Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-10-30

aO ce22o AO "OAiO GOe ~ 10 AS rcitC
esgeged Ny father started With some 9th
er gentlemen and / turned to the younf
man vino bad followed me down. He wbis
pered to me and asked me to marry him
and when I said moro noes to him than
had to the President he said he feared thai
l was ambitious Just then We heard the
shot and tins smoke began 10 como down
the companionway. Something must be
wrong I said to the young man. and he
stsrted up to see. He got to the door, and
he turned around and gave me such look
Of horror that shall neVAr forget il. That
moment heard come one cay, The secre'
tary of State s deadl l was frightened
and I tried to get upstairs. Something hes
happened. Let me go 10 Uy fatherp
cried, bit they kept me back. Some one
told me that there had been an accident, the
gun had exploded, but that there was such
q crowd that it would dc DO good for ne to
try to get there. cried that 1ay iaiher was
there and must learn his fate. was told
then That he was wounded. That drove me
frantic. I begged them to lie, me- go to
help bin; that be loved me and he would
want me near him, One lady, seeng my
agony, said My dear child, you Can do no
good. Your father is In heaven
eS, MIe. J!SI COntlnucu, lie LEU
been killed. There were FIVE killed, among
whom were the Secretaries of the Navy and
State. tainted and did not revive until
some one was carrying noe of the boat, and
then l struggled SO that l almost knocked
us both off the gang plank. ! did not know
at the Time. but I learned afterwards that it
was the President whose life I almost con-
signed to the water. All the FIVE who were
b a1 hnriod FYopp tho White RnnsA
In the Congressional Cemetery. Iremnined
at the White House until after the funeral
and then ! returned to our city home, No.
dent and / corresponded then and he paid
me mang nice little attentions After lost
my father / felt differently towards the
President. He seemed to fill the pIaoc and
to be more agreeable in every veg than any
younger man ever was or could be. BE
composed very pretty song about 100 then
Sweet Lady awake.- At last be pro-
posed again and l wrote bim I was WILL
ling this time, If my mother would consent
She told him that she would never consent
to my marriage, but If 1 was determined
she would not object.
II was 10 deep mourning. So the Presi-
dent told only one member Of his family,
Gen. John Tyler, and Itold my immediate
family. We were married very quietly on
the s6th of June, 1914, in the Church of the
Ascension, New York. was dressed in
pure white ]isse, with veil Of the aams
which wss not even hemmed. I wore
wreath of orsnge blossoms, bui no je~elry.
l never liked je1elry, yet l always wore
diamond star on my forehead, with a slender
gold chain encirclmg my head. II res
called the 'Feronia.' After my fathers
death replaced it with black stone. We
left for Washington the same day we were
married. took off my wedding dress aud
put on deep black travelling gown of baize
and wore no ornaments During my time
In the White House l wore black durlDg
the day, and white. or black lace over white
in the evening,
"My life was very happy in the White
House and everybody was very kind TO me,
aad Mra. Tyler, thoughtfully. when we
left there we went to our plantation, Sher-
wood Forest, on the James river. The war
came on and the President, who was getting
quite old, was very much excited over it.
He was member of the Confederate Con.
gress and was staying In this very hotel in
Richmond. was going to start from the
plantation for three weeks visit and then
Join the President in Richmond, when had
very strange dream. / dreamed that
was with the President and that | had
awakened and risen TO dreas. Hooked back
to the bed, and there lay the President,
pale and worn. thought, My goodness
be is i'll and be never called me- Just then
I saw him open his eyes and he said, 'Ob,
dear, have you awakened Ay head is
very bad. Will you hold it2' AS I went to
hold it Nancy, the maid, came in and said,
Your master Is very H. At that moment
awakened with dreadfnlly heavy feeling,
and, surely enough the door opened and
in walked the real Nancy. She told me
that it was time to get up and dress for the
boat. cannot CO., said. I have had
bad dream and l am going directly to the
President
when I got to Richmond, with Pearl,
my baby, and Nancy, 1t was night. AS l
drove up to the hotel gentleman was COM
ing out. He saw me and recognized me and
expressed surprise Mt ny arrival. as he had
just left the President, who was not expect.
ing me. The first thing l said was, oh,
how is the President p ard he replied,
Never in better health He showed nee to
Mr.. Tyer's roome, which were in this hall,
and then went to announce my arrival.
Soon heard MIR. Tyer's footsteps coming
QurrleQ!y over tue OIldBo WulCu SouuoOsp
this hotel with the other part on the oppo-
site side OF the street. He kissed me and
told me how delighted he was to see me,
and he picked up Pearl and she smiled at
him as be said, Why, the baby knows me-
He did not think she would because che was
30 young.
"About midnight l wakened with the
worst headache ever had. felt that my
head would burst, 80 the President aroseand
went downstairs to get some morphine. 1t
was not weighed, and he brought it up:aud
weighed it for me himself, and dthen be held
my head for me, aaying-I had told him my
dream-that it was instead Of he who was
to suffer. So fell asleep. In the morning
when I awoke be was standing leaning his
elbow on the mantel, and he looked very
pale. Iasked him if he was ILL., and he said
that he had taken chill. He said he would
go downstairs and get something for it. So,
quite drowsy from the morphine, turned