The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-01-19
GAVE CADETS MAIL
FOR FORTY YEARS
New work HeraId.D


! Miss Blanche Berard. who for nearly
/ forty years was pcstmistress at West
I Point. and who is known by nearly all
/ the officers of the regular army, was
/ stricken with paralysis late Tuesday
/ night al her home. on Hackensack
! heights, HaCkensack y. J.
/ Miss BeTaTd is "A years old She is
/ the youngest daughter of the late
/ Claudius Berard, who was professor Of
French at the military academy from
/ 1875 TO 1916.
Administrations changed and poIiti-
] cal upheavals drove OfficehOlders from
/ every branch of the service. but Miss
/ Berard remained West Points postmis-
! tress from the time of her appointment
I until 1897. No one attempted to have
! her removed until soon after the begin
ming Of Mr. Clevelands first admins
ira tion.
Professor Berard died in 1876. Ieav-
/ ing widow and several small chill
I dren. When his affairs were settled il
/ was found that little remained for the
/ family. Friends at Washington OBJ
/ tanned therpostoffice at West Point for
/ Mrs Berard. and when she died her
| daughter succeeded her.
/ One morning early in President
! CleVelandS first term d fOTmidab BILE
! looking letter arrived for the pOstmis-
/ tresS. It was a notice of her removal,
! with instructions to turn the Office over
! to a new DOS master. who would pre-
/ sent credentials within twenty-four
{ hours.
/ The appointee was a Newburg man
I and q leading light in the STATE Demo-
cratic machine. He was on time with
/ papers showing his authority. but Miss
Berard refused to give up the office un-
I iii her friends had a chance to see the
1 president
The Ney~bI1rpr man was inclined fo
/ take fOrcibie possession, but when he
/ saw several soldiers with fixed bsyo-
mes walking in front of the house, he
/ decided TO wait.
When the appointment was pub
/ iished strong protest was made by
I the military authorities. and petitions
( from all parts of the country poured in
on the president.
Miss Berard's friends began work at
once. and, it is said. J. PierpOnt Nor
gan hurried to Washington and used
his friendly offices. When President
Cleveland learned the true situation he
reScinded the Newburg mans appoint
ment and the aged postmistress gained
a signal victory.
She was renominated IN January. 1897.
for four years. and the senate quickly
confirmed the appointment. Three
I months later. on March a. 1897. she
resigned. SO as 10 give her care to her
Z u
When Miss Rerard's father was pro
fesOsr in the academy she was the
reignins belle at West Point Grant,
sherman Sheridan and many other
generals who took conspicuous parts in
/ the civil war, never failed to call on
/ her whenever they visited West Point.
Early in life Miss Berard had a sad
romance. She was a great favorite
/ among the cadets, but of all who visited
the little cottage at the foot of the
hill, only one was more than a friend.
soon after he was graduated ne was de-
tailed TO West Point and report had il
/ that he and Miss Berard were to be
married.
Il was his duty occasionally to take
troop of cadets through the noun
tainS- Before going one day he called
at she Berard cottage. Miss Blanche
went 20 the door and saw him mount
a. restless horse. She warned him to be
careful. He turned i'm his saddle to re-
ply. when the animal plunged and the
young officer was thrown headlong.
/ One foot was caught i'm the stirrup and
/ he was dragged a long distance. He
| died the next day. Miss Berard never
/ gave announcement TO another sutton