The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-26
FOURTH SECTION.
GpN, GRANTS LAST SERVANT.
rrEyTFIL CAREER or HARRI-
CIV TERRELL, EX-SLAVE.

last words We're spoken Now . Mes.
.enser In the war Department-Lette
That wen Him an lmce In.
SANITY From President Cleveland.
WASHINGTON. April 25.-There has been
one conspicuous exception to the oft
ouo,ed and thr, ad-bare proverb that no
r.rsonage, however succ ssful, or dis
,insuish, d. is ever hero In the eyes Of his
yaIci In the estimation Of Harrison Ter
ru. Gen. Grant was always everything the
world a. large held him to be.
Harrison Terrell g. III living, Is the colored
nan who s.rv'd Gen. Grant as steward,
valet and finally. In his last lin, S. as nurse
for upward of five years To this ever
n adv ard tender servitor were directed
tb las articula'c words uttered by Gen.
Crani-.Give me ioe water. Harrison
For months Gen. Grant leaned on Har-
rison. particularly in the later period at
Mount McGr g,r when the agony he suf-
fer,d h came almost unbe arabic. There
Is no doubt that Gen. Grant was a martyr
TO gr at rain for considerable periods in
the last few Ks OF his ilnt A. In tho Sc
raroxysrs Harrison was his cons. ant at
tetdant and mains az.
liz
Grants la err carer in New York 1t so hap
pn,d that the relations OF master and
srvant assume the form Of a sort of
The slrI'ry s.,Ts Of his own home, long
Prior 10 his fLal illn' 81. G,n. Grant was
sew rely injur, d In the hip. For sew, raj
months he was compete to use crutches.
Wills tins partially disabled 1t was
Harrison Terrell's part to accompany the
General everywhere. his business affairs
as we'll 8 social duties compelling him to
60 more out than he liked. Indoors he
hobbled about a good deal. leaning on his
servant's shoulder.
Thus Harrison came to be intimately
familiar with the peculiar character Of a
really great and famous man, and naturally
Is very proud Of the fact. With the GER
wants penetrating observation he could
not fail to sirgle out the few weel posses
Il an individual so transparent and guile
less as Gen. Grant was to those he fully
trusted. But Harrison. who knew good
society behind the scenes In the great places
" tis c)ultry, saw other things. They
dwarfed everything else out OF sight.
Familiarity begat no contempt here.
Gen Grants commanding Qualities of
heart and mind-his loyal it'll in friends.
unpretentious manner, generosity. ara,
above all. his accomplishing fortitude and
courage-made the same powerful i'm
preston upon the valet they had upon
the world at arge.
Gen. Grants trust and confidence In his
servant WIS shown on the verge Of the
grave Only , month prior to his death
knowing that the end could not then be
far OF. Gen. Grant. Of his own volition.
psaned .ehs following letter: s..
NV YoRr CITY. June .. 1855.
~h.t X. ncSr ftre ' nay 4 Ssps to psrs1s
p my Scnditi,n Of health ms Is ar a e
9 f dsIe esps vii tnapc e T. s end rn
is also to IT t. further that for abo' : four
bySi.r nam IN wien S ean%ty yoa served
ouire. the cor,tant attentions Of a nurse.
s"%t 'r reason to be .stI.ed with your sttsn-
ten. Integrity and eficiency.. hope you
may never want for place + Hossr = dinAxr
This remarkable letter alone. II there vas
nothing clse, entities Horizon Terell's
story to attention. His career has been
striking, u not dramatic. IL We consider
his station In lie
He was born a slave on the place Of Buck
ner Terrell. In Orange county. Va. In is4o.
tire very dav on which Gen. Harrison was
elected President. From this circum stance
he was named william Henry Harrison
Terrell, taking his masters family name
rs was the custom In the old slavery times.
He was the child OF mulatto parents.
plantation house servants OF considerable
intelligence for country slaves. Harrison
himself is az light skinned as many white
people. He became BuckLe.Te rell's boy
or pero1al servant. when he was q mere
pickaninny.
The masters back was broken by q fall
from a log cabin he was building when
Harrison was about 10 years old. Tie
injured man lived for five weeks after the
accident, and during this interval the little
slave lads attentions were 10 kind and
well directed that Buckner Terrell. the
day before his death, signed Harrison's
certificate OF freedom. This was In 1850.
Two years afterward, at tie age OF IL.
Harrison went down to Richmond to try
his fortunes. He quickly found employ
ment in the Exchange and Ballard Hotel.
to this Gay an old Richmond landmark.
Amcrg Lis Tstrons Of that early day
we're trio Of young, well-to-do Virginians
OF good family. They frequented the race
Courses. played poker. bucked the tiger.
forrlt lrllcogs ana game chickens. and
carried with them a faro layout and rou-
lstte fixtures In short, Under the guise
O. gentlemen. they were just professional
garhlers.
After he had haunted Richmond about
two years these gamblers engaged him TO
accompany them In a tour OF the southern
sporting centres. In the courss OF the
next six or seven years. az the servant o,
these gentlemen gamblers, Harrison Terrell
visited every prominent city OF the Sowh
over and over again. In this pfriod he
saw life In all its kaie doscopic changes,
and mostly on it's worst side. HIS EN-
ployers in their way were thoroughoreds,
who fought ct the drop OF the hat. AND
they prospered until the C.vh war broke
out.
When ts crisis OF Secession came the
party hay D ned to be In Mobile horse racing
and fighting chickens and dogs IN tine Day
time, and gambling at cards at night. Ihey
sold their racing stos X, gave away tneir
faro layouts, smashed their roulette table,,
threw I'D their cards and started JACK
home to Virginia. ,.,..
Here they enlisted as private so1dien
in the same command, the Richmond biues'
Harrison willingly volunteered TO accom-
pany his cid patr-:is TO the front as their
servant.