Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1882-03-25
A Romantic story told about General
Arthur ana Wife.

It has been a matter,.,of some surprise
that out OF the multitude OF Episcopal
churches with which Washington is
blessed, the president should have chosen
the oil lest and .shabbicst OF them all as
the regular place OF. worship. Every
Sunday morning he may be seen, on foot
and unattended, like thc.humblest citizen
crossing the evergreen Layfayettc
square, with its bronze general IN the
middle, that lies between the executive
mansion and st. Johns church, wherein
he quitely takes his place In the old pew
that Madison's time attended this moss.
growth sanctuary, but it fell behind the
times a quarter Of centuary. ago, and
has long been neglected by modern great
ness. For president Arthur, st. Johns
has more associations than those merely
historic, and like Longiellow's black
smith, he hears above the choir dearer
voice l'singing in Paradise" Long ago
the lady who would now, if she lived,
be the first lady in the land-Miss Ella
Herndon-was u volunteer member of
st Johns choir; and it is said that her
sweet soprano voice, of remarkable com-
pass and clearness, filling the mouldy
old place with melody, first, attracted
the attention of an unassuming young
lawyer-Chester Arthur by name-who
chanced to be spending Sunday at the
capitol and idly strayed into st. Johns,
dcponent saith, however, he did not be-
come acquainted with her at that time.
not until some years later, when her
father lay at the bottom of the sea and
the broken family hadrsorght another
home. The gallant Captain Herndon
was naval officer, and at the time OF
his residence in<Washington, was station
ed AZ the npiional observatory. He is
best known by the record he made in the
Mexican war and as commander OF the
Unlte& States expedition which explored
the valley of the Amazon. Subsequent
ly he commanded. the i'll fated steamship
Cehtral America, which, in 1857, went
d6wn between Havana and New YorE
with over 400 passengers and more than
81, ,O0O, 900 in gold on board. About
one-third OF the passengers were saved
including all the women and children
but the faithful captain stood at his post
TO the last, and, with his ship; p;went down
to the unknown depths. 1t was when
Qer young llIt was SuduOWcu W tuiS
great sorrow that Ella Herndon met her
future husband in New York city, where
she was living with her widowed mother.
Theirs was "a genuine love match-un~
happily rare in the calculating wisdom
of these days-with which many roman
tic incidents were connected. That the
husband is faithful to her memory is
proven by the fresh flowers his own
hands every day wreathe around the
portrait which hangs in the 'ceru!ean
chamber" of the white house, where his
eyes can re.t upon it last at night and
first in the morning. She is said to have
been q lady of lovelv character and rare
attainments, tall ar Il willowy in figure,
with face chat was more prepossessing
than actually beautiful according to rule,
and had much of that charming tact
that stands women in better stead than
genius, and would, In every way, have
graced her husbands present position.
Mrs. Arthur died in the winter of 1880,
after brief illness which befel her while
her husband was in this city on business
She was buried in the Albany Rural
cemetery. ry.-Wash. Coz. N. Y. Post.