The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-04-24
~TUST A CHAT ~

Richmond, Va, April 23.-(Staff Cor
respondence)-H to be in Rich
mond this day or so, one cannot help but
hear good-humored catter about war in
general. and about Fitzhugh Lee in par
ticular. General Lee and his family are
| in town. living on Park avenue, at the
extreme fashionable end of Franklin
| street. and The Cisneros' is domciled
with him. Although he belongs. these
| folks think, peculiarly to Richmond, turn
| inc over the leaves of the guest book at
the Commonwealth Club. noticed that
| he was entered ''Fitzhugh Lee, United
States OF America" In other words, the
Nirginians seem to feel that they have
in cordial touch with them nothing less
than national event in the presence
among them of the late Cuban Consul
General. Not in any sense detrimental,
but III a sense entirely illustrative of his
simplicity and general horSesense, it
comes to me to mention that this idol of
the hour. this Afternoon drove along the
boulevard i'll one Of the most ordinary
looking old hacks" | will not call it
carriage, that the town can well turn out.
Yet his hat went off in Il lovely way to
the people bowling to him here and there.
so as to compensate with grace of bear
ing somewhat for the lack of swedish
| ness of his four-wheeled and eight
legged outfit.
H..
eral Lee said that he did not believe the
war would last over a week: that the
Spanish would no doubt have little
brush' of it. and that then they would
20 back, saying they were outclassed;
but not outdone in 'honah." Moreover.
in this conversation. the General said
that he did not believe the Spanish fleet
would come west of the Cape de Verde
Islands. as Spain would not thus deSper-
ately risk the very existence of her navy.
IIe was up to his usual standard Of jolli-
ness. saying that he did not see why he
should not have a fair show at the scrap
with chance to lead the boys into bat
tie. have heard it asked i'm gossps
about Lee, how he came out of this thing
financially. The Consulate of Cuba in
the days of Ramon Williams. had been
put down in some extreme statements
as high as $4,000 Il year. Conservative
estimates had put the salary and fees
down as perhaps between $40, 900 and
$4,000. But General Lee seems TO have
received less. In n clearinghouse here
yesterday or day before, he took out of
his pocket in gold pieces. a sum amount
ing TO about $500. That" he said rep
resents about a months salary" So
that it would seem he has received about
$4,000 year.
Speaking about compensationS. Gener-
al Bradley +. Johnson happened to be
coming along about the same time, he
who went 10 Cuba for the New York
Journal. North Carolinians know him
as well by his war record as by the fact
that his wife is a daughter of the late
Col. Saunders. once Minister to Spain.
The Journal tried hard to get General
johnson to go to Cuba the second time,
offering him as much as $4,000. SO
pleased was that paper with his first
work. But the General, under domestic
pressure, the details Of which it, perhaps,
were not to be delicate to write here. de-
cided to decline He. however, got for
the work he did there remuneration
from the Journal. as he himself stated,
of 500 a day. This amounts to about
seven cents minute. which would be
in the nature of hot stuff for the aver
age North Carolina newspaper men.
1t cannot be said that the Virginians
enthuse much over this war. Their feel
ings may be. at least, illustrated by the
reply Of the Manchester Gray's, when
polled on the subject Il few days ago.
The reply came from the company that
it had been discovered that one of the
warriors was willing to go as far as Old
Point. and that this was all at the mo-
ment that they felt justified in doing. !
replied TO n person who happened to be
talking about it that the Tarheels seem
ed 10 me to be more serious-minded about
the affront involved in the Maine ex-
plosion . But the other fact stands all
the same that Virginia does not enthuse
An incident of the war-breeze of the
last few days was the visit here yester-
day of young Sartoris. the grandson of
the late General Grant He is lad Of
say twenty, of blonde, English coorng,
light hair, not quite six feet. a rather
strong blonde moustache, frank and sim
pie manner, robust physique and CHEEKY
informal way ut the home where ! was
with n college-mate from the South. He
had come down from Washington to
spend two days in order to see General
Lee. touching his position on the Gen
erals staff. He was free to say that he
thought this trouble would do much to
bring the sections together, and that
this phase of it entered largely into his
desire to get on General Lees staff. He
returned last night to Washington with
| his chum. y person present remarked
| ON the difference Of appearance of his
grand father when he was passing
| through the environments of Petersburg
as soldier. and when he was sweeping
down the drive at Long Branch in after
| years with IA four-in-hand. Yes" re-
| piled the young man, but my grand
| father preferred plain buggy to four
| in-hand The fOur-in-hand might have
| pleased my grandmother better.
| Young Sartoris was well received here,
and his transformations and frank man
/ fox hn