The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-19


history that mt this distance it can be
recalled without passion OF prejudice.
Always one OF the deep mysteries, II
has remaiDed until this day For on the
one hand Was the great soldier. thc tacI-
turn man Of actiou-(irant--and on the
other the one who paid the heaviest
penalty that can be paid while life re,
mains--thc loss of fortune, name and
liberty. Ferdinand Ward paid 1his pen
alty--took his punishment when rhc
clamor came. served his time and held
his tongue.
Thousands there were and arc still IN
America who would not mind IT at all
If pet theory were upheld III tho story
OF the tragcdy-this being that The
great soldier, too, had his weaknesses
and that the other mau took upon hnl-
self the sins OF his friend, In fact for
years Ferdinand Ward has been invited
aud urged 10 air his grievances. BY
him the urging was understood. Men
were willing to. have him tell n tale
that would not bo 10 the honor and
glory Of the man who sleeps on tho
city hill-that would at least shift part
of the blame.
But Ferdinand Ward understood. lie
fought his bitter battle alonc. He had
no mind to listen 10 the calls of the
makers of books. He kept his secrets
and his counsel, until now, when he
has decided to tell his story through
tho Now York Sunday Herald and The
Salt Lake Tribune.
AZ the outset Ferdinand Ward makes
il clear that he bears no grudge against
ULYSSES :. Grant. He would bear none
If lc could Grant was Ward 5 friend
always. aud at this time. in the first
telling OF his story. Ward viii explain
why this was So Also it will be made
clear why Grant was induced TO en-
Ter into n business arrangement for
which. il IS admitted. he had no tram
ing. and i'm which. il is conceded, he
acver could be the active participant he
desired 10 become.
Grant was n soldicr-a fighter.
Ward was Il finamcier. The ono could
map out u Nicksburg campaign. the
other Il financial struggle. Neither
could change places with The other.
And so. by n strange fate, these two
became tho Ill mated associates IN Il
disastrous enterprise, but always stead
fast friends. That is why in The telling
Of tho tale of Grant & Ward the sur
vivor Of the firm cannot, even in re-
Prospect utter one word that Is not IN
praise of The man who "camc from Ap-
pomattox and its famous apple tree
Ferdinand Ward Is Il mau of rare in
tclliSence and keen sense of humor.
To HIM life has been series of well
and i'll TO an extent rarely experienced.
lie has known what IL is TO hear n ma
ton clamor for his head. and he has
emerged at this day into the light
which comes to him who pays the pen
atty and survives.
Mr.. Ward. in writing for our paper
his story of Grant & Ward, is rcu
dering service BIZ owes TO the world. |
lie alone knows the innermost secrets
OF the great collapse, aud. while he Will
hew to the line IN performing hiS serv~
zee, be rests secure in the full knowl- |
edge that in telling the tale himself the
memory Of the great soldier cannot be
Copyright. 1909, by the New York Herald
Co. All rights reserrcd.)
In writing these "reminiscences of
Gen. Ulysses S. Grant | am moved
by no other consideration than tho de
sire TO contribute to the life story of
a great man who was my friend and
business associate.
That my contribution is new and
unique there can he no doubt when il
is remembered that for four years Gen,
Grant was associated with me as a
partner in the firm of Grant & Ward
After the failure Of that firm in 1854
was sentenced TO Il term of ten
wears in the New York state prison AT
Sing Sing. j served that term less
three aud onehalf years for good he
havior. 1t was during my leisure time
IN prison that ] collected my impress
sions of the general and rounded out
10 the best of my recollection the story
IF our four years. friendship
l LETT prison nineteen years ago, and
vet for one reason or another ] never
felt | cared 10 have this story pub
lished. II was not that ] would have
been pnt to the trouble of seeking an
opportunity. Immediately after my re-
lease from Sing Sing 7 was importuncd
by more than one publisher 10 add my
share 10 the contemporaneous history
Of Gen. Grant. The requests were
made on the ground that anything /
mi ghi write about him would be in
fnitely more interesting than similar
accounts bv other equally close friends,
in the light Of my prison experience.
| never hesitatcd about such re-
quests, even though some of the Gnan
cial bats were tempting to me at
that particular time: saw the animus
which Law beneath them all. 1t was be-
Ueved / might reveal something which
would show Gen. Grants connection
with the failure of our firm.
would not have done that if !
could could not if | would.
Gen. Grant was always so much
would have been impossible for him
had he been so minded TO hasten much
by any overt act the fall Of our house
But those who sought TO have ME
write about the affairs Of the firm of
Grant * Ward evidently figured that
whatever may have been the merit Of
rhc Judgment upon me ] must resent
the odium which was beaped upon me
in addition.
Blamed for the Crash.
At the time of my trial and cons-ic
tIon / was perhaps the best hated ninn
IN the United States. | was held re-
sponsible for what was believed To be
the financial ruin OF Gen. Grant ]
was set down as the sole cause of
his troubles of that period. While this
series OF "reminiscences is in no sense
an apology or Il defense or j personal
story, yet if in the course OF it there
he developed by facts that cannot be
denied AN incidental nlibi, on this
score at least | shall not bc sorry.
There was one glittering exception 10
the throng which held me in contempt
because OF the trouble they believed ]
had caused them. That man was Cen