River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-05-14
Statesmen as Lovers.

From the New York Mail and Express.
The past year has been noted for it:
social scandals and Senator Sharon's
divorce adds another item to this part
of its history. The late Presidential
campaign comprised continuous wash.
ing of dirty linens, and the mode after
which the great man makes love las be-
come as important as his vote on the
tariff or civil service reform. Most of
our statesmen, however. have pure
domestic records and the marriages of
many of them have been marriages Of
love. Old Senator Benton was devot-
ed to his wife, and he would never at
tend any place of festivity or amuse-
ment after her death The wife OF
Senator Allen, better known as Fog
horn" Allen, died at Washington, dur
ing the winter of 1S47, before the days
of railroads, and the old Senator car
ried her corpse home to Ohio over the
mountains, riding beside it on horse
back during the day and watching it al
night through the cold, dreary journey
until he laid it at last beside her father,
Governor 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 twenty six
years of age and while he was poor
lawyer. HIS popping the question was
most delicately done. Miss Grace had
been winding skein of yarn while he
held it for her on his long arms. The
skein had become tangled and Auring
its untwisting the heads of the two
lovers had come very close together. AS
the knot became united Mr.. Webster
said 1--WE have succeeded, Miss Grace,
in untying this knot; can we not now
tie another which will remain tied as
long as we live?" Miss Grace blushed
and kiss, it is said, sealed the bargain.
The two lived happily for eighteen
years, when Mrs. Webster died in New
York, on her way to Washington where
her husband was n member of Con
gress. She was i'll three weeks,
during which time Webster watch
ed at her bedside, but two years after
she died he married again. Webster
second wife was Caroline Leroy, a New
York lady, tall, brown haired and
beautiful. She presided over his
establishment here and accompanied
him to Europe, where she dined with
the Queen She always addressed her
husband as "Mr. Webster" and his
favorite term for her was Lady Caro-
! line"
Henry A. Wise proposed on the dome
of the Capitol here, and one of the
results of the marriage was John Ser
geant 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 had ever governed
the State of Tennessee, when he fell
in love with pretty girl at the State
cspital. 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. He left the Governors chair,
and, telling his wife to get a divorce on
the ground of desertion, went to
the frontier and joined a tribe oil
Cherokee Indians. Here he mar
RED squaw in Indian fashion and
soon became chief He was drinking
hard and going to the dogs, when one
dav he was told of the troubles in Texas
and the battle of the Alamo was de-
| scribed to him. He Strengthened him
self up, determined to be man again,
and went forth to his brave and distin-
guished career in Texas His wife am
told, got her divorce, but whether she
married her lover | know not.
Davy Crockett, another frontier
| statesman, fell in love with a relative of
| his schoolmaster; but while he was
counting her, richer suItor carried her
away under his eyes. He next met
beauty at a ball, fell in love at first
sight, and became engaged 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 man. 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 hon
or. He soon fell in love again, and
Al. 1. l, .ss,1