The Washington herald., 1913-05-25

sI,vepIpe as Grants should be allowed
to smoke
J. L. Ringwalt. to whose Anecdotes
of Gen. Grant" the writer Is much in
debted, says that he was never wounded.
though he constantly and even reckless
ly exposcd himself. He was not merely
brave. but insensible to danger. OF his
warehouse Cincinnatus he was devoted
ly fond. On one occasion. while riding
through a piece OF woods In Virginia
during q, brisk engagement, he and Col.
Dent were obliged to cross a brook at a
place where the fire OF the enemy was
concentrated and inurderous piece of
telegraph wire had got twisted around
the on hind foot OF Cincinnatus. and
Grant dismounted and UNFINISHED it, ex-
amining the leg in leisurely and de-
iiberate manner. notwithstanding the
protests OF his companion. Then. having
mounted again, ne said: Dent, when
you have got Q horse you think a good
deal of. you should never take any
chances with him. II that wire had been
left there little longer. the animal
would have gone dead lame. and he
might perhaps have been ruined for life"
To which Dent replied: II am your
brother-in-law. and want no favors on
that account. but / shall insist upon
looking after your personal safety. and
II you are hurt, i will try to do better
by you than you did by me in Mexico" -
This was an allusion to happening
during the Mexican war; when Dent. hav-
ing been wounded. was picked up by
Grant and laid for safety upon a fiat
topped wall. the idea being that Grant
should come back for him later. Enfor-
tunately, Dent rolled of the wall and
broke two or three ribs, being much
worse hurt thereby than by the shot that
had hit him. 1
Helps Negroes at Work.
During the siege of. Richmond. it is
related. Grant was making an inspection
OF the docks at City Point. and stopped
to look at a couple of negroes who were
trying to roll a barrel OF bacon aboard
boat They were unable to move II. and
young lieutenant. standing by. said:
Push harder, you niggers, or go get
another man to help you"
The commander-in-chief Of the armies
OF the United States thereupon rolled up
his sleeves and helped roll the barrel
aboard the boat. wiped his hands on his
handkerchief, and walked away. It was
not until later that the lieutenant. to his
great modification. learned who the man
was
A New York editor once called upon
Mrs. Grant and asked her IL she thought
that her husband would succeed in cap
turing Richmond.
Well" she answered. rehectively, II
don't know. think he may. Mr. Grant
always was a very obstinate man"
Abraham Lincoln once remarked:
Grant Is the first general I've had I'll
tell you what I mean. You know how
it's been with all the rest. As soon as
put a man in command Of the army he ID
came to me with the plan of a campaign,
and about as much as say. I don't be-
heve / can do IL. but IL you say So I'll
try II on'-and so put the responsibility
OF failure or success upon me. They all
wanted me to be the general Now, II
isn't so with Grant He hasn't told me
what his plans are. don't know. and /
don't want to know. am glad TO find
man who can go ahead without me-"
Senator's son in one of the depart
ments In Washington drank hard and
was discharged. His friends gave him |
up as hopeless, and he came pretty near
to the gutter. Then he reformed, and
struggled hard for years to support his J
family. President Grant heard about
the case. and sent for him. He said: II
want TO help you. What can l do for
your"
Il want work" replied the young man.
You shall have it. Where would YOU
prefer to go-in new scenes or old?"
Send me. sir. where left a black
ened record I could be useful in my
former position"
Grant gave him a note to the Secre-
tary of the department. asking that the
young man be reinstated. But soon he
came back. saying, THE Secretary sent
out word that MY application would go
on file" whereupon the President, with
some show of anger. remarked: You
can't put your wife and children on file.
can your and gave him another note.
saying, Present this in person. and
returned, was No vacancies" Grant
wrote In red ink across the face OF the
note, Make s~vacancy, or I will" But,
strange to say. even this did not ac-
complish any result
No further notes were exchanged, but
on the next day. after the Cabinet meet
ing. the President tapped the Secretary
on the shoulder. and said to him:
Whom would you recommend as your
successor"
The Secretary. having no alternative,
wrote his resignation. As for the young
man. ii Is related that he made good"
and rose to a position of honor and dig
nifty in the world
Was Rigid DiscipIinarian.
Grant was always a rigid disciplinarian. |
On one occasion, while he was Presi
dent. a Comptroller of the Treasury "a
small autocrat in his way) refused to
comply with an order in regard to the
auditing of somebody's expense account |
He said that under the law the President
had no power to compel him to do what |