[Boston—Sunday, 6 October 1867]
Sunday morning. Went to the church, found the gardener had already placed the flowers in the font, then turned and walked swiftly in search of servants for I discovered at seven o clock this morning that none of the housework was done and all things were left to turn out as they might, except for my old cook who is always on hand. Returned home at ½ past ten to find Mr Longfellow with the Godwins & J. After a half hour’s talk we separated until dinner, Mr Godwin and I staying at home, he in the library, I in my room enjoying the quiet and beauty of the day.
In the afternoon Howells made us a short visit talking pleasantly of literature etc. (he says Mr Keeler’s story is a failure! Poor fellow how his hopes will fall like a pricked bladder.) Howells looked pale and not like a man of much force. His wife is ill too and he fears will not be able to receive or go into any company all winter. She is a nervous little creature at best, poorly fitted by nature it seems to me for the position in wh. she finds herself.
Mr Henry James & his daughter came to call just as H. was leaving. We chanced to ask him about Dr Gray of New York, a physician of wide reputation in the diagnosis of disease. He is an old man now but with so large a practice that he will see no new patients. Mr James says however that he is a humbug that is as I understood, he is a man of discernment which he turns to the best account but not a man of deep insight or unwonted development. Suddenly J. remembered that there was once a Dr. Curtis of N.Y. who was also famous. The moment his name was mentioned Mr James became quite a new man. His enthousiasm flamed. Dr. Curtis died at the early age of 38 and according to the saying of the world insane. “Yet he was no more insane than I am at this moment as far as the action of his mind was concerned which was always perfectly clear. Several years before his death he was pursued by spirits wh. often kept him awake all night. His wife was a heavenly woman and a Swedenborgian. The spirits did not come to her but she was persuaded that they did come to him. They so disturbed his life that he used to say he was ready to die in order to pursue his tormenters and ferret out the occasion of his trouble. At one time they told him that in every age a man had been selected to do the bidding of the Lord God, to be the Lord Christ of the time and he must fit himself to be that man. They prescribed for him therefore certain fasts and austerities which he religiously fulfiled only asking in return an interview in wh. some sign should be given him. They promised faithfully but when the time arrived it was postponed and this occurred repeatedly until he felt sure of the deceit of the parties concerned.”
Through the medium of these spirits Dr. Curtis became at length estranged from his wife. He went West to obtain a divorce and while on this strange errand occurred a breach between himself & Mr James. The latter wrote him a letter urging him away from the deed wh. the doctor took as interference. The poor man returned to New York & at length shot himself. His wife never harbored the least animosity against him for his undeserved treatment. (Mr J. looked like an invalid but was full of spirit & kindness. He not unfrequently speaks severely of men & things. Analysis is his second nature.)
Gov. Andrew came in the evening. He said the rebel general Jeff. Thompson was coming to his home and would we adjourn thither. Of course we said yes and a strange evening we had of it. Mr Woodman acted as showman, a disagreeable & unnecessary part disagreeably played. Fortunately “General” Thompson was either too naïve or too polite or too much flattered to observe this so he talked on without let or hindrance. Imagine Governor Andrew, Parke Godwin & Mr Fields listening (not to speak of the ladies of the party) to this man, lank, bony, vivid, with sinews of steel, eye like a hawk, mouth thin and flat as a fish’s, high cheek bones, feet out of shape by hard marches probably, which he contorted one over the other as he talked. “Waal Ill jest tell ye how t’was—I was the man that brought the rope to hang John Brown!”
My blood rose when I heard that. I could do nothing but wonder at the calmness with wh. we heard this man. Nothing could have excused it except his recital of the sufferings he had endured and his acknowledgement of the fact that “he had been awfully whipped, and the only salvation for them was in reconstruction.” His speech photographed the various scenes he had been through. He swore continually and ended by giving us an Indian dance. Jeff Thompson had been a guerilla chief, or as he himself phrased it he had 4,000 men under his command who reported to no man but himself. One of his aids was a wild indian who one day brought him an enemy who refused to surrender his sword. “Surrender” cried Jeff in a terrible rage “or my Indian shall scalp you.” The man demurred when Jeff ordered “Ajax” to set upon the man. Immediately the Indian began a kind of wild howl and dance around his victim flourishing his tomahawk; in another moment the man would have lost his scalp had not fear caused him to succumb. The whole picture was vividly given by the narrator.
We came home shuddering at the sights we had seen through this strange telescope.
