Evening star., 1897-04-03

* Y came during the last
NW few months of his
~ life, when bankrupt
ed and made penniless by the villain Ward,
when racked with pain and enfeebled by
disease, he shook his fist in the face of
death and wrote the book which made his
widow and his family wealthy. No other
good book has ever been written under
such circumstances. Few books have ever
been written which read so we'll The Ian
guage is as simple that of Pilgrims
Progress or Robinson Crusoe and the
story is of thrilling interest from begin
ming to end. To read it you would not
think that much Of 1t was dictated in a
voice not above a whisper. and that the
thought came forth from a brain sur
rounded by nerves which were ever twitch-
ing with aSonized pain. Few books have
had so great a sale as that Of Grants
sold, and Mrs. Grant not long ago told me
that her royalties upon it have amounted
to more than half a million dollars. The
book sells well today, and it will be a
standard book for all time to come.
The Man Grant Most Trusted.
Much of the real story of this great
work l am able to tell you today 1 give
II in the words of the man who of all
others outside of his own family In those
last days General Grant most trusted.
HIS name is N E. Dawson, and he is now
the conhdentfal secretary of General Mel
son A. Miles. He has had the confidence
OF many great men, and TODAY he has the
secret history of a score of famous states
mems lives stored away In his shorthand
notes given to him by the men themselves
with the understanding that the matter is
not TO be published until after their deaths
General Grant" said he never trusted
men by halves. When l first met him ali
ilau with which to win his confidence
were my recon mendations. ] was emnloy-
ed IN the war Department, and was asked
oy MIN to come to New York and 20 with
nm when he made his trip to Mexico. /
was d comparative stranger, but he trust
ed me implicitly. He made me the cashier
OF the party at the start, and put 500 900
INTO my hands to pay the running expenses
OF the trip l have never seen man who
trusted those he liked much. He never
ioI d moment thought his friends vo,,Id
hot ne faithful to him, and if | had writ
zen note Tor S10.W0 and presented If 10
MN In the shape of a letter I have No
nouoI o ne would have signed it. He had
never had a stenographer with him on a
trto before, and he said to me at the time
.nat ne would not object to debating his
"reminiscences to me- ~
How did the general con,e 70 u--i,o h;
book?' / asked ~ "i1'e MS
don think he had aEy idea of it," re-
pned Mr. Dawson, until after the failure
OF Grant and Ward. This left him pennt-
~SS >NiAN nc pctdiHe very anxious to make
money. The Century people, you know,
Degan the work of getting him to write
Ihey asked him to write articles for the
magazine. But General Grant was not at
all sure that he could write He feared
TO attempt it. At last he consented TO
write four articles for them 1 think he
was to get $500 apiece for them They
TOOK so well that 1t became more easy
to persuade him to write his book The
century Company made him the first propo-
sition. but Mark Twain, who had known
Grant. having met him at dinners and
elsewhere, made better offer and got IT,"
An Awkward Predicament.
Was General Grant really pennless at
the time of his falure?"
Yes" replied Mr.. Dawson He lost
everything that he had. Everything he
owned in the world had been invested or
deposited with Grant and Ward"
How about that money that he got from
Vanderbilt"
He got nothing from Vanderbilt after
the failure. He borrowed $15OOOO of him
the day before he failed, but every cent
of this went to Ward and was swallowed
up l understand that all he had left al
the time was about $50 in his pocket and
sl:" In cash belonging to Mrs. Grant. His
friends at once offered him their help but
it was some time before he accepted any
thing, and what he did take came from a
comparative stranger"
How was that?"
1.-The offers of assistance came from, all
parts of the country" replied Mr.. Dawson.
Many poor men wrote that they could
loan him money and among others he got
one very touching letter from Lansing
burg, N. Y This came about four days
after the failure of Grant and Ward. 1t
was from a man whom General Grant had
never seen. He wrote the general that he
had made some money out of his business
and that he had saved few thousand
dollars. This he said he would like to lend
to the general in his extremity. He in
closed a check for $500, making 1t payable
on account of his share due Grant for
services ending in April, 1865. In his letter
he told the general he could draw upon
him for more until his surplus was used up
and that he could pay him when he got
ready. He told the general he would lend
him $1,000 at once for his note at twelve
months without interest with the option
Of renewing at the same rate. This af-
cepted the check and used 1t. After the
government gave him his pension he paid
the money back as soon as he could.
Grant Never Forgot a Favor.
Gen. Grant never forgot a favor" Mr..
Dawson went on. land he remembered this
man to the day of his death. 1 was pres
ent when he met him some time after this.
1t was during the last days OF Grants ILL
ness. There were many famous men wait
ing at the hotel there to see Grant, but
they had been turned away again and
again because he was not we'll When this
mans card came in Grant ordered that he
be admitted at once. He received him kind
ly and thanked him in person"
But did not some of Grants rich friends
offer him money at that time. Mr.. Daw-
SOM" I asked.
II don't know that there were many per-
sonal offers of assistance" replied Mr..
Dawson. His richest friends were full of
suggestions and plans for raising large
sums. but I don't know that they made
offers to relieve his immediate necessities
Still there were many kind things done and
many offers made which were not accepted
l remember one case was that of Senor
Romero, the present minister from Mexico
AS soon as he heard Of the failure he came
to New York and called upon Gen. Grant.
After he left check for 81 900, payable to
Grant, was found the table where he
was sitting. Mr.. Romero had offered to
loan him money. but Grant refusing to ac-
oept. he left the check. 1 believe the gen
eral returned It,"
when did Grant first realize that he was
going to die, Mr. Dawson"
''It was before ] went TO write for him.
After we came back from Mexico I had
position as stenographer at the Capitol.
though told him tina. whenever he really
needed me that would come back to him
He had already beesn his book before I
came. and had written tbe first half of the
6rst volume. He penned this with his own
hand. and before he realized that death