San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-01-19
"REMINISCENCES.
why President BaehaAaa Never Married.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
MT. VERNON, o., Dec. 81, 1851
Your correspondent, "Gath," in ono Of
his recent Interesting letters to the
Enquirer, gave long chapter in re.
gard to the courtship and marriage Of
many prominent Americans. One par
agraph in the letter l quote, for the
purpose of making some corrections.
The paragraph is rs follows:
Sol. Forney, who died the other
day, married, while young printer. a
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 Presi'
dent Buchanan, the latter became
trustee for Mrs. Forney in nearly
block of houses adjacent to the post
Office. When, some years aiterward,
Forney and Buchanan quarreled, the
ex.P President refused to sign away the
property as its trustee, fearing that
Forney meant to use the money to at
tack him. Buchanan, you may remem-
Der, never married. 1t is related in
Lancaster that he was engaged to de-
lightful woman, but with his cold ma
ture he treated her once so disdainfully
that she died. Harriet Lane, Buchan-
ans niece, a fne-looking woman, did
not marry either, through considera-
ton for her uncle, until he had been
long out of the Presidency"
The story of Mr.. Buchanan's court
ship and contretempS with his lady
love which induced him to live and die
a 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
wears ago by an intimate friend and
neighbor of MIR. Buchanan, the late
John Snyder, of Pittsburg. Mr.. Bu-
chanan, after he returned home to
Lancaster, Pa, after the war of 1872,
opened law Office, and his talents and
industry soon won for him large and
lucrative practice which extended over
Lancaster and the adjoining counties.
He was large, fne-looking young
man, and his society was very much
sought after, especially by the ladies.
In the course of time he became en-
gagged in marriage to one of Lancaster's
beautiful and accomplished daughters,
high minded, independent, but rather
naughty and domineering lady. Pre-.
fessional business called Mr.. Buchanan
to neighboring county, where he re-
NAMED for several days, and when he
returned, late in the day, he found his
Office filed with clients awaiting his
arrival, who kept him engaged until
after the usual bed hour at night, with
out even affording him an opportunity
to take his supper. As soon as he was
relieved 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 object of his visit, was informed
that she was mot at home" This he
knew was falsehood, for he caught q
glimpse of the lady through an upper
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 after
ward went into decline and died. Mr..
Buchanan never courted another lady,
and, although fond of the society OF the
gentle sex, he lived and died bachelor.
The maidenhood and subsequent
marriage of Harriet Lane were in no
way Influenced through consideration
of her uncle"
Miss Lane, although fine-looking
and remarkably intelligent lady, was
but little known beyond the immediate
circle of her intimate friends. When
Mr.. Buchanan became President, being
bachelor, he very properly selected
his sisters daughter, Miss Lane, to
preside over the White House. She
was q large, well-formed and remarkably
attractive lady, and soon became 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 mar
rage. A Mr.. johnson, wealthy Bal
timore banker, was the fortunate gen.
tleman who secured her hand and