The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-09-25
President Buchanan's Tragedy.

The extract from a Washington letter
to the Chicago Meas headed 'Buchan-
ans Tragic Love Story is called by
people in Philadelphia, who claim to
know, a mass of errors. His love story
as told by them-and they assert they
have often heard the particulars from
his own lips, and further that it can be
verified by many still living in Lancas-
ter, is to this effect: The young lady
to whom Mr.. Buchanan was engaged to
be married was Miss Anne Coleman, of
Lancaster, not of Philadelphia. Mr..
Buchanan at this time was not 'practis-
ing law in a remote part of Pennsylva-
MIA, but was member of the Legisla-
ture residing in Lancaster, next door
to the Colemans in East King street.
He was lawyer by profession and went
to Lancaster from Franklin county to
study for the bar when boy. His en-
gagement to Miss Coleman was long be-
fore he purchased his seat of wheat
land The Colemans were a quiet,
early-going-to-bed family, and Mr..
Buchanan was never allowed to see his
fiance after 9 p. m. The young couple
were accustomed to take regular even
ing walks, but it was always required
that the lady be at home by 9. They
were noted throughout the city as the
handsomest and most affectionate pair
the place could boast.
One night coming from Harrisburg,
the stage was delayed Ono railroads then, }
and Mr.. Buchanan did not reach Ian
caster until after 9. Knowing that he
would not at that hour be permitted to
see Miss Coleman, he called upon a
friend, Mrs. jenkins, and accompanied
her sister, Miss Harriet Odds, to ball
at the house of Mrs. Rosanna Hubley.
The Colemans of course heard of this
and being very proud they felt that an
indignity had been placed upon their
daughter and insisted that the match be
broken off. The young lady herself
wished to keep faith with her lover and
was SO much distressed and So unwill
ing to accede to the commands of her
parents that she was sent to Philadel-
phia. Mr.. Buchanan never saw her
alive again, nor could he attempt to
communicate with her, for he did not
know where she was. He called at her
house the morning after the ball but was
denied admission, and all he could learn
was that she had left the town. She
came to Philadelphia by the stage,
which took nearly two days for the jour
ney, stopping over night at Dowington
at what was called the Half Way House.
The same stage in few days brought
her dead body back. Mr.. Buchanan
never doubted that she took poison and
often expressed that belief. 1t was also
the general opinion. The Colemans
never spoke to Mr.. Buchanan after the
bali, even declined further acquaintance
with those who remained his friends,
and would have prevented him looking
upon the corpse. The woman. however,
who prepared the unfortunate young lady
for her coffin, let him into the house
diog used III feminine attire at O'Clock
in the morning, and he had the melan-
choly satisfaction of seeing once more
the features of the girl he loved SO fond
ly. He is said to have had the sympa-
thy of everybody in his deep sorrow.
He was greatly affected and for two
years, in his own words, was scarcely
himself There is all probability that
this sad experience influenced all his
after life, and it is certain that he never
again thought OF marriage. There were
no intercepted or delayed letters, and
the story of the broken leg is all imagi-
nation.
1t may be worth while adding that
Miss Odds, the innocent cause of the
trouble, remained single and that only
about ten years ago she was burned to
death at her home in Lancaster, her
clothes taking fire at CRATE.