Evening star., 1896-01-11

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Portable brick house
M - Of perhaps fifteen
PH 1n rooms, located in one
@I III of the most fashion,
ES7 able parts of the
city. 1t was built by
Senator Edmunds 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 anx-
fous to be kept in the background. My
chat with her, however, was so interesting
and so full of matter which the American
people should know that I have asked her
to allow me TO publish it. 1t was merely
rambling conversation, and I give it very
much it occurred.
But first let me tell you how Mrs. Grant
looks now in her SEVENTEEN year. She is
one of 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, ard she has quite lot of it, Her
eyesight has never been very good, and it
has failed now so 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 Sne is a good talker. Her voice
is low and pleasant, and she grows viva
ciouS IS she reviews some of the wonderful
events of 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 good
memory, and she tells many interesting
stories concerning him. No married couple
ever lived closer to each other than did
the Gen. and Mrs. Grant. She was, per-
haps, his only real confdant. The two
were one in almost everything, and their
life was a most beautiful one. For several
Uao Mrs hoe, h1@,
writing a book of her "reminiscences. This
will cover more than fifty years, and it will
be full of unwritten history.
Mrs. Grant and Lii Hung Chang.
During my stay in North China about
year ago 1 bought at TieEtsn a negative
which was taken of Gen. Grant and Lii
Hung Chang during Gen. Grants stay in
Tientsin 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 Lii Hung Chang and Gen. Grant
became great friends during our stay in
China, and the two corresponded together
up to the time of the generals death. At
this tima Ii Hung Chang wrote me long
letter of coincidence, and at the time of
Lady Lis death wrote him. Some letters
passed between us during the late be-
tween China ard Japan. 1 lad expected
the Chinese would be victorious, and even
thought the Chinese, on account of their
enormous numbers. would finally over
whelm them. AT the time we were in China
tie relations of the two countries were
strained and Gen. Grant advised Ii that
war should be prevented if possible. /
wrote to Ii Hung Chang to express my re-
gret and sympathy when he was wounded
by the japanese fanatic. He replied to this
and sent me the terms of peace which he
bad proposed to the Japanese, and after
this a book giving the history of the peace
negotiations
Grants Reception in England.
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-
siaStic as she told how we'll he had ac-
quilted himself whenever called upon to re-
spond to some great speech the spur of
the moment. An instance of this kind oc-
Cured at Liverpool. Said Mrs. Grant:
when We landed the wharves We're COW
cred with people There must have been
fifty thousand faces upturned to look at 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 of the
city trembled while the mayor was talk
ing, for 1 knew the general had prepared
no response. 1 was anxious that he should
do we'll in making this his first utterance
in England, and i wondered what he would
say. He both surprised and delighted me-
He made a splendid speech in reply saving
Just the right things in just the right
words 1t was received with great ap-
plause, and was favorably commented
upon in all the papers,"
I suppose, Mrs. Grant" said I, "that you
We're often surprised in that way. Cen |
Grant had. 1 imagine, a nature which was
ruil OF surprises, had he not?'
L don't know replied Mrs. Grant, "that |
L was often surprised at what the general |
II oil
Gen. Grant was very great man.
Gen. Grant and the Prince of Wales.
BY the way, Mrs. Grant, there has been
quite a lot published concerning your re-
ception in England and your treatment by |
the nobility"
Yes" replied Mrs. Grant, there has, |
and the most of that published has been |
entirely untrue. 1 have written up the ex-
act story in my book, and it will be pub
lished some day. The truth is that our re-
eeption was most friendly in every respect |
and that by all classes. The Prince of |
Wales was especially cordial, and at the |
dinner at the Marlborough House, which |
mas been so much written about he went |
much out of his way to pay the highest |
honors to Gen. Grant. 1 remember upon
arriving, We had to pass through a wide |
corridor to get to the reception room, in |
which the guests were standing prepar- |
atory to going out to dinner. Half way |
down this corridor there was door with |
a green screen at the side of it, As the |
general and l walked down together the !
Prince of Wales came out and shook |
hands with Gen. Grant and myself He |
greeted the generally very cordially in |
deed, and told him that he was anxious !
that his sons should see him and know |
him. He then called the little fellows by |
name.
They were in the room out of which he
had just come They walked in, and the |
prince introduced them to the general The |
boys were, judge, ten or twelve years old |
The little fellows shook hands with General |
Grant, and then stepped off and looked him |
over from head to toe, as though they would
like to see just what kind of a looking man
he was We chatted moment longer and
then l asked the prince as to whether we |
were to move on to the drawing room. He |
replied Yes and we walked on into this |
room, where many of the other guests were |
assembled. Among those who were at the |
gunner 1 We're the Emperor and Empress of |