The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-06-29
THEIR AUTOGRAPHS
GlimpSes of Character as Shown
in Handwriting.
MRS. SPEAKER REEDS SIGNATURE
Women as Autograph Coliectors-Those Who
Stick to Their Maiden Names
A Costly Autograph.

correspondence of The HERALD. Wash
ngtca is one of the greatest autograph
centres of the United States. Every
society lady has her autograph, and the
pages of Congress get an income equal to
their salaries by carrying around auto
graph books to the Senators, Representa-
tiyes and supreme court judges. The
charges Of one of them is S. for the Sen
ate, So for the supreme court and more than
this amount for the House. The President
receives hundreds of applications for auto
graphs every day, and l saw pile of Mo
rocco bound volumes lying on his messen
gers desk, when / went to the White
House this afternoon.
MRS. EARRIsoN's AUTOGRAPH
is quite as much in demand as the Presi-
dents, but 1t is not so easily gotten. She
writes fine, small hand, slauting her
strokes in the true Spencerian manner and
running the RS of the Harrison very much
together. The most of her correspondence
Is done on the paper of the executive man
sion. and these two words form the die of
silver and gold at the head of her sheets
Shortly before President Harrison's in
auguratlon q letter was written by one of
ms family saying that he would patronize
American paper-makers. He does so &c 4
certain extent, but shortly after he got into
the White House an order was given for
some royal Irish linen, which is the most
popular paper with our society ladies' A
great part of Mrs. Harrison's correspond
ence goes out in the handwriting of her
private secretary. She can dictate letter
quite as well as she can write it, and she
attends to the most of her immense CORE
spondence herself, writing answers only to
the letters OF her friends and others when
1t is necessary.
a great part of
MRS. HARR1soN's CORRESPONDENCE
goes through the hands of her daughter,
Mrs. Mckee, and she saves the President's
wife much time. Mary Harrison Mckee is
a beautiful writer. There is Just a trace
OF her mothers hand in her penmanship,
but her lines are fine and well drawn, and
one OF her letters looks like copperplate
She signs herself yours most sincerely
when writing to her intimate friends, and
always puts the Harrison in her name.
The cabinet ministers are almost as much
bothered for autographs as the President,
ana 1t is almost impossible to get the sigma
lures OF the cabinet ministers wives The
CABINET ministers are, in some instances
chary about sending out their signatures
broadcast, and none of them likes to give
ms autograph on blank sheets of paper
President Cleveland would not write his
autograph anywhere except in book, for
the reason, he said, that something might
be written over his signature by an IN
scrupulous person and used as an endorse
ment. Still, 1t is not hard to get sigma
tur5 like that of Jeremiah Rusk, the bluff
old secretary of agriculture, who writes a
big, round, schoolboy hand. You could
crowd three of his wifes signatures into
one of his, aud Mrs. Rusk writes a plain.
oid-fashioned screed with no frills or fur
bellows about it. 1t is much like herself.
and looks like the signature of a good,
motherly lady Of the old school Mrs.
Secretary Window would make a good
writing teacher. She has an elegant hand
writing, and her lines are as regular as
those OF a copybook. Every stroke is care
fully made, and one of her letters looks as
though it might have been engraved.
IT is DIFFERENT
with the wife of the secretary of the inter
Tor. Mrs. Noble seems to have no rule
whatever as to the formation of her letters
and 1t would take an expert forger ia
counterfeit one of her signatures. She is
very decided in her views, is q woman of
ideas, and you can almost read her charac-
ter IN her handwriting. She signs herself
LiZabeth Il. Noble, uses plain paper and
answers all OF her correspondence herself
She is very bright woman, and is very
popular in Washington society.
BY all odds the most aristocratic element
outside of the diplomatic counts of orr
Washington circle is that of the supreme
court. The justices are sure of $4,000 a
year for life, and they know they are bound
TO have enough to livein style to the end of
their days. In time,
CERTAIN CODE OF ETIQUETTE
has grown up around them, and the
supreme court circle is like none other
here. The autographs Of the old Judges
are very easy to get, with one or two excep.
tons, Tor the brainy ones among them are
good natured, and are always willing To
oblige the autograph hunter. There is one
crusty man among them. however, and that
Is Justice Gray, of Massachusetts, who
goes out hunting in an English shooting
costume, and has lots of English fads about
him, extending 10 that of exclusiveness
This exclusiveness prevents him from Civ
ing out his autographs promiscuously an6
leads himself to act, at times, in a most oh
Doxious way. His wife, however, is the
daughter of the late Stanley Matthews
and she probably has more of the Demo
cratic manners Of Ohio about her. Mrs
Stanley Matthews is not at all snobbish
and she is one OF the popular woman of the
supreme court circle. She is good CORE
straight up and down hand.
MRS. JUsT1cE MATrH Ews
was married twice, and her first husband
was Judge Theaker, who was Commissioners
OF patents under President Lincoln, ant
was q very distinguished man at the time
OF the war: This writing of autographs
makes me think Of story he once told me
j met him here at Washington. and know
ing that he came from Ohio asked him IL he
was acquainted with Tom CorwiH Eyes I,
he replied, 81 knew Tom Corwin very well
and l have, in fact, one of his autographs
in my pocket which cost me $780,
'sHow is that, iudge!" said l.
sit is just this" he said, and he there
upon pulled out his pocket book and showed
me note of Corwin's in which ne prom
ised to pay Judge Theaker $500 within
thirty days. 81 gave MIR. Corwin this
money" continued Mr.. Theaker "when /
was commissioner OF patents. He came
into my Office and told ne that he wanted
IT. had no bank account in the city, aud
told him had not the money. He replied
that If he could raise it in three DAYS be
could save himself &, 000 and he said he
could raise this if he had my cheek for $500
j gave him the check OF condition that he
would not present it for two days. and
after eie left / borrowed the money and
placed it 10 my credit in the bank 1t was
Gully crawn, aas few days later Corwin
went back to Ohio. This was in October,
1875. IL December he died, and that was
the last | saw CT my money. He was al
WAYS endorsing for other people, and KEEP,
himself poor by paying bail debtsn
Five hundred dollars is a pretty price tc
pay for an autograph. Still, man offered
that much for
ONE OF MRS. GROVER cLEvELAND's SIGMA