The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-12-28
Story About Alexander Shepherd,
the rlost Abused rlan in
the United States.
Talks of Ben Butler and A Number
Of Other Interesting
People.
interesting Sketches of Men and
Events Before the War
and After.

facing the capitol building here. He
built his house IL years ago and has in
habited it ever since. Capitol Hill has
free air in summer, as the pit of the city
with it's asphaltum lining has not. FASH
iona'ble Washington must be closed up all
summer, when Capitol Hill is full of chill
tdren, singing and roller-skating, and
powered in the green trees.
That wonderful giant, Alexander shep-
herd, who planted $4,000 trees 1S years
ago, and has come back to- see them in
verdure, was in the Evening Star office
last week to call upon it's editor, Crosby
S. Noyes. happend to be there. Noyes
came to Washington a bobbin boy from
Maine, long before the war.
"Mr. Shepherd, you are good pres
ervation; you must be near CO., said I.
"Past that" replied Shepherd. .'But
look at that rooster yonder past 70!
Noyes has no more gray hairs than /
have
4 To return. to Gen. Farnsworth. I found
him in his house which, from it's front
window, shows both the capitol and the
congressional library in grand facade. He
was playing game of cards with Gen.
Henderson, of Illinois, whose daughter
married Farnsworth's son. The grand
child directly ran in to show her new
frock. Farnsworth of old was a tall,
prodigious man, colonel Of cavalry, and
he is said to have been the only man who
made Gen. Butler uncomfortable. But
Ter in old days had a system of police and
servitors who followed obnoxious men Sc
cretly in his interests. Farnsworth re-
taliated for such am attack by having But
ler's letters as to stone quarries photo
graphed and then, in their committee
room, he regularly menaced Butler with
his great fist and overwhelmed him with
contemptuous epithets.. ..,s.
Butler. also built his house on, Capitol
Hill, and there Arthur waited, as the
guest of John P.tJones, TO succeed the dy-
ing Garfield. What evils came out Of
that lack of consideration in Arthur for
the cabinet of Garfield! Farnsworth left
the Republican, party in 1872 and allied
himself with the Greeley movement. But
Ter left later.
John p. Henderson, another victim of
party resentment since Johnsons' impea CHI
ment trial, told me several years ago that
Gen. Grant had related to him that the Ben
Wade Republicans offered Grant the presi-
dency # he would give the two great cab
met places of treasury and stale to Ward
of Detroit, and Butler. This was before
Johnson was acquitted and the Ward men
were set aside. Henderson's notion was
that it was monstrous for Grant to- enter
tain such a proposition. But Grant desir-
y iy,1o II
him in it, Grant had such a hard time to
army, in the sos, that pathos attaches to
his subsequent attempts to keep employed.
Badeau says Grant returned from Europe
with only s1O0 600, sand the income from 1t
could only hire two rooms alta hotel.
General Farnsworth," said l, "you
have survived many revolutions. even to
this last of several old rebel states be.
coming Republican,
"Yes," replied the general, "events chase
each other to and fro with the amusingness
of child's play"
'.I live near where YOU charged down
South Mountain Turnpike the day after
the battles on that mountain.
."Did you? / came near capturing Fitz-
hugh Lee that day. With 500 men, be-
lieving ourselves the larger body. we
charged pelI-mell into Lees brigade of
horse. I had an Indiana and Illinois regi-
ment in those days. Pleasanton COM
manded all the cavalry Of Mcclellan. At
ter we chased their cavaly off and pro-
ceeded from Bopnsboro 4, pursuit of them
to place called Keedysv:lle and beyond
there, in sight of that village, subsequently
McClellan's hospital town, saw Union
line Of battle formed between the town and
Ansietam, and Bull Richardson, Of Mich
:gan, an intrepid fighter, was about to lead
his command against the rebels. That ac
tion might have altered the whole complex
ION of Ant;etarn, for we were then flushed
with our success, had our troops well CEN
tered. and the rebels were only in Mary
land by corps and detacllments. The bat
tie. then about to open, would have been
for the passage of the Ant!eSam and nelr
Keedysv:lie. Suddenly Gen. Sumner, the
superior of Richardson, came up and said
that Gen. Mcclellan had learned that the
rebel army would concentrate at Center
vile and be ordered Richardson not to al
tick. The general and soldiery wers
nrch dissatisfied Where is Center
viNay was the inquiry had learned as
+ came to Keedysville that.;t had once been
called Centerville, and SO informed them.
Mcclellan postponed the battle for two
days; the rebel army captured the. garri-
sons of Martinsburg and Harper's Ferry
and concentrated upon us at sharpsburg,
three miles south Of keedysvllle;; poor
Richardson was killed there. Delay had
been dangerous, as almoss always.
Gen. John F. iF'arnsworth, born IN Can
ada. at the close Of Monroe's administra-
tion. came to the United States in Andrew
.Jackson's $ second term and was q member
Of congress before the war. He was q fine
military officer. He spoke OF a brother Of
Joseph Medin who was killed in his com
mand and died at Frederick City but not
of his own nephew, who was shot dead at
Gettysburg.
Mr. Paige, an early resident Of Chica-
"a who lately recovered, as aslaWyer, the
Mora claim, with its s1,500, ,000, from
spain helped by W. @. Gresham, told me-
the following tale apropos Of Cen = Earns. rms
worth. s .Antietaa rem iniscence
81 the staff Of Gen. eaeorges Ne dee.s5
Elellan cal III. sPaige vas an Otllcer :,
sK Key from Ohib, ori iginal from
KenIa,a,i become lai,1tsa