Arizona republican., 1892-11-27

FIRST FUNERAL AT THE WHITE HOUSE political pedestal in the land-it canno escape the visitations of the dread monster. Death is no respecter of per sons, and palace and hovel, prince ant pauper, must alike bow the knee to hi tyranny. As the White House record stands today, its first and last deaths were in the Harrison family. Never before, however, has an administration been so sadly marked by the tragedy oi nature in the White House and the i'm mediate circle revolving around it.
 The presidents wife died last week Less than two years ago the wife of his private secretary, Mir. Halford, passed away. For several weeks the privat, secretary himself lay at deaths door il the executive mansion. Secretary Pru den, of the White House staff, lost hi: wife early in the present year. Since Harrison becamepresident the wives of three other White House employees have died, and four or five children have been lost from the White House circle. In all these afflictions the president and his late wife performed many acts of deli. cate sympathy, endearing themselves to the bereaved. Since he came to Wash. ington as president General Harrison has lost a sister, and Mrs. Harrison's sister, Mrs, Scott-Lord, died two years ago.
 Death has played havoc in the cabinet families too. Walker Blaine died with. in stones throw of the executive man sion from a cold taken at White House reception. His brother Emmons fol. lowed him last summer, just after Mir Blaine's resignation from the cabinet. Before that Mrs. Blaine had lost a sister. Other cabinet families have had bereave- ments among their near kin, but the most terrible tragedy of all, saddest scene perhaps the great East room of the White House ever knew--and it has had more than its share of tragedies-was when, in the dawn of morning, fire and smoke combined to rob Secretary Tracy of his wife and daughter.
 Their funeral was held in the White House, and to this day find it impos- sible to enter the palatial East room, even on such occasions as state re- oeptions, when the great apartment is thronged with beauty and fashion, and ahght with smiles and laughter, without thinking of the afternoon when the blackened remains of mother and daughter lay there side by side, and near them stood strong man, a husband and father, whose grief was too great for tears.
 It is only since the death of Mrs. Har- rison that more than half dozen per sons have known how she, on that sad occasion, took pity upon the grief of Sec retary Tracy, sympathized as only a woman could with his yearning again to behold the face of his wife, and with her own hands, alone and secretly, opened the caSket as it lay in the East room, spread flowers over the cruel wounds the fire had made, and then led the secretary to the spot and left him there with his dead.
 How many such scenes the East room has witnessed-how many tragedies have played one or anothero of their acts with in it's beautiful walls! Though the White House is now nearly hundred years old, it is a remarkable fact that for more than forty years not one death occurred in the families of it's inmates. During the last half century the grim reaper has more than made up for lost time.
 April 4, 1S4l, the presidents house was for the first time wrapped in mourn ing. On that day President William Henry Harrison died, just one month after his inauguration, his fatal illness having been brought on by exposure 10 the storm on inauguration day. Funeral services were held in the East room. No sermon was preached, but Rev. flaw.