what he had best study to
build himself up in his profession.
''Turnip seeds!' was the laconlc reply.
The young disciple of Blackstone follow
ed the advice. He studied up everything
that bore upon the subject. year or two
afterward neighboring farmer produced
expected to reap a fortune. Another
neighbor began to raise and sell the same
seeds and lawsuit resulted. The origin
ator of the seed came to Webster to retain
him. Webster thought moment and re-
piled:
II am not as well booked on turnips as
ought to be, but there is young fellow
over there who knows all about them.
When the trial came off the young law
yer astonished Judge, jury and audience
by his profound learning and trlumphantly
won the case thus starting himself on the
road to fame and fortune.
Webster sense of humor was Infinite.
On one occasion neighbor presented
bill to him for payment. why, SAID
Webster, Il have paid this bill before.
The neighbor assured him that he was mis-
taken. "All right" said Webster, ''call
tomorrow and l will have your money
for YOU As soon as the man was gone,
Webster called his son Fletcher and direct
ed him to look over his papers and see II
he could not find receipted bill. 10 the
surprise of both, not only one, but two
receipts were found, showing that the bill
had been paid twice. Webster put the
receipt in his pocket and said nothing. In
the morning the neighbor called as agreed
for his money. Webster took his seat I'M
der the old elm tree and ordered Mr..
Wright to bring the decanter. Filling a
glass to the brim, he handed it to the man,
telling him to drink Webster then be-
ganI
''Mr. N, do you keep books?
The man admitted that he did not.
''Then | would advise you to do so, said
Webster, pulling from his pocket one OF
the receipted bills and handing 1t to him.
The man was covered with confusion and
Webster continued: And while you are
about it you had better employ book
keeper who understands double entry, at
the same time handing the man the
second receipt, which he took with tremb-
ling hands.
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