The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-11-05


Havoc in the Cabinet Families.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, Nov. 3.-Another death
n the White House! Will there never
be an end of tragedies in this famous
mansion? Probably not, for though the
seat of power-the highest social and
political pedestal in the land-it cannot
escape the visitations of the dread
monster. Death is no respecter of per
sons, and palace and howell, prince and
pauper, must alike bow the knee to his
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 of
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, Mr.. Halford, passed
away. For several weeks the private
secretary himself lay at deaths door in
the executive mansion. Secretary Pru-
den, of the White House staff, lost his
wife early in the present year. Since
Harrison became president the wives of
three other White House employees have
lied, and four or five children have been
lost from the White House circle. In
I'll these Affections the president and his
late wife performed many acts of deli
cate sympathy, endearing themselves to
;he bereaved. Since he came to Wash
t,ngton as president General Harrison has
.ost sister, and Mrs. Harrisons sister,
Mrs. Scott-Lord, died two years ago.
Death has played havoc in the cabinet
families too. Walker Blaine died with
N stones throw of the executive man
sion from cold taken at a White House
reception. His brother Emmons fol-
lowed him last summer, just after Mr.
Blaine's resignation from the cabinet.
Before that Mrs. Blaine had lost 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
bf his wife and daughter.
Their funeral was held in the White
House, and to this day I find it impos-
sible to enter the palatial East room,
even on such occasions as state re-
teptions, when the great apartment is
thronged with beauty and fashion, and
blight 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 a strong man, a husband and
Father, whose grief was too great for
tears.
/ It is only since the death of Mrs. Har-
tison that more than half dozen per-
sons have known how she, on that sad
occasion, took pity upon the grief of Sec
fetary 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 another of their acts with
in its beautiful walls! Though the White
House is now nearly a hundred years
bid, it is 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, 1871, 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 to
the storm on Inauguration day. Funeral
services were held in the East room.
No sermon was preached, but Rev. Haw-
ley pointed to q Bible and prayer book
lying on table near the bier, which, he
said, had been the daily companions OF
the deceased, and added that but for the
presidents illness he would have united
with the church the previous Sunday.
! The caslzet containing the presidents
remains was placed upon temporary
catafalqae in the East room, and upon it
was pail of black velvet, with a gold
fringe. On the coffin lay the sword OF
justice and the sword of state, surmount-
ed by the scroll of the constitution,
bound together by funeral wreath
formed of the yew and the cypress.
Near the catafalque stood the new presi-
dent, Mr.. Tyler, Daniel Webster. Henry
Clay, John Quincy Adams and other
famous men, the diplomatic corps and
congress being grouped just behind
them. The funeral procession was an
imposing one. Six white horses drew
the funeral car, each horse led by
black groom dressed in white, with
white turban and sash. The military
followed, and fired salute at the vault
in the Congressional cemetery.
Having made start in the home OF
the presidents, death did not wait long
before resuming his labors there. In
September, 1912, Mrs. Tyler, wife of
Harrison's successor, died in the White
House. A sweet pen picture OF Mrs.