Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-04-24

ftOpyfignteu ieti, py FRANK ". Shipchsoi'
Special Correspondence of the NEWS.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., April 22nd, 1897
EfHHH5fHt,5 SPENT an afternoon this
ifsfStsY1 week in chatting with John
Russell Young about his ex-
pefiences with General Grant
lHl1p5Jf$ Is and with some OF the other
I#112s NJ famous men whom he has
lH3fEyEhi 9,known. Mr.. Young is the
ltysSsSstl most eminent newspaper cor
IHlfSa1(IAa III respondent of the day. He is
Iftit4M& one OF our best writer's oil
aRsss:33 pure English, and he has ioT
IltflittT ItM,l wears been one of our chie'
HH q Sa-Imolders OF public opinion
o as For the past generation his
II'Tf 9 frelations with the leading
men of the time have been very close.
AS boy he knew President Lincoln
seward and Stanton. While he was
correspondent for the New York Herald
in London he saw much OF Gladstone
Salisbury and Beaconsiield, and also
came into contact with Prince Bismark,
Gambet,a and other famous men oil that
time, As our minister to China he
made a strong friend of Ii Hung
Chang, and when the great vceroy
made visit 10 this country last year he
came to Philadelphia and spent day
with Mr.. Young's family. 1t was during
his tour around the world with General
Grant that John Russell Young first met
Ii Hung Chang, and today there is no
man living outside OF General GRANTS
own family who has sustained such close
relations to our greatest military hero.
Mr.. Young is now fifty-six years OF age,
but his blue eyes are as bright as they
were when he began his newspaper
career as copy holder at the age oil
fifteen in the office OF the Philadelphia
Press, and his brain is as active as 1t was
when he rode out to the battlefelds TO
report the occurrences Of the late civil
war. Mr.. Young is delightful taiker'
His words flow as smoothly in his con-
versation as in his writing, and his talk
is full OF striking comparisons.
JOHN HAY IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
Our conversation opened with word
about John Hay, who has Just gone to
England to take Bayard's place as am
bassador to Great Britain. MIR. Young
said:
81 have known Colonel Hay since he
came to Washington, now about thirty
six years ago. had been sent here by
the Philadelphia Press. John w. For
rey was then the editor. He was also
secretary Of the Senate, and was here
as his assistant to write for the paper
and to do whatever he asked me TO do.
One OF my duties was TO carry the
papers from the Senate to the White
House. John Hay had been brought to
Washington by President Lincoln ON &C
count Of his friendship Tor Hays father.
Mr.. Lincoln wanted to give John the
EDUCATIONAL advantages Of the position,
ana he had him made one OF his private
secretaries. | remember well how
Colonel Hay looked i'll the early sixties.
He had cheeks as rosy as those oil an
Irish milkmaid, and he was rather
eirlish-lookipg fellow. President Lin.
coin, who was quick to discover what
there was in men, had seen that Hay
had considerable literary ability, and he
gave him the answering OF such letters
and notes as needed especially good
wording. He would tell Hay what TO
saw, and would generally sign the let.
tiers without changing them, Even in
those days John Hay was fond of writ.
ing poetry. He often showed me verses
which he had written, and now and then
he would read them over to me-"
A MIDNIGHT CHAT WITH LINCOLN.
GLOW did President Lincoln impress
YOU, MIR. Youngf" asked.
ale did not seem as great man to
me then as he does now. The canonizl-
lion of Lincoln did not begin until some
lime after his death. He had some little
idiosyncrasies of pronunciation and
action which hid to certain extent his
real greatness. His wonderful modtsly
and simplicity was partially the cause of
his non.appreciaiion He was perfectly
simple in all of his ways. / can give
YOU an incident which illustrates what
mean, Colonel Forney owned in add
lion to the Philadelphia Press the
WASHINGTON Chronicle, and was some.
times left in charge. One night when
this was the case we received Rich.
mond paper, which in some way had
been smuggled through the lines, which
contained a dispatch stating that
Charleston had been taken. 1t was very
difficult to get such papers, and they
often gave us important advance news.
This paper came in about O'Clock in
the morning. As read It it seemed TO
me that the President ought to know Of
the capture OF Charleston. was only
boy, but decided 10 go to the White
House and tell him. SO | look the
foreman OF the office aud together we
walked to the White Hou c. We rang
the bell, and after a time messenger
opened it. He tod us 10 response to
my request to see Mr.. Lincoln that he
had long since gone to bed and was now
asleep.
But" said /, we have important
news for him. have received infoTma-
ton which he should have, and am
sure he ought to be walked up to hear
it After while the messenger said he
would go to the Presidents bed room
and awaken him He went. A few
r,