The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-04-26

son." said the lady, "who preserved her
quaint Quakerish simplicity and dignity
ooth IN speech and manner, and whose
heart was as warm as her manners were
cordial. Mrs. Madison's dress was also
modelled after the Quakerish idea, and the
turban of fine white lawn, which always
appears IN her pictures, was worn at all
umes and was very becoming to her. l also
olstlnctly remember the peculiar ornament
always attached to this turban. Directly
ABOVE her forehead, and securely pinned to
the folds OF the turban, she wore minia
ture OF Mr.. Madison, an eXquisitely
painted portrait set around with pearls.
linen Mrs. Madison was rarely seen with
out little red cancels hair shawl drawn
ABOUT ner shoulders and pinned Quaker
fashion over her bosom"
MRS. Semple finds nothing really progress
slVe IN the long sleeves and high choker of
the women of today. ''Decollete gowns
were then the regulation evening dress, but
not, she said, sin such an extreme of fash
ION as is often seen today. and the little
Donnets of to-day, tiny affairs perched on the
back of woman's head, leaving her face
exposed, making a woman look as though
she could face cannon, are not IN accord
with former notions of modesty and pro-
pretty"
WHY PHILLIP SPENCER DIED.
The calamities which have overtaken the
cabinet families of this administration re-
called to Mrs. Semple calamity that was a
disgrace as well, which had fallen upon her
father's secretary of the treasury, John G.
Spencer. 1.-THE secretary she said, twas
a marsh man in his family, very severe with
his children, while his wife, very gentle
and peaceloving woman, was a most de-
voted mother and made herself the shield
between the children and their fathers
seventies. Phillip, the eldest son, was q
cadet at that time, and during a cruise on
the brig Somers, he was detected at the head
OF conspiracy to seize the vessel and trans
form her into pirate. Being out of United
States water, Captain Mckenzie ordered a
urum mead court martial, and Phillip Spen-
Ger with the mate and boatsWain were con-
demned, hung to the yard-arm and dropped
into tne ocean. The captain returned at
once, making a full report, and while society
was terribly shocked, the captain was justi-
he'd by public sentiment as well as acquitted
when tried by court martial. When nv
er-ln-law, Mrs Tyler, visited Mrs.
Spencer in her dreadful grief, the poor
woman cried: oh, my poor Phillip! This
Is the result OF an over stern father and an
over lndulgent motherr Another of his
sons ran away from home, and none of his
children, believe, Were credit to him"
sToNRWALL JACKSON, GRANT AND SHERIDAN
AS CADETS.
Mrs. Semple referred to certain lads
whom her father had commissioned as ca
dets VINO had since risen to national promi-
nence. Among these were Generals Grant
and Sheridan and the late Admiral Porter
II DO not recall their faces, ''said the old lady
thoughtfully, trying to reach back over
III ty years OF time, Though must have met
them at some of our levees in the White
House, but they were then of no more i'm
portance than the many other young men
in school,
One incident relating to another historical
hgure OF the late unpleasantness she re-
called with satisfaction.
"One day the doorkeeper came to my
father and said: There is a young man ont
here who is very anxious to see you Heis
from Virginia, and has walked al the way
from Lexington to ask for a commission to
West Point and he brings with him letter
CT introduction Show him in said nv
father; and after he had received and talked
with the travel stained young man, he sent
for his private secretary, General Tyler,
and said Go over to Acknowledgement
Jones and have a commission made out for
this young man. There's metal in him
This boy was Thomas Jefferson Jackson"
THE WHITE HOUSE MALARIA.
a reference to the sanitary condition of
the w hlte House caused its former mistress
to observe smilingly: These complaints
are as old as the White House itself, and
Mrs. Harrison employs such improvements
as Dolly Madison never dreamed OF. Dur
ing our residence the canal still ran through
the white lot, and when the south wind
came you can imagine the results. Mr.. Van
6uren would not live there at all, and every
president and family since have had more
Dr. less OF mlasma along with their honors."
THE CoNFEDERACY AND ITS FLAG.
But the temporary novelty of the White
House is evidently of much less value TO
THIS proud old lady than the more permanent
glory of the Tyler family and it's achieve
nents IN connection with Virginia history.
Ii was with all the fire and fervor of youth
that this daughter of old Virginia dwelt
upon the ancient grandeur of her state, and
e-affirmed her loyalty TO this discrowned
queen. Touching upon the war, she said
With satisfaction: My mothers family
alone furnished LOCO soldiers TO the South |
ern Confederacy. They came from the east
and west from the north and even from
Europe to take up the cause of Virginia. l |
had not one relative who proved traitor
TO Virginia. Butt she continued "tbe
struggle between love of the Union and love
d state that took place in the mind of
Robert L. Lee was a universal one in the
minds of Virginians. What thai decision
cost US, only we who had to make it will
ever know. 1t was my father who came TO
the capital as a member of the peace com
mission, but when he was met by the reply:
We have our foot upon the serpent of slay- |
cry ana we Will not go back until it is !
he returned to Virginia and to her |
cause. We believed we had the right to |
'ecede Why was nothing said when Massa- |
'husetts threatened to leave the Union dur |
ng the trouble over Texas! No one cues |
Toned her right to 90 out if she wished. |
3ut," she said, ''let me show you a picture
If the real Confederate flag, as very few |
persons know the difference between the |
authorized flag of then and those carried |
'arller IN the war" And Mrs. Semple |
pointed to small copy in oil Of the flag, |
picture hung conspicuously on the wall |
ramed In narrow band of furnished gilt,
t was white flag on which a blue field !
vas crossed by star sprinklod bars of red.
'ut Its popularity was broad band of red |
ttached crossuies on the free end. "This
Lag, she explained, without the red stripe
vas the original accepted design for the
southern Confederacy, but when it was
displayed on tie mast head, it was found
hat when the flag was at rest the blue field
vas concealed and it appeared like flag of
ruce. TO save time and forbid any notion
I a nag Of truce, it was hastily decided to
id this red band.n And so the painted
hadow of a dream hangs in my lady's cham
er, the ghost of a protest still awake in her
cart.
Among the incidents of the earlier days
I the war, Mrs. Semple relates with pride
ne loyalty OF young Eugene Chapman,
whose father painted the Baptism of Poca
ontas'' which how hangs in the rotunda of
dc capitol. The boy had been brought ND
y his artist father almost entjrelv abroad
nd when the war broke out he was in
Tome studying art. When the news reached
I'm he threw down brush and palette, cut
bose from Ihe only life he lsnntr fnrcrnt IL