The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-25
FITz LEES HOME LIFE.
A Chat With the Generals Daughter,
Miss Helen.
From the New York Herald.

worship Hitn IN tNlSnHlOliu thSS iNO4i-N
him. And in one house in Richmond he is
admired, worshipped and idolized, all at
the same time. That house is Gen. Lee 5
| home. Mention the name of Fitzhugh Lee
TO any man in Richmond, don't care VINO
he is, and you viii readily understand that
/ have not exaggerated the esteem in
which he is held by his fellow Virginians.
was down there last week, and l know
what l am talking about. we of the North
can scarcely realize the depth of feeling
which the mere mention of his name calls
forth.
The old Virginian will at once prick up
his ears when you say "Fitz" Lee. why
what's the matter? Anything happened to
| him, suh?'
Not that 1 know of. Do you know
| him?
know him? Well, reckon. Didn't l
| vote fob him fob Governor of the State
and elect him, too? l shouldn't be sur
| prised, sub, to see him elected President
| of the United States befoh many years go
| by. He is a great man, sub, great man.
| The id Spaniards had bettah be care
| full that nothing happens to him down in
| Cuba. Why, do you know sub, that If any
| thing should happen to 'Fitz' Lee down
| there the State of Virginia would declare
| wah all by herself, suh and invade Cuba
full fond of 'Fitz' Lee"
While in Richmond 1 called at the rest
| dence and was given a delightful glimpse
of the home life of Gen. Lees family.
1 was ushered into the parlor and found
| it TO be a typical Lee room. On the wall
| hung a large painting of Gen. Robert
| E. Lee miniature of him was on the old
fashioned mantel. and the faces of other
| Lees were everywhere strewn about.
an oil
furniture was in white and gilt, covered
| with golden damask. Everything was in
| perfect taste.
l was received by the Generals eldest
| daughter Miss. Ellen Lee, dainty young
| woman, slight of form, with a wealth of
| auburn tresses, flashing eyes and the I'M
mistakable Lee chin, bespeaking courage
| and determination. 1 was naturally curious
to know how the members of the family
regard the Generals absence on mission
| of such grave import. l asked Miss Lee If
| she did not feel anxious, knowing the dan
| gers of her fathers position.
mot at ALL" replied the daughter of the
| house of Lee. II don't know why it is, but
we just don't Perhaps it is because he
| always writes to US jolly, cheerful letters
| None of us feel at all alarmed about him.
and we are looking forward to his safe re-
| turn. Here is an interesting picture he semi
| US"
Miss Lee took from the mantel a small
| photograph of the Maine entering the 'har-
Dor at Havana. "It was sent to all of us"
| she explained, but 1 have appropriated it
by writing my name on the back. You
| know | am very fond of photography. l
have camera myself and take almost
everything 1 see
do you get many letters in reference to
| your fathers mission?" l asked.
Eyes indeed, we get any number every
day. Some of them are most affecting in
appreciation of my fathers work but
| some of them are more than funny in their
warnings and misgivings. But we only
| laugh at these.
1--WE can't help feeling proud of appre-
citation of my fathers work as expressed
in some of the letters sent to us and in so
| many of the newspapers OF course we feel
doubly proud that, as Southern man who
| fought for the Confederacy my father
| has been able to show how truly patriotic
and devoted the Southerners now are to all
| of the United States. This thought has
come to us by word of mouth and in some
| stanch letters from persons whom We new
| er knew.
and some of the people I meet 90 make
| the strangest remarks. Only the other day
| some one said to me:-'Do you know, |
heard YOUR father was assasslnated the
| other day?' But 1 only laughed, for what
could l say?
ut will not be long now, we hope, before
he returns to us safe and sound, but mean
time we have MOI the slightest misgiyings
| as to his safety, and after all he is but do
ing his duty"
one would scarcely look for so heroic a
| shirt in the little woman sitting before
| me. But the fire in her eye and the enthu-
siasm of her voice betoken the daughter of
| a soldier. ready 10 see him do his duty at
any cost 1t is not remarkable that she
should idolize her father, and perhaps It is
no more remarkable that all who know
him love and honor him.
Later | ran across DR.. Jones, of the
Post1Dispatch asked him if he knew
cen Lee. Do know Ftp" he iterated
(evervbody in Richmond calls him "Fitz')
'.Vhv. I've known him all my life. had a
letter from him the other day. and he is
lust as jolly as ever. though no one knows
better than he the constant danger in
which he stands.
'Fitz' is a SPLENDID fellow, the most
genial soul alive and the bravest FIe
ought 10 be our Senator now. and would be
had the people of Virginia been able to de-
eide the matter, but you know he was
bcaten bv political tricks. Perhaps it is
better so for had he been in the Senate
he would not have been sent to Cuba and
gained so much honor for himself and Vir-
ginia."
This evidence of idolatry Is not confined
TO Richmond. 1t is apparent all over the
state of Virginia. An instance of this oc-
cured recently in a town in New Kent
county. about twenty miles from Rich
mond. The report reached there that
"Fitz" Lee had been assassinated in
Havana. Immediately every merchant
closed his store, Grape was tied TO the
bowed shutters of the houses. and the men
telephoned TO all the neighboring towns
for arms and ammunition.
II was hard az first to convince them
that the report was untrue, but when they
we're at last satisfied that "Fitz" was
alive and well rejoicing took the place Of
mourning. Can any one doubt after this
that hero as Lee seems to the rest of the
limited States, he is the idol Of Virginia?
Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite
who recently died. has been honored by a
G,,,4ffttI monument his memory a