Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-05-22
ALICE ROOSEvELT'S VIOLIN.
The Fine Instrument Is Presented by
Its Maker to the Presidents
Daughter,

In a small shop O Dryades street, in
New Orleans, Samuel f. Davis ham,
mers away all day long and sometimes
far into the night, fashioning musical
instruments, turning out scroll work
of beautiful design and finish, and oc-
~casionally doing the more prosaic
work of repairing a broken table leg
or a fractured chair rung, says an ex-
change of that city.
He has been working for more than
so years in New Orleans. He was born
in New Jersey and came to this city
in 1S45. How old he is cannot be ascer-
tanned, for this is the one point about
which he maintains the reticence of
an old maid. But he will show the let
ter he received from Secretary Cor
telyou acknowledging the receipt of
the beautiful violin he sent Miss Alice
Roosevelt the other day, and the let
ter he received from Secretary John
Addison Porter acknowledging the re-
ceipt of the model for an electric launch
which Davis sent t. Mr.. Mckinley four
years ago.
The violin which was sent Miss
Roosevelt was made by the old man. 1t
was a gourd-shaped instrument, made
for the most part of mahogany, inlaid
with mother of pearl, and with just
y trimming of cypress. 1t was all the
work of mis- hands except the strings,
which were brought here. He made the
keys. the finger board. the body, and
he fashioned it with rare skill, intend
ing all the time to make for The daugh-
ter of the president something which
she will keep. 1t was a beautiful piece
of craftsmanship, daintily curved, ex-
quisitely touched, and it had a tone
rare and sweet. 81 worked on the vic.
lin for months" he said. 81 had no in
tention at first of presenting it to Miss
Roosevelt, but, as | progressed with it
and saw it was going to be the best
work of my days, l determined to send
it to the presidents daughter. 1t was
assuredly a good instrument - one
which sounded better than any | have
seen. | thought she would appreciate
it, and l am sur she does. You see
the letter from the presidents secre-
larry thanking me for it."
Then he took down a model and
began to explain the shape and finish
of the violin, and how carefully he
selected each piece of the wood which
went into it, how they would produce
the harmony which he desired, and
how he played it for days and days
in the loneliness of his shop in order
to be sure the work was good.
"When President Mckinley was
elected" the old man went on to say
81 made up my mind to send him a
souvenir, and | made the model of an
electric launch. This, too, cost me
months of labor, but | was proud of it,
because there was not a detail missing
1t took some of my finest saws to get
the curves right, though, and it took
all my little knowledge of sea craft
to get the lines right. But | finally
succeeded and sent it to the president
with a letter wishing him health ano
prosperity. In return | got a letter
from Mr.. Porter, which you have
seen"
Davis has in his shop an instrument
which he calls a double guitar. 1t is
two instruments joined on the prin
4ciple of the tongue and groove, ant
can be played as one or taken apart
as the player desires. He said he die
not make this entirely, but the idea
originated with him, and he made the
second instrument and the j%ointure
He has been playing in bands and mu
steal organizations for nearly thirty
years, he says, but now he finds it M