Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1914-05-27

SsSf about as the great emancpator,
& but IN the American Walhalla q niche near TO
4; his proclaims the fame Of the warrior to whom
Lee Ssurrend ered 5S5 5s$4 # $Tz G% s.rst #T
S3 Rarely does 1t happen that a man who earns
recognition as total failure Id life afterward
achieves exalted success, This was exactly what
happened, however to Ulysses s. Grant, who not
81 only struggled through many years OF grinding
and almost hopeless poverty but actually fell into
such $disesteem On account of his inability to
make good at anything. that people generally
we're disposed to look upon him an undesirable
n person to employ M 3'3tS is= &Sa
There are people still living in st. Louis who
ID remem Der Grant as a shabby little man who
ii brought loads OF cordwood into town and sold 1t
from door to door. He had been a captain in the
army, but had resigned, and at the period In
question he lived on farm some distance out Of
ST. Louis, on the .Grayois road. st5 JSE5E
But, In order to make 1t clear how this state OF
/ affairs came about one must 60 back few steps
lin fact to the boyhood Of Grant, who was born
/: at Point Pleasant Ohio April ~, 1922. His name
& was Ulysses Hiram. His mothed used jokingly
& to say to him: BE sure you don't become use-
less! Not much is known about, his early youth
y except that at eight years Of age he could ride
4 horseback standing on one foot He had remark
able skill with horses and story is told OF his
Volunteering to Desirable, at q circus an unman-
ageable pony which nobody else dared tackle. $$At
the bidding OF the ringmaster q large monkey
Jumped up behind him qn the horse, and thence
upon his shoulders, holding on Ito his hair, but
he hung on like grim death, unperturbed. ~
Another anecdote has to- do with horse which
his father sent him to buy. How much did your
father tell you to pay for 1T q asked the owner
Of the animal. II 8 told me replied the boy, TO
offer YOU $50 Sand II you would not take that to-
make II $55 or even Is 50, II NECESSARY: z35
Naturally, the said that the price iof the
morse was 500 Whereupon the lad added: \ But
II have made Up my mind not to pay you more
than $50. and you can take that Eor nothing. ;s
He.got the horse for 40:
Il SO happened that General Eamer, the mem
4; Der Of congress from that district, was friend
4 Of Grants father, and he took the trouble to-
obtain for Ulysses an appointment at West Point
In sending In the requisite papers, he mixed up
the name Sof Ulysses with that of his brother
y Simpson, so that young Grant found himself put
down on the roster Of cadets us. Grant. This
accident earned for him; at the Point the nick
name Of "Unclef Sam aft erward abbreviated to
Sam, by which title Of intimacy he was known
for many years after he left the military academy.
He Is described at this period Of his career as
an undersizsd, awkward youth, much freckled,
with high spirits and very careless about MS
dress. Many Of his #felow-cadets who sprided
q themselves upon birth and breeding, manifested
an inclination to- look down upon him, because he
was only = tanners son. While at the Point he
distinguished himself chiefly by his horseman-
ship and one leap that he made on horseback
Is said to remain to this day unequaled record
ts Scarce was young Grant graduated from West
81 Point when he fell in love with a~gtrl named
N Dent the daughter Of a man who owned consid-'
cradle farming property on the Gravots road not
& far from St Louis. Her father did not approve
of the match, but her mother favored it. and the
upshot Of it was that they became engaged. Then
the Mexican war broke out, In which Grant fought
With credit and at the termination Of the conflict
\ Ne went back to st Louis and married the young
I lady. gs IL II Il iift n 4: le%f &$S
Six years later, in 1854, he resigned from the
& army, and with this separation from the military
& service began long struggle against poverty
He was unable to hold on to any sort OF employ
ment, and finally, to help him out. his fatherin-
law offered to give him 40 acres Of the Dent farm,
on the condition that he would clear the timber
on Of It This task he undertook, incidentally
building log house OF four rooms, In which he
y lived with his wife and children. %.5iSif@=
5 1T was at this time that he made q meager liv-
ing BY hauling wood to town and selling It on
Y the streets. Usually he was dressed In worn
b out private soldiers uniform. But It is matter
OF record that he never lost his cheerfulness
though everything he tried seemed foredoomed to
failure. He was defeated in his candidacy for
fireplace OF surveyor Of st. Louis county, and his
later application for appointment as county engi
Y neer was turned down with the simple tndorse-
ment Rejected" II 8% - vs.
AT length he decided to abandon his little farm
! which he had called by the appropriate name OF
Hardscrabble, and moved with his family to St
Louis. There he tried the real estate business
but, as usual failed at it. AS commonly happens
when man Is persstently unsuccessful. friends
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES ~~~~>~~>~~~-~c~~