Omaha daily bee., 1896-02-23
GRANT ASLOVER AND HUSBAND
The Widow of the Great Captain Tells
About His Private Life.
STORIES ILLUSTRATING HIS CHARACTER
The Romantic Proposal and the De-
layed Mnrringe-AnnOyfnE Fab
ricntiOn COntrndictcd and the
Truth Set Forth.

copyrighted. 1896, by Frank C. Carpenter)
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 1861 received
a note from Mrs General Grant last week
asking me to correct some Of the many ridic-
ulous stories which are now being printed
concerning General Grant. Some Of these
stories are published by the very best maga
zines and newspapers. They are given out
by parties who pretend to have had close
association with the general and Mrs. Grant,
but who, on the contrary hardly knew them,
or II so, only in the most distant way.
called on Mrs. Grant at her home on Massa-
chusetts avenue the other afternoon, and
had a long chat with her. in which she spoke
of such matters and told a number of new
and striking things about General Grants
character
GRANT AND THE CoLICKY BABY.
Here" said Mrs. Grant as she handed me
n paper, sis story about General Grant and
a sick baby. which, l am sure has no foun-
dation whatever. The story describes how
the general during one Of his earlier cam
paigns called upon a union doctor, a Mr..
Goodier. in one of the southern towns. Ac-
cording to this story, while the Doctors wife
was engaged In frying the chicken, and the
general was talking to the husband, the baby
OF the family, 3-months-old infant,
began to squal with the collie, where
taking the baby in his arms, walked up and
down the room with him. singing and whist
ling till the little fellow quite forgot his pain,
and, in the words Of the narrator, fell fast
asleep In the arms Of the man who was to
become Americas greatest military leader
''Now." said Mrs. Grant this is all very
nice. but any one who knew General Grant
would not have made such a statement. In
the first place. he was not fond OF babies,
He was In fact. little afraid of children
until they got to be at least as high as his
waist, and the idea that he would voluntarily
take up colicky baby and nurse 1t is pre-
posterous. One OF his greatest trials
while he was In the white house was the
children brought In by young mothers and
offered to him to kiss. He would perhaps
see them before they got near him and would
turn around in helpless way, so that you
could see he was uneasy. When the doting
mothers at last reached him and held up
their children for him to salute, he some-
times blushed TO the roots OF his hair be-
fore he kissed them, and did 1t in such am
awkward way that You could see that he was
not serenely enjoying the operation.
GENERAL GRANTS MUSICAL ABILITY.
And then, this man says that Grant took
the baby and walked up and down the room
singing and whistlng until he soothed it
to sleep. Now, 1t is well known fact
that General Grant could neither sing nor
whistle. The truth is, he could not turn
tune, and he had no great appreciation of
music.
During our trip abroad" continued Mrs
Grant, "ws sailed through the Meditert
ranean on tho United States man-of-war
vandalia. visiting Italy Egypt and the
Holy Land, Whild bn' this voyage We
passed the island which is so celebrated in
Homer as being the place upon which the
beautiful sirens lived and where Ulysses
landed and was brought to grief by their
singing. As We neared this Island num-
ber OF the naya! officers came to me and