Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-06-24
MISS FOLSOM'S PICTURE.

I L
Platte was ever convicted of violating the
! Slocum law.
MISS FOLSOM'S PICTURE.
The Efforts of Persistent Newspaper Man to
Secure The Prize.
Brooklyn Eagle
The history of how the only authentic
/ portrait of the presidents bride was Sc
cured for publication has never been told,
and just at the present time is of no little
! interest. About the time President-elect
Cleveland began packing up his bachelor
traps preparatory to removing to the
white house, rumor got started that Gro
yer Cleveland had wearied of single bless
edness and was about to take unto himself
a wife. At that time every influential
paper in the country had a correspondent
at Albany, whose sole duty it was to dog
the steps of the lucky BuffalOnian and de-
| tail hot and smoking for the next morn
| ing's issue ev9ry movement. Dan La
mout was stricken with walking night
mare and imagined he saw reporters am
! pushed in every shadow. At his request
the president-elect put himself under the
| care of a couple of detectives, who accom-
! panied him wherever he went and kept
the reporters at safe distance. When
the rumOr that lady would soon figure
! in so pleasing relation was started, the
correspondents literally tumbIed over one
anOthev in their anxiety to get hold of
! the facts, and above all, to secure the
prospective bride. Miss Van Vechten,
Miss Pruyn, Miss Cornell, and score of
Albany's leading society ladies were in
terrogated in vain. They were as ignor-
ant as the press of the identity of Mr..
CleVelands afianced.
In turn every prominent single lady in
the capital was suspected of being the
one. At length a newspaper man hit up
on the expedient of pumping the maid
servants. The chambermaid proved to
to be good looking and taIkative, and
1t was through this young lady's propen-
sity to gossip that not only Miss Folsom
was discovered, but the exact date and
hour of the presidents departure for
Washington and the route he proposed to
take (Which were jealousy guarded) were
ascertained. The maid admitted that
Miss Cleveland and young lady named
frankie Folsom, of Nunda, were very
sisterly, and asserted that Mr.. Cleveland
while governor had several trips into the
country to visit her. She also limited
that the ladies, meaning Miss Cleveland,
Mrs. Folsom, and her daughter, had with
In week visited a leading Albany pho
tographer and had their counterfeits
and left strict iniunctions that no one
should be permitted to copy them or
even look at them.
The hint proved sufficient. The two
newspaper men in the plot managed to
! get hold of Dan Lamont and suddenly
| put the question to him abruptly. Dan
got mad ian unusual thing for him) and
Informed the newspaper men so crustily
that the future bride of Mr.. Cleveland.
If he contemplated taking one, was a con-
Germ of his own and of nobody else, that
they were convinced that they were on
the right track. Next every photograph
er in town was visited, and large estab-
ishment, dealing with the best people
was naturally suspected of being the
glace patronized by Miss Folsom. But
the proprietor was obdurate; so a ruse
was resOrted to. Ladies are known fire.
quently to sit for their portraits, order a
certain number sent home, and let the
bill run until presented. A reporter who
was not known to the phOtogra pher was
| impressed into service. He stepped into
the gallery, walked up to the pretty youny
kept the books, and said: Il will pay
Miss FOlsom's bill if you have it ready"
The bOokkeeper turned to the ledger and
then said: "Oh, the last lot were paid for
but the new lot are done. Will you take
! them?"
The grave young man said he believed
he would take a couple back with him,
and that Miss frankie could Instruct him
] what to do. The affable young lady placed
two photographs of Miss Folsom in an
envelope and handed them to the news
paper man, who could hardly forbear Civ
ing W hoop of JOY upon canine poss-
ession of the treasures. Needless to say
two newspapers simultaneously produced
portraits of Miss Folsom, to the horror of
| that amiable young woman and her &C
complished mother. Dan Lamont al
most tainted, and Gen. Farnsworth is
said to have sworn a terrible military
oath saying he would slay the base trail
tor who published the portrait.
| The portrait is the only authentic one
of Miss Folsom. 1t represents her sitting
! side face, with her hair secured in a wavy
roll. She wears linen collar turning
| over at the back