The Washington critic., 1890-04-14
FORTY HISTORIC NAMES
LADIES ONCE THE LEADERS or
WEALTH AND FASHION,,
But Now Residents of the Louise Home,
the Noblest Monument of the Late
MIR. Corcoran's Philanthropy 49,
Lives Replete with Interest,

Lives Rep1ete with Interest.
Crowning an extensive green terrace
on Massachusetts avenue, in the heart
of the city, stands the Louise Home--a
fitting monument to the memory of the
beloved daughter Of the philanthropist,
the late WV. Corcoran. Gazing upon
the massive pile and realizing the bless
ing such an institution has proved to
the impecunious widows and daughters
Of the South, one is tempted to wonder
if even the generous founder ever
fully realized the lasting benefits con
ferred upon helpless women unable,
by age or infirmity, to gain liveli./
hood from their own exertions and
whose latter days are now 30 peace
fully passed in this quiet retreat, Mr..
Corcoran's favorite charity during life
and almost his last thought in the hour
of death. This stately building en-
closes within its portals more thrilling
histories and lives replete with Incl
dents of the past than library of
volumes could unfold. The number of
inmates privileged to enjoy the benefit
of the Louise Home is forty, the full
quota at present dwelling in peace and
comfort within its shelter. Vacancies
by death are Immediately filed from
the long list of names on the books of
the institution of those awaiting admis-
sion.
The perfect system and complete ar
rangements for the welfare and con-
tinued success of the establishment
under the charge of its accomplished
matron, Miss Lucy Hunter, are too
widely known to require repetition, yet
a brief sketch of o few of its inmates
cannot fail of interest, though COM
plete enumeration would give but a
faint conception of the amount of inter
est attaching to the various members of
this little community, whose days are
passed so quietly amid the ever moving
throngs of the gay capital.
A visitor to the home seldom fails to
make the objective point of interest,
in their tour of the establishment, the
cosy chamber of Miss Hartley Graham,
universally beloved and known by her
companions as Aunt Hartley. Truly
many one fingers in enjoyable inter
course with this charming old lady of
so years, still beautiful woman, and
the courtly dame of long ago, whose
eyes are bright, whose manners are
charming and whose mind is as vigor-
Gus as when in the days of her early
youth she was the central figure among
the bellies Of the period. Until last
November, when Miss Graham had
fall in the street, which injured her hip,
and which has since confined her to a
couch, she never failed to make the
rounds of official calls and seldom lost
an opportunity of being present upon
the occasion of q Cabinet reception,
where she made warm friends among
the ladies of the last Administration.
For Mrs. Cleveland she bears an en-
thusiastic admiration and never tires of
relating the interesting facts of her
first meeting with the ex. Presidents
lovely wife and her thoughtful gift of
books and hot.house flowers with
which she always kept her provided
throughout the winter, each supply &C
companied by tender little note of in
quiry for her welfare. These precious
billcts Miss Graham has carefully pre-
served, placing them among the
treasures associated with many names
now famous in the history of the past
century. This collection includes
numerous letters from the pen of the
late Jefferson Davis, with whose widow
Miss Graham is in constant CORE
spondence. In one of recent date she
speaks of her exhaustive literary labors
in the compilation of the memoirs
of her husband, in which
work she is largely aided by her grand
niece during the absence of her daugh
ter in Europe. A Virginian by birth,
Miss Graham is of direct Scotch de-
scent, from the celebrated house of the
Graeme, famous in the warlil1e records
of Scotland. Her grandfather held an
important position in the Colonies un-
der King George, while her natural
grand uncle was Mark Catsby, a cele
brated Nationalist in the reign of
Queen Ann, cousin of Commodore
Thomas Ap. Catsby Jones, a heavy
band of gold bearing the ancient seal of
the Graeme. cut with the family crest
and kept on the finger by grand ring
of elaborately wrought gold dug from
the foot of the Rocky Mountains, is
worn by the owner with pardonable
pride and kept in constant use for the
sealing of letters in her extensive cor
respOndence. General Pike Graham.
U. s. A., is one of seven brothers,
whose visits this remarkable and light.
hearted old lady values as one of her
greatest pleasures.
Mrs. Letitia Tyler Semp'e, widow of
the late Purser Semple, L. S. NJ, and
daughter of President Tyler, formed
another interesting picture in the group.
Mrs. Semple has been resident of the
Louise Home about eight years. and
though approaching her seventieth
year still retains marks of that beauty
and vivacity which rendered her So
popular mistress of the White House
previously to her fathers second mar
riage. Among her valuable possessions
Mrs Semple treasures an ancient por'
trait now adorning the space over the
mantle in her room. of General William
Woodford of Revolutionary fame. pre-
served from destruction during the re-
bellion by faithful family servant
who tore it from the frame when the
old Virginia homestead was invaded by
the enemy. Mrs. Semple's history is
too much part of the present cen
tury to require repetition, and her por-
trait, with that of Mrs. Cleveland, rep
resents the two lovely brides Of the
White House. A brother of Mrs. Sem
pie, Mr.. John Tyler, is at present Q
cripple from paralysis at his home il
Georgetown, watched over by his de-
voted daughter Miss Matte Tyler.
Mrs. Daniels, widow of the late Judge
Daniels of North Carolina is by far onC
of the most popular among the ladies o.
the Louise Home-a woman of a swee
and gracious dignity of bearing, uncom
complaining and cheerful under al
circumstances. She well deserved tn,