Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-01-14
"REMINISCENCES.
WY President buchanan Never Mar
rsea-S1he Buchanan and Eorney
tuarrei-Somethiag Ab0at Harriet
IAiE.

correspondent, 'Gath," in one of his recent in
| terestlng letters TO the Enquirer, gave a long
chapter in regard TO the courtship and marriage
OF many prominent Americans. One para
graph in the letter quote for the purpose of
making some corrections. The paragraph is as
follows:
Colonel Forney. who died the other day.
married, while young printer, lady in the
town where he sprang up. While he was Clerk
of Congress and editor Of the financial organ of
Pierce he accumulated some property, and
being at the time intimate with President Buch-
anan, the latter became trustee for Mrs Forney
| in nearly block of houses adjacent to the Post
| once. When. some years afterward Fcrney
and Buchanan quarreled the eX-President re-
| fused to sign away tho property as its trustee
| tearing that Forney meant to use the money to
attack him. Buchanan. you may remember
never married. 1t is related i'm Lancaster that
he was engaged to delightful woman, bat with
his cold nature he treated her once so ds,lain-
fully that she died. Harriet Lane, Buchauan's
niece fine-looking woman did not marry
! either, through consideration for her uncle
until he had been long cut of the Presidency"
The story Of Mr.. Buchanan's courtship and
! cod,ten,ps with his lady love which induced
him to live and die bachelor has often been
! told, but the writer's. like Gath" never seem
to have learned the real history of the case.
which was related to me over forty years ago
| by an intimate friend and neighbor of Mr.
buchanan. the late John SNYDER of Pittsbnrw
Mi. Buchanan. after he returned home to Lam
! caster, Pa, after the war of 1872, opened law
! office. and his talents and industry soon secured
Tor him large and lucrative practice which
extended over Lancaster and the adjoining
counties He was large. fine-lookine young
man, and his society was very much sought
after, especially by the ladies' In the course
| OF time he became engaged in marriage to
one of Iancasters beautiful and ACCOMPLISHED
daughters. high-nlinded, independent,
but rather naughty and domineering
lady. Professional business called Mr. Bu-
chanan to a neighborng county, where he
remained for several days, and when he
returned. late in the day. he found his Office
hlted with clients awaiting his arrival who kept
him engaged until after the usual bed hour at
night, without even affor1ing him an opportu-
NIFTY to take his supper As soon as he was re-
lieyed from his clients he fastened to the home
of his lady-lOve, only to find it closed and dark
Early the next morning. however he repeated
the visit. He rang the bell, when servant ap-
peared, and in response to his inquiry for the OBJ
lect OF his VISIT was informed that she was not
at home" This he knew was a falseho0d for
| he caught GLIMPSE of the lady through al up
per chamber window as he was approaching the
house. He went away, but never called again
Both parties were too proud and independent TO
ask or make an explanation. The lady soon af-
ter"ard went into decline and died Mr. Bu-
ciianan never cOulted another lady, and al
though fond of the society Of the gentle sex, he
llVeu ana dled a bachelor.
Up until the rupture between Mr.. Buchanan
and Mr.. Forney, growing out OF the Lecomptcn
Constitution fight in Kansas no meu were
warmer or better friends than those two gen
tsenen. The old PerasyUdajqn at Philadelphia
when edited by John w. Forney was always
considered the personal organ of Mr.. Buchanan.
fofheV was poor and eXtrayagant, and. as the
paper was principally supported by politicians.
| he was always hard up for money and was q
standing pensioner upon the bounty of his polit-
zeal friends. He was constantly borrowing
mOney-hofrowing from Peter to pag Paul In
the year 1916 the writer hereof then editor OF
the pittsburg Morning Post on his way to Phil
adeiphia, stopped off by invitation of Mr.. Buch-
enan to visit him at his Wheatland home near
Lancaster. One day, in opening and reading
ms large mail, he spoke out and said: Here is
the same Old story; Forney is again in financial
troubles his creditors have called meeting and
wish me to attend. but | will not 90. He owes
me so GOO and know he can not pay it. Poor
| forney! II his income was 81 600 or $4,000 a
year he would spend il all. 7 will send to him
at once receipt in full for all demands That
is the best thing can do for him at present"
Ia regard to MIR. Buchanan's trusteeShip in the
Washington property, the following eXplana-
ton was made TO the writer by Mr. buchanan ia
the White House when he was President | give
it IN his own words, as nearly as can remember
them: when FOrney was elected clerk of the
House OF Representatives he was borrowing
many thousand dollars, mostly to politicians
VINO were ciamorous for their pay. AS clerk he
made good deal OF money, more than his
family necessities required. He told me he had
an opportunity to invest it in real estate
III washington. but he was afraid his creditors
would take it from him. and he came to me to
ask my advice. | advised him that he might
invest it in the name Of his wife. through the
Intervention of trustee. This idea pleased
him, and he asked and obtained nv consent to
act as trustee This was when | was a private
citizen, living at Lancaster. 1 heard nothing
hon Tho,
ward, when became President. Forney then
quarieiied with me because could not give him
the best office III the gift of my administration.
He wrote me insOlent letters demanding that I
should reconvey the property to him. [ told him
this was impossible for me to do unless bv a
proceeding in a court of chancery of the Dis
trct of Columbia, in which the President Of the
United States would appear as one of the par
ties to the suit, and this would never consent
to. Moreover, / informed him that no one
could suffer by letting the matter remain as it
was; that the property was advancing in value
every day, which would result to the benefit of
his wife, who was most estmable woman IN
deed, consider the purchase OF that property.
ana the appointment ola trustee to secure it to
his wife, the most sensible act Forney ever
did"
the maidenhood and subsequent marriage of
Harriet Lane We're in no way Influenced
through consideration for her uncle"
Miss Lane, although a fne-looking and re-
nh"i Many AteiilSenu lduv, was out little known
beyond the immediate circle of her intimate
friends. When Mr.. Buchanan became Presi-
dent. being bachelor, he veryproperly selected
his sisters daughter, Miss Lane, to preside over
the White House. She was large weli-formed
and remarkably attractive lady and soon be-
came great faVOrite with the Washington
society of those days. which was chiefly COM
posed of the democratic aristocracy of the south
She had many admirers, and not few sought
her hand In marriage. A Mr.. Johnson a
wealthy Baltimore banker, was the fortunate
gentleman who secured her hand and heart
MIR. Buchanan had two sisters Mrs. Lane and
Mrs DR.. ieates, of Meadvlle, Pa During the
'Hard-cider" campaign of lS40, edited the
Crawford Democrat at Meadvie, and had the
pleasure of numbering Mrs. Yeates among INV
friends. She was an amiable and warm hearted
woman. MIR. Buchanan visited her that year.
while he was on a ''stumping" tour through
PENNSYLVANIA. made full report of his speech
in Erie, and before having it put in type |
thought it best to submit the manuscript to
him for revision and correction. He returned
the manuscript to me the next day, and, after
complimenting me highly for the accuracy of
the report requested that would withhold its
publication for week or two, as he had three
other engagements to speak before he returned
to Lancaster, and only one speech prepared for
all the points, and he. therefore, did not wish
any publication made until after his last speech
was delivered. He moreover informed me that