Julia Sand – Letter 12

Context

Here Julia follows up on the Newton M. Curtis scandal first referenced in her 9th letter. President Arthur and his Department of Justice ultimately continued the case, correcting the name of the defendant from “Nehemiah M. Curtis” to the correct “Newton M. Curtis.” Stewart L. Woodfort, the United States District Attorney for the Southern District of New York, prosecuted the case.

 

Julia’s use of the term “persecuted” (which she put in quotation marks) rather than “prosecuted” is likely in reference to a newspaper story or some other quote regarding the situation.

 

This letter references Rev. Theodore L. Cuyler, a presbyterian minister in New York City who for a time pastored the largest presbyterian church in the United States.

Letter 12

May 1882

 

Hon. C. A. Arthur

 

You good old sinner, I had just made up my mind never, never, never again to write you another word – when I heard that “Nehemiah” was still to be “persecuted,” & that melted my hard determination completely. Poor man, he would be surprised, if he knew it, wouldn’t he? But really it comforted me beyond measure. I had been out the night before, over at Dr. Strongs, to hear the Rev. Dr. Cuyler lecture about Egypt & Palestine. He agreed to talk for about one hour, but he did for about two. I enjoyed it intensely – a person who has been dead & buried for five years is glad to hear about anything on the face of the earth – but my spinal column had not agreed to stand for that length of time, & there was no ozone-generator in the room (except the undersized little broken vessel) so, when the excitement was all over & I got back to my own little sitting room, I collapsed. If I had taken a glass of wine, I would have rallied in half an hour – but I hadn’t any to take & no one was there to do anything for me – so I lay on the sofa for about three hours, more dead than alive, without the comfort of unconsciousness. Once or twice I thought of pounding on the wall & making somebody come – & then I thought, what was the use in making two women, instead of one, miserable? So I crawled off to my little bed room, tumbled into bed somehow, had a few small sized nervous chills & fell asleep between three & four in the morning. Can you imagine my mood, when I awoke? Where would your cheerfulness be, if you had a headache which extended to the tips of your fingers & the soles of your feet? I thought that this was the wickedest world that I ever lived in – everybody in it was an unmitigated worm – & they all were squirming down to perdition, as fast as they could go. I am not sure that I did not think of you as heading the procession. When I came up after breakfast, I punished all my flowers – geraniums, primroses & roses that are not prim, alike – by pulling down the shades & not letting them have one gleam of sunlight. And then – then somebody brought me a newspaper. I felt like flinging it in the fire – newspapers make me so sick! – but I condescended to glance at it. And there I saw a paragraph, saying that District Attorney Woodford was going to correct his mistake & continue the prosecution. And then – now don’t laugh at me – I couldn’t see anything more, for there were two big tears in my eyes & half a dozen others rolling around generally. They were very cheerful tears, though – the kind of drops that rainbows are made of. But to think that I should have done you injustice! Will you ever forgive me for not having trusted you quite enough?

 

But are you really, really, really going to be good & never make anyone worry about you any more? If I could feel sure of that, it would make me happier than anything else in the world. You have it in your power to do so much good – & so much harm – that it is impossible to be indifferent as to your actions. If I could know that you had resolved in the depths of your heart to serve the country faithfully & never let any small or selfish aim drag you from the path of duty, if I should never see you, I would be willing to give up all I have gained in health & lie here & suffer till the end of my life. And if I could think that I had influenced you in the smallest degree towards forming that resolution, I should feel that I had not lived in vain. May I rest peacefully in the trust that you will do right? Will you ever awaken me to a cruel disappointment?

 

Sincerely your friend,

J. I. S.

Navigate back to home

Letter 13 – Gratitude for veto of the River & Harbor bill of 1882; rage at Congress’s override