Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1892-09-03
QUAINT CLARA MORRIS.
The Eccentric NamesalSe OF a
Famous American Actress.
Peculiar Circumstances Which Marked
Her Arrival at Washington-How She
Won Hannibal Hamlin's Friendship
Her Present Occupation.
Especial washington letter.

Especial Washington letter.
Everybody who has visited the cap
itol building within the last thirty years
has seen Clara Morris. To see her once
is to remember her for all time; for
her eccentric dress and quaint manner
isms leave an Impression not easily
erased from the mind of any one of the
multitude of sight-seers who pass
through Washington.
OF her first appearance as the capitol,
Capt. Bassett, the venerable attache of
the senate, has this.to say: "Clara Nor
ris came here from New Orleans one
day in 1862, when the senate was in
session. She took seat in the ladies'
gallery, and had my attention called
to her rather forcibly. She was not
fairly seated in the gallery before she
unfolded large American flag and be-
gan waring it in honor. as she said, of
Ienry clay. was sitting in my usual
sSlt to the left of the vice president,
when Hannibal Hamlin, then vice pres
ident of the United States, turned to
me and said: Captain, what is the mat
ter with that woman? VIII you please
go and see?
IL started at once for the gallery and
met her coming down the marble steps
l asked her for an explanation of her
strange conduct, and she said she waved
the flag in honor of Henry Clay, and
asked me by what authority l ques-
toned her. i told her | came from the
vice president; and she then asked an
audience with the presiding officer. l
returned to the senate chamber and
told Mr.. Hamlin what she had said, al
though | had no idea that he would
leave his desk to see this very peculiar
person. However, he was very good
natured about it, and calling one of the
senators to take his place in the chair
for q few minutes, went out into his
room to see her. All of what happened
there do not know, but do know that
he was presented with the flag by Clara
Morris and accepted it in the same spirit
in which it was offered. He kept the
Tag and carried it home with him, and
often afterwards told me that he put
that flag out over his house on every
public occasion. His widow still retains
it as an historical relic"
OF the past of this peculiar woman,
who made her appearance in Washing
ton in such n dramatic manner, little is
known; and her antecedents are
shroudcd in mystery. 1t is known that
she is OF French extraction, and that
she came to this city from New Orleans
during the civil war, drawing public at
tention to herself in the manner above
described, and that is all that is known
of her prior to the year 1862. Her life
in Washington since that time forms an
interesting narrative.
Not long after her advent here, she
secured through the friendship and in,
huence of Hannibal Hamlin little re-
cess in corridor running parallel with
the main entrance to the senate cham
ber. With complacency and self
assurance which has marked her ever
since, she introduced herself to the sen
ate carpenter and induced him to make
her small pine table from some of his
spare boards. This she placed in the
recess, and upon it laid out a stock OF
articles calculated to tempt the unwary
visitor into purchasing. She had little
inexpensive trinkets, guide books O.
Washington, pictures of the capitol ant
other public buildings, and different
sorts of figures modelled out of mace
rated United States paper money. Very
soon Clara Morris, as she called hersel
and came to be called, became famil
lar figure around the capitol. From th'
first, business at her little stand wa
active and constantly on the increase
In time, as her sales grew larger, sh
added to her stock in trade and fnall.