Evening journal., 1910-02-22

! -
quaintance with many of the country S
/ leaders since the Civil War. Each an-
ecdote or incident is fresh from Mr.. Ed
ward notebook, and, either in whole OF
/ In part Il constitutes NEW NEWS OF
yesterday, garnered from the men
VINO made the news-the history-or from
4 equally authoritative sources. As Inn
portant contributions of the Human IN
/ terest' sort to American history, these
own.
In the seventies Learned Hibbard.
for many years judge probate. was
one of the leading men-probably the
leading man OF the little Connecticut
town Of Lebanon, which has given the
Nutmeg state five governors and was
the birthplace of the parents of a noted
New York governor, Samuel J. Til
den.
The first Of the gubernatorial quin-
tette was that sterling Revolutionary
War character who has come to be
known to us as Brother Jonathan"
! Trumbull. Jonathan Trumbull. his son,
was the second governor and Joseph
Trumbull a grandson, was the third.
II was of the estate OF this grandson
that Judge Hibbard was executor, and
because of this fact I am able 10 tell
today this little story from George
Washington's own day.
"Yonder, across the common which
fronts my house. said Judge Hibbard
to me one day year or two before
his death, lis the little war Office which
served the first Governor Trumbull as
his official headquarters during the
Revolution ! suppose that in no
other building. excepting. OF course,
those in which he made his head
quarters on his campaigns, was Gen
eral George Washington more frequent
ly entertained or more cordially re-
ceived during the Revolution. That l
learned TO be the fact while l was ad-
ministering the estate of the original
Governor Trumbulls grandson who
also was governor. Indeed, as admin
istrator. l learned much of the inner
life of the Trumbull family and re-
ceived a great deal of valuable in
formation respecting some of Wash
ington's visits to the official home of
Brother Jonathan
But TO my mind the most interest
| ing thing l unearthed in that connec-
| tion is centered about this chair, the
simplest one that was in the Trum-
bull home when I was put in charge
of the estate;" and Judge Hibbard in
dicated a very plain chair of colonial
pattern placed close at hand.
THAT chair is from tho room in
which Brother Jonathan was accus-
toned TO receive his good friend Cen
eral George Washington, and in il
Washington almost invariably sat when
talking over matters with the COVER
nor. There John Trumbull. son Of the
governor. and at the beginning of the
Revolution an aide camp on Wash
ington's staff, used occasionally to sec
Washington. There he unconsciously
studied Washington in his various
poses; he associated the Father of
His Country with that simple bit OF
furniture; and when. years later Johr
Trumbull noted American painter. de-
cided to execute a portrait Of Wash.
ington, the picture painted years be.
fore in his memory OF Washington
sitting IN that chair in his father.
war office. materially enabled the sol
TO give TO the world the first of tn,
famous portraits Of George Washing.
ton, and to this day one of the best
For, you know, John Trumbull, Will,
the Revolution was still being fought
went abroad to study art became 6
pupil under Benjamin West. and re-
turned to his native land the first ant
still one of the greatest of American
historical painters"
Judge Hibbard was fondling the chair
u did not have TO buy IT," he said
though 1 confess that when 1 knew
for a surety its history I was mos
covetous of It. 1t was presented to m,
in part payment of my services a,
administrator, and TO me It would hav,
been ample payment for all that did
It is my proudest possession-my mos
valued treasure-for around II cluster
associations of the Father Of His Coun.
try the man from whom the countr,
got its first popular nickname, and tn,
man who bec- me the country's fathe
of historical painting"
Copyright, 1910, by Il. J. Edwards
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell o
"Rosooe conklins and the First Nesr
Senator"