The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-04-27

dlctatl0n was on the 22d of June. After
this he would sit with his pad on his knee
near me and would write down his ideas
and hand them over to me to put into shape.
He was very weak aud his hand grew more
and more trembling as he neared his death.
There IS quite difference in his copy, as
you will see by the telegram have shown
you and this sample, showing his idea of
flying bridge" Mr.. Dawson here handed
me short page of General Grants hand
writing in pencil with a rude drawing of
river and flying bridge. A flying
bridge, he said, is a kind of bridge at
tached to rope tied to tree which by
swinging down river is made available
by pulling one end to the side so that the
other end swings around and hits the oppo-
site bank. General Grants picture ex-
planned this and the writing was as fol-
lows: "At Chattanooga there was flying
bridge at that time. A third bridge was to
take the place of this. Do you know what
a flying bridge is?' and then followed the
pictures.
what were General Grants working
hours gu 1 asked
"When first began, his working hours
were from 10 until - in the morning.
Then in the afternoon Mrs. Jesse Grant or
some one else would read to him out of the
books to refresh his memory, and he would
sit with his note book finland and make
catch notes. He had a good army library,
and knew where to find things. In the
evening he would have, more reading and
when the family were away he would sit
and think and make notes. At this time
the most of his dictation was done in the
morning from these notes, and he now and
then had his papers looked over for certain
manuscripts to refresh his mind. The
searching of these papers was done by my
self and Colonel Grant General Grant
dictated very freely and easily. He made
few changes. During the trouble between
the family and Badeau, Mr.. johnson, one
OF the editors of the Century Magazine, was
shown the manuscript of his first volume
This was, you know, in Grants handwrit-
ing. Mr.. johnson was astonished when he
looked at it and he said there was not one
literary man in hundred who furnished
as clean copy as Grant. This manuscript
is now IN the hands of the family. 1t was
not sent to the printers and it was copied
by Colonel Grant, Ulysses S. Grant and
myself before 1t was handed in. General
Grants sentences rarely had to be revised
in any way, and it was only at the last that
he did not express himself in full. The
dlctation for him was painful. His voice
got lower and lower as he went on. At
last 1t was a mere whisper and then it
stopped. L shall not forget soon his JOY at
the completion of the book. He had in
tended to have had the whole read over to
him and to have revised it all. He was in
reality only able to revise the first volume,
and during his last hours he was afraid he
would not be able to complete it. He used
in his writing for his book yellow MANILA
legal cap ruled with blue lines. and he
wrote with a pencil. The work tired him
much, and at the last he was only able to
scratch down his ideas. There was con-
siderable arranging to be done in the work,
and he did not know that it was so near
completed as it was. l saw at last that he
had reached the end of all he could do, es-
peclally If he was able to hear it read as l
wished. We were then practically at the
end, and 1 said to Colonel Grant: This
matter is all in shape now and think we
had better tell General Grant that the book
is DONE We then told him. At first he
hardly realized it, and then he was very
happy for short time. He told those
around him that his book was finished and
that 1t had only to be read over The next
day, however, he was not so well, and he
never got to that point at which we could
read him the second volume II was only
few days after the finishing of the book
that he died. l saw that he was sinking
fast and worked all the time could |
was stopping at the house all the time, and
my only rest was now and then taking a
walk in the woods. The general was much
pleased at my action, but he said nothing
about it.''
after General Grants DEATH" Mr..
Dawson went on, 81 hunted up all the slips
that the general had written and gave
Them to the Colonel and Mrs Grant with
the exception of less than dozen which
We're personally written for me- Some of
these slips relate to his book He was very
cautious IN writing so as not to injure the
feelings OF any one, and l remember many
touching incidents of how he cut out sen
fences which he thought might hurt He
Was even hypercritical in this regard. and
often imagined things might hurt when
they might have been left In. Had he been
able he would have probably made his me-
mo1rs comprise his whole life, but as it was
he was glad to be able to finish his military
career. The proof of the book was all
carefully read. We had four slips of
proofs, and Colonel Grant, U. S. Grant. ir.,
Jesse Grant and myself each held slip
while one of US read. Everything was
carefully revised and verified and this by
going through the generals papers as well
as by consulting leading authorities.
General Grants papers are very valu-
able" said Mr.. Dawson. ''He sustained
the closest relations to the great men of his
day and he carried on a correspondence
with statesmen in different parts of the
world. One of this closest friends was Ii
Hung Chang. the viceroy of China His
WlUn MN continued until
the time of his death, and he often spoke of
Ii Hung Chang in the highest terms. Ii
Hung Chang would write asking his advice
as to matters of state, and General Grant,
you know, called him the Bismarck of
China.n
l here told Mr. Dawson the high reputa-
ton which General Grant sustained in
China, and referred to picture of the gen
eral and Ii Hung Chang which was made
by photographer at Tiensin. A copy of
this photograph is in my possession 1t
represents the two greatest men of two
hemispheres drinking tea with Chinese
table between them. Had Grant been re-
elected President l doubt not the United
States and China would be closer together,
and in all probability the American and the
celestial would be kissing each other
FRANK G. CARPENTER
Prescriptions a speciality at Crismon.
Scarf q Co.'s, the druggists. Try them.