River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-09-02
DUMPED PRESIDENT VAN BUREN,
Old Elm Where the Joke Was Played
Has Had Its Day.

The stately old elm on the National
road, Just Is miles out of indianapolis,
! long stood reminder of joke played
on President Van Buren,, in which the
president was unceremoniouslyd dumped
\ out into mire. The incident happened
| late in the sos. Van Buren, had been
occupying the presidential chair some
/ time, and internal improvements were
the order OF the day. Van Buren, was
not favorable TO a reckless expenditure
4 Of money for roads and internal i'm
J provements, and had vetoed several
4 hills which had been lobbied by large
contractors, who were then, as now,
\ quick TO take advantage of the govern
ment.
William Hale. in charge of the stage
/ line from indianapolis to Terre Haute,
was one of these men. The road was
really in a bad condition. President
/ Van Buren, at last decided TO make a
/ trip overland TO the Mississippi to make
a personal investigation of the high
ways. He was to go over the road which
/ led from Indianapolis to Terre Haute.
! Nothing could have pleased Hale better
/ than the announcement that the presi-
| dent was to 90 over the line. 1t vas in
a frightful condition at many points,
and by way of making sure OF settling
/ the presidents mind he planned TO
I dump him into the deepest mire along
4 the road Mason Wright, the driver of
7 the stage. was consulted. and on the
I promise Of - if he would dump the
president into the mire al Plainfield he
/ entered into the scheme.
President Van Buren, completed his
/ business at indianapolis and took the
/ stage for Terre H?ute. The ride out to
/ Plainfield WIS fair good. The driver,
! however, took care to give them all
/ the mud possible. and he found great
/ deal of it. AT last they approached the
/ Quaker settlement. The mud was aw-
I full. The village was reached at last
and the driver pulled up his horses in
I front of great morass in the road. He
/ crooked his neck around and asked the
/ president which way he had better go
/ 10 get around the mire. The president
! looked out and indicated to the right.
\ This was what Wright had anticipated.
/ He followed the directions, ran the
I wheel up oyerthe great roots of the old
I elm, and with crash the stage went
I over.
4 President Van Buren, and his secre-
/ tary shot through the stage door and
into the mire knee deep. They wal
/ lowed in the black stuff, to picl. them
selves out at last thoroughly plastered.
/ An old woman who was near took the
president in charge and with a chip
/ scraped the mud from his broadcloth
/ clothes. lie was taken to the old Me-
| Caslin hotel and given a thorough rub
] bling and a bath.
/ Later he gave reception. The presi-
dent was the laughing stock of all, and
I he took il good natuccdly. Many stories
| are told of how he was mystified by the
old Quakers approaching him and call
ing him by his first name. lie was
quite nonplussed at first by this pre-
I sumption, as he took it, on their part.
That section of Indiana in that day
was somewhat wild. 4 man named Kise
was the leader of a notorious gang. He
! CHANGED to be in town that day and was
/ passing down the road when one of the
old Quakers bailooed at him and told
him that President Van Buren, was
there.
You can tell old Van Buren, to go to
- for me-, replied Kise, who was
smarting under some government ac-
ton. The president heard the remark.
and. turning. smiled, and said:
There's certainly one vote ia Ind
ana won't get"
From the day the president was
dumped out in the mire to the present
the old elm has been a sacred sentinel
to the memory Of the Jolly president.
The improvements that are being made
around il have thus far left the tree
whole. but its days are numbered. and
the surroundings are so changed that
there is little left to help reca i the in
teresting seene.-Chicago Record.