The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-12
MRS. GENERAL GRANT
SHE TALKS OF HER HUSBAND AND
OF SOME OF HER EXPERIENCES.
New Stories Of Bismarck and Ii Hung
Chang, and Many Historic Incl
dents Not Hitherto I'm Print.

Copyright, 1885, by Frank G. Carpenter.)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10.-Mrs. General
Grant is leading a retired life here at Wash
ington. Her home is the mansion of Sen
ator Edmunds, for which she paid $4,000
some months ago. 1t Is q comfortable
brick house of perhaps (ifteen rooms, To-
Gated In one of the most fashionable parts
Of the city. 1t was built by Senator Ed
munds for his own home, and it is very
comfortable dwelling. I called upon Mrs.
Grant last week. She does not care for
newspaper notoriety, and is anxious to be
kept in the background. Ny chat with
her. however, was interesting and so full
of matter which the American people should
know that have asked her to allow me to
publish it. 1t was merely rambling con-
versation, and I give it very much as 1t
occurred.
But hrst let me tell you how Mrs. Grant
looks now in her seventeenth year. She is
one or the youngest old ladies in Wash
ington. You would not take her to be
more than sixty. Her face is full and al
most free from wrinkles Her hair is iron
gray. and she has quite a lot of 1t. Her
eyesight has never been very good and it
has failed now that she cannot read
great deal. She does not wear glasses,
however. and to outward appearance her
eyes are not weak. She walks easily and
firmly, and she tells me she is in good
health. She is good talker. Her voice
Is low and pleasant, and she grows viva
cious as she reviews some of the wonderful
events or her career. She is thoroughly
wrapped UP In her family, her children and
her grandchildren and in her love for Gen.
Grant. In speaking of him she refers to
him as "the General" She has a good
memory, and she tells many interesting
stories concerning him. No married couple
ever lived closer to each other than did the
General and Mrs. Grant. She was, per-
haps. his only real conhdant. The two
were one In almost everything, and their
LIE was a most beautiful one. For several
years Mrs. Grant has been engaged in
writing book of her "reminiscences. This
will cover more than fifty years. and it will
be full of unwritten history.
1t will tell hundreds of interesting things
about Grant and the men connected with
| him which have never been published. 1t
| will describe her four years in camp with
| the General, will tell the stories OF her
| eight years In the White House and will
| give the wanderings of this Penelope with
| her Ulysses in the tour around the world
| The book Is already written 1t will con-
tain more than one hundred thousand
words and though no arrangements have
been yet made for its publication. it may
be given 10 the press at any time. General
| Grant left a large number of papers and
valuable letters He also left diary, which
contains a great many interesting entries.
| Mrs. Grant has about three hundred Of his
love letters and there are other valuable
manuscripts His state papers, however.
\ wi ohab ho in
ume by Col. Fred Grant. Mrs Grants book
will be made up chiefly of her own reminis-
cences. and they will be interesting in the
extreme.
| MRS. GRANT AND Ii HUNG CHANG
| During my stay in North China about
year ago bought at Tien-Tsn a negative
which was taken of General Grant and Ii
Hung Chang during General Grants stay in
| Tien-Tsin. Copies from this negative are
very rare and took three photographs
with me to Mrs. Grant. AS she looked
| them over she said:
Il remember very well when this picture
was taken. Ii Hung Chang and General
Grant became great friends during our stay
In China, and the two corresponded together
up to the time of the Generals death. At
this time Ii Hung Chang wrote me long
letter of coincidence, and at the time of
Lady LIS death 1 wrote him. Some letters
passed between US during the late war be-
| tween China and Japan. had expected
| the Chinese would be victorious, and even
after the first successes Of the Japanese
| thought the Chinese. on account of their
enormous numbers, would finally overwhelm
| them At the time in China the
relations of the two countries were strained
| and General Grant advised Ii that war
| should be prevented, if possible. wrote to
Ii Hung Chang at the time he was shot
at Hiroshima, saying 1 sorry for him,
and that / hoped by the time my letter
reached him he would be entirely recovered
He replied to this and sent me the terms
| of peace which he had proposed TO the
| Japanese, and after this book giving the
history Of the peace negotiations"
| I here asked Mrs. Grant as to some of
her experiences in Europe, and in reply she
chatted Interestingly concerning some Of
the great courts which she had visited. She
described the honor with which the General
was received everywhere, and grew enthu-
sastic as she told how we'll he had ac-
| quilted himself whenever called upon to re-
spond to some great speech on the spur Of
the moment. An instance Of this kind oc-
Cured at Liverpool. Said Mrs. Grant:
when we landed the wharves were COW
cred with people. There must have been
fifty thousand faces upturned to look st us
as we came from the ship. We were re-
ceived by the Mayor, who welcomed the
General in a grandiloquent speech as he
| presented him with the freedom CT the
city. trembled while the Mayor was talk
ing, for 1 knew the General had prepared
no response. / was anxious that he should
do well in making this his first utterance
in England, and l wondered what he would
say. He both surprised and delighted me.
He made a splendid speech in reply. saying
just the right thing In just the right words
1t was received with great applause. and
was favorably commented upon in all the
papers"
II suppose, Mrs. Grant," said I. ''that you
were often surprised in that way. General
Grant had. imagine, a. nature which was
| full Of surprises had ne not?''
Il don't know" replied Mrs Grant. that
was often surprised at what the General
did. You know / always considered that
| General Grant was very great man.
GRANT AND THE PRINCE OF WALES
"By the way. Mrs. Grant, there has been
| quite lot published concerning your re-