Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-04-04
ASTORY OF W l'i': E B
ONE ccAsfoN WHEN DANIEL WAS
DEEPLY INUNDATED.

An Incident which Shocked and SUR
3 Drfsed Him Into Tears - The. Admit
ration, the Loyalty and the Gener-
as osity OF His Circle Of Friends.
The following incident In the life Of
Daniel Webster was related to the
writer by the late Joshua Seward: !.
Mr.. Seward came to Woburn from
Boston in the early seventies and
bought a farm, where he lived until
his death in 1855. He was native of
the New Hampshire Peace City, z from
which place he came to Boston in early
manhood and later engaged In the Iv-
cry businessSo of School street, He was
q genial, social, active young man, and
In q short time many Of the business
and professional men Of the city were
his friends and patrons. Daniel Web
ster,, then In the fullness of his mas
terly manhood, was his particular
friend and most favored patron One
year Webster early engaged to deliver
the Fourth Of July Grafton in the city. a
"A public procession was then an inn
portant feature Of the celebration, and
the orator Of the day was the chief 4
person OF distinction in the parade. In
those days there were no four wheeled
vehicles for convenience or for pleas
ure. A chaise was the proper carriage
for gentlemen to use. Webster was
popular and proud as popular. He saw
no chaise In the city as good as he de-
sired to appear In on that important
occasion, and therefore he ordered one
TO be built by the principal carriage
maker Of the city Sargent, think it
was), to be ready for use on that day.
In the morning Of the Fourth he APP
peared at Stewards stable Office and 4
requested Seward to 60 to the carriage
shop and get the chaise he had ordered.
Seward harnessed horse and went to
the carriage shop as directed and told
the proprietor he had come for Mr..
Webster,s chaise. The proprietor III
Arm and measured tones that could
not be misunderstood asked, "Did Mr.
Webster send the money to pay for the
;chaise u s8
b In relating this to me Seward said:
II was never SO astonished in my life!
Il should have been less surprised II he
had raised his fist and knocked me
down. i had no thought that there was
q man living who had ever heard of
the great Webster, the godlike Daniel,
who would or who could have denied
him any request 1t was possible to
grant. could only say, He sent no
money by me- Then said the pro,
prietor, tell him he can have the chaise
when he sends the money to pay for it
and not till then Seward said he 1
was never ia such a dilemma IN all his
life. He could not go back and tell that
great man, whom he adored, that he
could not have the chaise till he paid
for 1t. And vet he must 60 back and
tell him something But what could he !
tell him Finally, after much thought
and study 1t occurred to him that he
had d new chaise which he would offer
to Webster and tell him that the var
nish on the one he had ordered was not
yet hard and that 1t would be liable to I
injure il taken out In the heat and dust
OF that public day Webster met Sew
ard dit the door when he returned, and
before Webster could ask q question
Seward was telling him the story he !
had invented on the way horne. NVab-
ster made 40 reply, but accepted Sew
ard III statement as true and rode in his
chaise that day
About week later Webster came
again and said to Seward, "I think the
yarnish on Tint chaise - hard now.
and you may gp down and get IT 'g
Seward said: With d heavy heart
hnrnessed d horse and went again to-
tie shop. / knew should not get the
ehaise. and was not disapp ointed. III