The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-04-14
STATESMEN AS LOVERS.
HOW SOME or OUR MEN Of NOTE
WOOED AND WON.
Daniel Webster's First PropOsal-His Sec
ond Wife - Where Henry \. Wise
Popped the Question Houston's
Wife-Crockett's Courtship.
New York Mail and Express

Most Of our statesmen have pure do
nestle records and the marriages Of many
of them have been marriages of love. Old
Senator Benton was devoted to his wife
and he would never attend any place OF
festivity or amusement after her death.
The wife of Senator Allen better known
as "Fog-horn" Allen, died here at Wash
ington during the winter of 1S47. before
the days of railroads, and the old senator
carried her corpse home to Ohio over the
mountains, riding beside it on horseback
during the day and watching it at night
throughout the cold. dreary journey until
he laid it at last beside her father, Gov
ernOr Arthur, in the beautiful cemetery at
Chillicothe.
Daniel Webster's two marriages were
both marriages of love His first wife
was Grace + fletcher, the daughter of
New Hampshire clergyman Webster
married her when he was % years of age
and while he was yet poor lawyer. His
popping the question was most delicately
done Miss Grace had been winding a
skein Of yarn while he had held it for her
on his long arms The skein had be-
come tangled and during its untwisting
the heads of the two lovers had come very
close together. AS the knot became I'M
tied Mr.. Webster said: I'VE have sue
ceeded, Miss Grace, in untying this knot;
can we not now tie another which will re-
main tied as long as we live?" Miss Grace
blushed and a kiss, it is said, sealed the
bargain The two lived happily for eigh.
teen years, when Mrs Webster died in
New York, on her way to Washington,
where her husband was member eff con-
gress. She was i'll three weeks, during
which time Webster watched at her bed
SIDE, but two years after she died he mar
ried again. Webster's second wife was
Caroline lie koy, New York lady. tall,
brown-haired and beautiful. She pre-
sided over his establishment here and &C
cOmpanied him to Europe, where she
dined with the queen. She always ad
dressed her husband as "Mr. Webster,
and his favoritc term for her was Lady
Caroline. "
Henry A. Wise proposed on the dome of
the capitol here, and one Of the results of
the marriage was John Sergeant Wise,
the present member Of congress from
Virginia. who was born at Rio Janeiro
where Henry A Wise was officiating as
minister at the time.
Senator Sam Houston, the president of
the republic of Texas was the youngest
man who ever governed the state of
Tennessee, when he fell in love with
pretty girl at the state capital. He was
the governor of the state, good looking
and a splendid catch. After his marriage
he found his wife loved another and that
she had been forced by her parents TO
marry him. lie left the governors chair,
and, telling his wife to get divorce on
the ground of desertiOn, went to the from
tier and joined tribe of Cherokee In
dians. Here he married a s ,uaw in
Indian fashion and soon became a chief.
He was drinking hard and gOin to the
dogs. when ole day he was told of the
troubles in Texas and the battle of the
Alamo was described to him He
straightened himself up and was man
again, and went forth to his brave and
distinguished career in Texas. His wife,
am told, got her divorce, but whether
she married her lover l know not.
Davy Crockett another frontier states
man, fell in love with a relative of his
schoolmaster; but while he was sparkling
her a richer sutton carried her away under
his eyes He next met beauty at q ball,
fell in love at first sight and became en-
gagged at the close of the fifth dance The
day was fixed for him to announce the
engagement to her parents He started
to go to them, fell in with some boon
companions on the way and made as they
say, a night of it He arrived day too
late and found his lady love was to be
married that night to another. Crockett
made the best of a bad bargain He
laughed off his disappointment and danced
all night at the close of the wedding at
the party given in its honor. He soon
fell in love again and this time he became
married