The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1890-07-24

Al Artist's Experience In Posing enc
Two Great Captains.

HLN ~ "H N-E ""#E
sketches Of some Of the greatest Cen
erals Of the civil war. that gentleman
spoke Of his experience I'm posing Gem
erals Grant and Sheridan. OF the lat
ter he said:
II was introduced to General Shori-
dan BY q staff officer. He had a soft,
low voice, though he has too often
been represented as a lOud-mouthed,
staggering bully. He had a peculiar,
soothing, quieting way about him, and
when he finished a sentence would
partly close one eye and drive his idea
Into n with the other. It was the
only eye among all the officers which
seemed TO comprise the whole head, the
most remarkable eye known to my ex-
perience. He had very fine, express
i've hands and a graceful way of using
them; but toward the end these became
fat and fluffy. In photographs the ex-
preston Of his face always looked set
because, I suppose, the muscles Of his
forehead were always moving. / had
70 catch his expression as l might the
movements Of q hy on q horses leg.
"He posed ~splondidly, and exactly
as he was told-a military trait. He
once sent a man after me on the run,
who said that General Sheridan desired
70 see me in haste. When I entered
his hands were filed with the dis
patches, and an orderly stood behind
him. He said that in fifteen minutes
he wa 20 start South with General
Grant and in that time his posing
must be completed. Then he adjusted
his eyeglasses, began reading his dis
PaOthes, and debating replies. He would
hold . dispatch in one hand, read il,
and pass It to the orderly over his
shoulder with the other. Still he man.
aged 70 divide his glanoes with me.
Strange to say, the sketch completed
under these circumstances brought out
q kind word from General Warren,
whom Sheridan relieved Of his COM
mand on the field in almost the last
battle Of the war and within sight Of APP
pomattox Court House. Warren said il
was the ideal Sheridan At the time,
General Sheridan supposed was mere
ly making a picture of him. and was
greatly pleased when Mr.. Ward sent
word to him to come to the Academy Of
Design and see Kelly's very maritorious
statue, 'Sheridan's Ride / requested
him to make some suggestions for al
terations before the statue was cast.
He had nothing to criticise, he said,
and. instead, approved the work over
his signature"
On the outside cover Of Sheridan's
memoirs there is a reproduction of
Kelly's statue in gilt. No credit what
ever is given to the artist in the book
and his name was cut out of the plate.
Mr.. Kelly says: Il demanded of Web
Ster & Co. to know why my copyright
and General Sheridan's instructions
70 them were ignored. They replied
that he had given no instructions. /
then asked to see the photograph of the
statue which accompanied the manu-
script. When produced, there on the
back Of the photograph were instruc-
tons written by the General to credit
the artist. Webster's people then said
II / went to law about it it wouldn't
como out Of their pockets, but Mrs.
S~heridan's.' / then replied that they
were perfectly safe to 90 ahead.
II first met General Grant at the
Fifth Avenue Hotel during 1881. He
agreed to give sittings, and I began on
him the following morning. 1 found
him ~perfeetlyl hnmovable and unre-
sponsive. nv irst attempt wa3 a fail
ure. Tearing up tbs picture l asked
him to smoke. Re lighted a cigar and
then seemed to u~nloose himself some
what, though not enough. Suddenly
/ sprang TO my feet to arouse him, and
said l would like to make a series OF
sketches showing where his personality
decided battles; that desired to repre-
sent him as he appeared when he rode
up the lines at Donaldson and ordered
the advance; at Belmont, where his
horse was shot from under him; al
Shiloh, etc. Thea he completely
awakened, crossed his legs, and began
to detail events, holding meantime hi.
cigar in n hand and using the other
by way of gesticulatory illustrations.
He elaborated on many scenes in hi;
Memoirs, which he afterward said he
had never done previously. He gave
such details as he could remember OF
his dress, ETC., referring to General
Hawley for matters in doubt. This
sketch, of course, made while he was
enthusiastic, was successful. So much
so that he signed it on the spot, even
using the title of General at the bot
tom, although he remarked at the
time, i have no official signature He
was then neither President nor Off
Ger.
'Once reused, General Grant talked
necessarily. During this time his lit
tie japanese servant was bobblng all
around us, greatly %astonished at the
process and its results on paper. The
General vas not in the least annoyed
by the boys antics and allowed him
full rope. Indeed, while with him,
General Grant a~pologized at some
length to a bell-boy for calling him
unnecessarily. The General having no
horse left over from the war, It was
somewhat difficult to get an animal
which would answer to pose my Grant
on Horseback, which is nearly com.
Pleted in plaster. Happily, Captain
William III. Gunther's horse Don
probably the most perfect charger in
the country vas available, and his &C.
ton / secured on the track in Contra.
Park. OF course. l have Grant covered
in detail by numerous sketches and de.
signs ia plaster. He had two promi
nent proiles, one very narrow aud one
very long. While not possessing either
of the strong characteristics of Sheri
dan or Sherman, his outline from the
bridge Cf the nose up was more per
fect than either. Neither had he Sc
many indiyidualities. While his hand.
were remarkably tine and full of ex.
preston, his face depended on the cir.
cumstances Of the moment.-N T.
Sun.
Stanley on WOmanklnd.
A very curious letter, In which Henry
M. Stanley gives his views on love and