The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-23

49, ---~S e--4- A--o =. ~ - VI Al4c11S 10 many
an appetising spread in the wide dining
room that faces north and overlooks the
village.
Israel Haight, the postmaster, is one of
the veterans of ChapDaqua. His store is
the rendezvous Of the village statesmen aud
gossips. ! dropped into Israers store aud
found him IN hot disputation with a farmers
wiIe, who had come for her mail from quite
distance
THE Greeley place is quite lonely now.n
said he, but it didn't use to be that way.
Horace was great Old man, and we auus
thought highly Of him. He was the father
OF the village like, you know, and he allus
stood up for its interests. At that time
Amos TompkinS had the Ost0flice and was
keeping store. but | was a frequent euler
at the house. When MIR. Greeley came 10
Chappaqua first-that's many years ago
he lived in the little story-aud attic house
by the gate, the same place as William Bis
choh now occupies. By and by they bought
the hillside and the meadow, and on that
meadow Horace Greeley spent thousands of
dollars in experiments. His Improvements
and experiments must have brought the
original price up to $4,000. think"
What sorts of experimentsp 1 asked of
the old postmaster
"Oh, all kinds He pottered a great de1l
with the low land-about forty acres there
IS OF it-and he lined the whole of it with
tile drains. He was forever ditcMng and
cultivating it, and tried all sortS.cf expert
nentS. He spent much of his spare time
and all of his holidays there, except when
he was trimming the woods with his ak.
He was one of the most active men l ever
knew. He would be up by daylight and off
with his ak to the woods up there, just like
Gladstone, the great English tree-chopper
It was the funniest thing in the world"
aud old Israel laughed heartily. II rernen-
Der when he built she Stone concrete barn,
what talk there was about it, 1t was the
first time concrete had been used in this
section, aud everybody wanted t. see it.
THE farmers club used to meet at the
old schoolhouse over on the hill yonde-.
which you may have seen as you came
past. Many a hot debate they have had.
too. and 3ir. Greeley taking part in it with
the rest, for no had hobby in that direc-
ton. OF course the farmers po1ed fun at
him IN q quiet way, and once in while
they'd get him mad, too, but they loved
the good old man even if he had queer and
rather expensive notions about agriculture.
He knew what amateur farming cost, if any
man ever did.n
During the war times Chappaqua was
quite lively for village, was it not~ in
terrupted.
"'Ah, yes, returned the old man, "those
were the exciting days. Those were
the days when everything that Mr. Greeley
wrote, and said, and did, was watched here
with feverish eagerneSs. You rememb or,
of course, the famous editorials: On to
Richmond Well, we all thought he was
good deal Of hero at that time But his
utterances after the defeat at Bull Run was
a great mistake. That was the time when
he quit going to town, and was up here for
ten or twelve days. We all thought he
gave up the ship too soon. But 1t came ont
all right, you know, and we thought none
the less of him for it afterward
"Then there was the exciting time when
he was running as n candidate in 1872. Dear
me! don't remember ever seeing so many
great folkssat Chappaqua as came here in
that year. Mr.. Greeley was the liveliest of
them all. There used to be famous gather
ings down at the "Pines" in those DAYS.
Many distinguished southerners came
to Chappaqua that year. l renlem-
Der Mr.. Reagan, the congressman from
Texas, who was a sociable and pleasant
gentleman. Gen. Wade Hampton of South
Carolina, and other great democrats. 1t
was all social and pleasant, and they had
big political gatherings to which the vii
layers and other folks from round about
went, quite as much, suppose, out of per-
sonal regard for Mr.. Greeley as for any
other reason. These meetings took place
about once a week. Mr.. Greeley would
SPEAK JuSO HUE. A5dIu IulJ
that they did not want him to say
anything that might be taken hold
of. You remember how they misrepre-
sented him when he mad made q speech
! during his western tour Il was about the
time he was talking TO big audiences in the
west somewhere, and the newspapers there
brought up against him the advice he gave
in tie Tribune in 1861, when he said the
south sholld be allowed to 20 if it wanted
to. The republicans took the suggestion up
and bounded him with it. and it hurt him a
good deal in the election"
THE defeat broke him down physically,
did it not?"
Yes, we all noticed the change. After
the election ne was greatly annoyed by the
things that were sent to him through the
postoffice here-insulting notes aud the
like. Some Of the writers asked him to re-
deem confederate bonds. But the people
of Chappaqua never sympathized with those
| prosecutions. A good many. republicans
here voted for him in 1872, falling into line
not because they like their party less, but
because they esteemed Greeley. Others
among us VINO liked him greatly thought he
was mistaken and voted against him, but
| not without some compunctiOn. After that
election he seemed to loe interest in his
surroundings, and gradually broke down
| till he died.
1HSJ uSCu w 10 1ODtl VI SpClpby CD III
the old house before these political troubles
| began" concluded the old postmaster. 81
| remember meeting some very fine gentlemen
there-men like ex-Gov. Ashley Of Ohio.
and Gen. Fremont, the odd Pathfinder ,
Oliver johnson was a frequent visitor.
And the young ladies, Ida and Gabrielle
hal plenty of society suited to young
folks. MIR. Greeley's chief delight next
to entertaining his grand guests at hons
was to attend the meetings of the farmers
club and those of the Chappaqui Literary
Coterie, which were held Saturdays. He
would come up from the city Saturdays
early, and return late tho same night.
remember when he made his offer of prizes
for improved fruits, and how it stirred up
the agriculturists hereabouts. Robert
Garter, Joshua B. Washburne, Mr.. Rollins
of Croton Falls, and Mr.. Choate, used to
take a lively interest in these matters, too.
These were the happiest days Of onr
village"
The house on the hill is lonely enough
now. Following the death of Gabrielle's
parents within few weeks of each other,
came that of her sister Ida, the wife Of Col.
Nicholas Smith, leaving three children,
who are now being educated in a convent
school. There has been some delay in set
Ting up the estate, which originally stood
in the name of Mary Y. c. Greeley, the
wife of the statesman editor, and whose will
was lately probated. Horace Greeley, in
his lifetime bought various small pieces of