Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 April 1885 — Grant’s Freedom from Profanity. [ARTICLE]

Grant’s Freedom from Profanity.

In a conversation with a Washington correspondent, Mr. Marklaud, who was the head of the mail service of Grant's army, said: “Gen. Grant never swore, and in my long connection with him I have never heard him utter a profane word. I have boon with him on many occasions in which perhaps the use of profanity would have been pardonable. I have heard him tell stories in which oaths |»aye always been used, but in retelling them he would notiquote the oaths. He was freer from using unkind expressions toward his fellow-man than any one I hajye ever known. And the chief misfortunes of his life have arisen from his misplaced confidence in his fellow-man. Speaklngof bls profanity, I remember two occasions on which Grant should have sworn and I tlriuk would have sworn if he could. One was while we were at Young’s Point, with headquarters on the steamboat Magnolia. Two of the staff off'cers had been sent north under orders, leaving their rooms en the boat vacant. Gen. Grant invited two officers on board one night for consultation. During the consultation a violent rain-storm came up, and Gen. Grant asked these officers to remain on board over night, saying that he had two rooms, and that it would be more pleasant for them to stay there than to go to their camp in the storm. The time for retir,ing arrived, and the officers were shown to iheir rooms. When the doors were opened, however, it was found that the beds were occupied by the colored servants of the officers who were absent. Gen. Grant was very angry, tut his indignation did not find vent in oaths; he merely ordered these servants out on shore into lhe ra'n, and in a short time, his indignaf'on having cooled, he sent an orderly to tell them they could come back upon the b- at. “At another time, after having performed his morning ablutions, he left his lulseteeth in the wash-basin. His servant, in putting the room to rights, emptied the contents into ihe river, and for the time being Gen. Grant was toothless. But his amiability developed itself even here. Ho said to the Servant: •You have put me in a very embarrassing position, but you <Ld not intend to do it,’ and that was aIL”