The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1861-03-30
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THE PRESIDENTS LEyEE

IS sojouFning IN Washington, attended The
Presidential Ievec last Saturday night, and
gives an account of the tribulatIous of him
self and others as follows:
The President gave hi first ievee, last
evening, between the hours of eight and ten
You are aware that upon such occasion al
mttancc 10 the White House is Gree u
not even n card being necessary. TIE crush
was awful: carriages were forced TO deposit
their fair freight hundred rods from the
door, and the files If pedestrians. with lock
step, like reuItentlary cOnvlcts, extende
along the circular pavement more than
twenty rods from the mansion. The great
elJrt was 10 get into the house, aud the
moment that was accomplished, the wish
was 10 get out again. CrnDiine suffered
| and from that ''Grm paced and Slow PRO.
| cessian, IN which, by the watch, thirty min
Htes were consumed IN making that twenty
| rods, we noticed maay break from the
| rtnk~. 10y ladies whose skirts were literally
| torn from their waists. and the owners glad
TO beat Il retreat out Of the grounds, BY
| taking tn" back track in the carriage way
! lodging back, and searching in vain fl
| the carnage from which they had alighted
| Indies who came IN carriages wlthcioaas and
nnbias. retired on fOOt-wilhOut even get
| ting 10 the steps Of the White Housewife
clOaks md nubia IN one hand. and ya!p!v
striving. with the aid Of male attendants, TO
| gather about them skirts and dresses lit ONLY
thereafter for the rag-bag. We are showing
the naked truth in this picture.
Those VIII reached the cloak and hat room
that for the gentlemen being the spacious
q. ain entrance hall--gave up outside gar
m enta To the tender mrrcics Of the crowd.
Som. early there received chicks for coats
and hiatt. bat soon the immense rack wa
entirely lnai rquIth for the demand and the
combined Dep,,ts o. the ruilr 1ad country
eruld not have furnished 'cbccks' sufficient
FIR the calls made. C1ats, cIoaks and hat
were throHs INTO a prom, sea- Us pile, and
n least one hundred men who cam INTO the
door with thirty and fifty dollar outside
garments retired 20 their lodgings without
them. While the same number of thieves re
plenlshed thcir scapty wardrobe to he same
extent. We suppcd, after the icvee with
Ca 70 MIA gentleman who lost coat aud hat,
and IN the pocket Of the former were the
entire pagers Of an applicant fer office.
whose crenicntiais cannot be supplied short
Of the PGct3 coast.
There were two persons in that crowd
who understood the business in hand. One.
4 friend under whose wing your pond
mt took shelter, c'uNSrlied the leaving NJ
oar lodgings Of 0ycrcoats, and berg willing,
f necessary, 10 "go hat" on The occasion.
we plunged into the crowd. Reaching the
cloak room we found three Cleveland gen
rIcinrn, MeSSrs. Tticn, Coon ana Bond,
banging on bravery - their outer garments.
and forming an alliance of defence, one-haf
the party held the bats and coats Of the
other ha +, which, in turn, rcciprocated, and
thus all we're enabled to see the East Room
with ut loss or damage.
The other parties. whose familiarity with
Prssidcu ial levces had taught wisdom, WAS
a lady. One beau led, another followed,
nni as soon ~ the current OF the crowd
was reached, she requested "Bpb' to take
up her skirts. Bob obeyed; making IA sec
Oui reef IN her rigging. when she gave the
word, "higher still, Bob In the party
went. and the lady was safely landed inside
thc door, with her skirts higher than her
knees.
We made no attempt tos pass IN review
before the President, who stationed near the
door Leading from the main hall INTO the
oval reception room, greeted the company
VINO lhFu. niS%iE thE'"%h '"' WV '"'"
reached the famous East Room. Around
th.s immense room stood gentlemen nnac-
campanicd hv ladies'. ut least tweoty deep,
and an inner circle was occupied ny ladies
and gentlemen, making desperate attempts
NJ promenade.
The ladies dresses had evidently been often
stepped on, for there was great breadth
upon the floor AMI very scaut patterns about
the shoulders. We Inferred. at least, that
by being stepped on this result had been
attained. although not certain such was the
case. rs nome seemed to hc IN the least dis
tu1hcd hv the lack Of neck covering, aud
app az i deli GIFTED to act ~ carpet sweeper~,
although II taroiv5d the nee ,ssty ot mop
ping up tobacco juc', for--ws must speak
the truth, the soNeT,ISRS did not even empty
their months before pacing the carpet. but
actually threw their old quds upon the
/ brussels and tapestry, and took fresh ones
! from their tobacco boxes. After making
a turn through the East Room, and datnl
duty thereafter a. coat and hat holders Tor
our friends. We sought ecrc<s Ia open ar.
and found II hv the way OF window, lamI.
ing from the sA 10 the rortIce.
Snch, in brief, was our FIRST experience -
Presidents levee.