The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-26

WHITE HOUSE BABIES.
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house, Baby Esther was the last Inc
firs- white house baby was also q girl,
and made her debut during the far
away reign of Jackson, back in 1880.
There was the space of 65 years be-
tween the first and the last White
House baby. Who was the first? She
was the daughter of President jack
sons neice, who was the wife OF An
drew Jackson Donaldson.
This latter gentleman was the Thur
Der of his day, and performed as jack
sons private secretary. Mrs. Donald
son, Jaokson's niece, not yet 20, came
with her uncle TO preside at the White
House as its mistress.
This first White House baby, Baby
Donaldson, grew up and married a
Mississippi gentieman-once a congress-
maintained Wilcox. General Wilcox
has now been dead fully 80 years, and
Mrs. Wilcox, who was the first to try
the White House as a place wherein
to be born, has since Grants time been
a clerk in the treasury department.
The first White House baby is an old,
gray lady now and the day Baby
Esther was born she was busy at her
desk in the treasury, not 100 yards from
the last baloy's cradle. President Grant
gave her the position which she now
holds. and which she viii probably hold
until QSaIn the DISl w nut
House baby for himself.
Jacksons administration produced
two more White House babies, both
Donaldsons, both children of his niece.
The second and the third White House
babies were, respectively John Samuel
Donaldson and Rachel Jackson Donald
son-the latter named after the presi-
dents dead wife, for whom to the day
of his own taking off the stern Jackson
mourned like a lover.
The world waited until President Ty-
ler's time for the next White House
baby to be born there. This baby was
Robert Tyler Jones, the child of Presi-
dent Tyler's daughter Mary, whose hus-
band, Captain Jones, was a South
Carolinian. This, the fourth White
House baby-practically the second, for
the two Donaldson babies, the second
and third of the line of White House
babies, died long years ago as chill
dren-grew up to be a soldier of the
Confederacy. He served as captain in
ArmiSteed's brigade, and was wounded
several times. He is dead now, and his
grave is very new. He passed away a
broken, shattered man, in bitter pow
erty, only year ago.
Robert Tyler Jones, the fourth White
House baby, came to Washington fol-
lowing the war. His uncle, a son of
President Tyler, held a slight position
in the treasury. Paralysis seized him,
and this fourth White House baby took
his uncle's place, did the work and
divided the slender salary with him.
About a year before he died he was
dismissed, and after that the fourth
White House baby lived very precari-
ously and was often hungry.
Three weeks before his death Post
master General Wilson gave the fourth
White House baby a place as laborer at
$50 a month. Shattered by wounds,
weakened by privation, the fourth
White House baby only summoned
strength enough to work one day. Then
counts of the fourth White House baby
were closed forever.
It would seem as if the Tyler family
were pursued by a genius of i'll luck.
The grave of the old president at Rich
mond has today no more of stick nor
stone to mark it than the last resting
place of some pauper in some Potter S
field. Neither the state of Virginia, the
mother of presidents, and who behaves
| like a Stepmother in this business of
tombstones, nor yet the United States,
has ever betrayed the slightest interest
in the last resting place of President
Tyler.
Mrs. Letitia Temple, the daughter of
President Tyler, and who presided at
LIS w HllG I1OQSC Ills tcIlIl DIS the
first lady of the land" is now an in
mate of the Louise Home for Aged
Women, an institution built by philan-
thropy and charity. Her patrimony is
IS per month, the pension of her dead
husband as a soldier in the Mexican
war.
Returning to the babies of the white
House: Until Robert Tyler Jones was
dismissed his position two years ago,
the curious searching the treasury,
could find two White House babies,
Mrs. Wilcox and Tyler Jones-earning
their meagre salaries at desks from
which they could overlook the great
house they were born in, not a stones
throw away. But the great house had
changed hands many times since their
cradle days, and the new tenants were
cold strangers to them.
The fifth baby was Julia Dent Grant,
daughter of Colonel Fred Grant who
was born there while her grandfather,
the silent Grant, was president. There
/ is nothing to remark about the fifth
White House baby, beyond the fact
that she was christened in the Blue
room, whereas the Jackson babies had
been christened in the east room, there
being on these occasions many invited
guests, and the proceedings being
marked by fashion Of gentle. loving
mob violence, wherein the president
led Old Hickory loved children almost
as well as he hated the British
There cannot be too many children
said Jackson-and never had one him
self
The sixth White House baby and the
last one-to date-was and is Baby
Esther. When she was born her father
was entitled to remark that of all the
chief magistrates since the dignified
days of Washington in buckles and silk
hose, he, Cleveland, was the first to be-
come a parent during his term of Of
fee.
Thus it will be observed the list of
genuine White House babies is but a
short one. Only six in all-Baby Es-
Their, the last of the line. Three of the
White House babies are dead; the two
Donaldson babies and Tyler Jones, who
died in the coils of abject, savage want
OF the others, the first, gray-haired and
old, bends over her desk for the bread
she eats; the last baby has life untried
before her. There is the record. Nor
would it show that to be born a White
House baby is any absolute advantage.
A howell baby may live to be wiser.
happier and better off.
Electric Bitters.
Electric Bitters is medicine suited
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orally needed when the languid, ex-
hausted feeling prevails, when the liver
is torpid and sluggish, and the need
of a tonic and Alternative is felt. A
nrornpt use of this medicine has often