San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-04-16

visit at the block house. These visits, which |
became more and more frequent, were spe- |
cially pleasing to the "gentle Anna" who |
had met the captain at the house of her sister, |
Mrs Mai Short, near Lexington, KY, few |
months before. They became warm friends.
Their friendship ripened into love, and they
were betrothed, with the willing consent of
the maidens father.
Slanderous stories about Capt. Harrison
caused Judge Symmes TO withdraw his con-
sent to the nuptials of the young couple.
Anna hadimplicit confidence in her afianced,
but her father was inexorable. The maidens
head and heart were in accord with her
faith, her allegiance and her desires, and she
resolved to give her hand to the one she
loved, with her fathers blessing, if possible
The judge persiStently treated the sutton
with GOODNESS, but .never with discourtesy or
inhoSpitality. He and Anna frequently met,
but the Judge remained unmoved in his OPP
position to their marriage.
The autumn was far spent, when, late in
November, Judge Symmes was suddenly
called to Cincinnati. Capt. Harrison was
then on an official visit with the little garri
son at North Bend. On a frosty morning
the Judge departed. The lovers took advant-
age of the opportunity offered, and they were
married in the judges house on the same day
by Dr. Stephen Wood, then magistrate, in
IN the presence of Annals stepmother, who
was not averse to the ceremony.
| On the following morning the welded pair
also departed for Cincinnati on horseback,
accompanied by an orderly on white mare,
and leading a pack saddled mule, bearing
their wardrobe They took up their abode in
Fort Washington, and lovingly awaited the
appearance of the possibly irate father.
| A few weeks elapsed before Judge Symmes
saw his newly made son-in-law. The meeting
took PLACE at a Christmas dinner party given
to Gen. Wayne by Gen. Wilkinson, who was
then in command of Fort Washington.
When they met, the judge said to the captain,
rather sternly:
well, sir, understand you have married
Anna"
Eyes, sir" the captain modestly replied.
"How do you expect to support Anna" the
father inquired
The young soldier was stirred by slight in
dgnation because of such a question, and
quickly and little vehemently replied:
by my sword and my own right arm, sir"
Judge Synmes who had always respected
| the young man because OF his noble bearing,
was specially pleased with this reply. Likes
sensible man, as he was, he felt reconciled
He accompanied the captain to his quarters
in the fort, where the father cordially en-
braced his daughter, imprinting vehement
kisses on her glowing cheeks. He gave them
his blessing on his departure. Such is the
"old, old story" of the ages, to be repeated
until the crack of doom" The sequel is in
teresting.
Soon after the happy meeting OF father
and daughter, Capt Harrison resigned his
| ,,,ili and ar tho Of "a
entered upon the duties of civil life as secre-
tary of the northwest territory. Upon
level spot at the foot of gentle hills, about
three hundred yards from the Ohio river,
Judge Symmes built a commodious house for
the Young couple, one end of which was q log
cabin, clapbOarded over This was their
home dwelling place during the almost half
century of their happy married life Therein
their children and some of their grandchil-
dren were born. In this modest two stored
house Gen Benjamin Harrison, the president
Of our republic, first saw the light of mum
dane life, in August, 1898.
Judge Symmes who died in 1914, lived to
be proud of his noble son-in-law, who entered
the national congress- four years after his
marriage as the first representative therein
of the vast Northwest territory. He was
made the first governor of the territory Of
Indiana gained renown IN struggles with
the barbarans in the Wabash region, espe-
cially at the battle of Tppecanoe, and So
cured solid fame by his achievements as a
military leader in the northwest during the
earlier portion Of the second war for indie
pendence. He afterward' served in public
life in many ways, notably as a member of
the Ohio legislature and of the United, States
senate He was minister to the Republic of
Colombia, South America, in 1928, and in
1S4l he took his seat in the chair of Washing
ton as president of the United States. He
did not enjoy that exalted station long.
Nearly three score and ten years of age at
) the time of his Inauguration, he survived
that event only one month. He was undoubt-
edly a victim of the cruel prosecutions of a
swarm of hungry beggars - selfish Office
seekers.
| visited North Bend in early autumn, 1860
Nothing was left of the Harrison dwelling
there but the ruin Of the cellar and of a fire
place. it having been set ablaze a few years
before by the hand of an incendiary. Upon
an eminence not far off, which overlooks the
North Bend of the Ohio, is the tomb of Gen.
Harrison, simple structure of brick, sur
rounded by trees, shrubbery and greensward.
l spent. the night of my visit'at Cleyes, a vii
hge about two miles over the hills from the
Bend, and supped and passed the evening
, with the family of w. W. II. Taylor, ESQ,
whose wife was the daughter of William
Henry Harrison and Anna Symmes
Interesting incidents of the beautiful private
Hfeof her parents were related by their loving
daughter ON that occasion, the recollection of
, which suspends charming pictures upon mem