The National tribune., 1904-08-04

'Uncle" Jerry Smith is dead. and there
isn't a person who has ever known the
faithful old black man who is not grieved.
Uncle Jerry was the official White
House buster. Just so years this Sum-
mer it is, since he entered the employ of
Mrs. Grant her footman. Jerry was
about to years old though he didn't know
just exactly. and was born on the "East'n
ShO'" of Maryland. He was one of the
rare, old-style colored men whom you could
trust with a million dollars and know you
would find it right where you left it if you
didn't come back for ID years He was a
born ''gem'man." old Jerry was. with the
stately old-time manners that were at one
and the same time compliments and yet
said AT yo' service, Miss as plainly as
though uttered in words. Jerry was big
fellow. and must have been a splendid
specimen of a man in his younger days,
but for the last 20 years he had had n
''powahful Misty" in the shape of rheum-
atism. which left him much less agile than
he liked.
He hated tobacco in any form, and the
only times he ever got ''riled' was when
he had to pick up, in his round of cleaning
the foul-smelling half-chewed stumps of
cigars and guilds of the weed that people
who visited the White House threw into
dark corners. He always wore a white
busting tours. and he was always lat it.
He hated dust nearly as much as he did
tobacco. His particular care was the pr-
vate office of the President. He watched
this room like Il hawk, and the instant the
President left it for half an hour, Jerry
had the servants in there with the carpet
Sweepers. the window was thrown up and
the room was given cleaning las was a
cleaning" He did this half dozen times
a day. or until the President left the office
for the day, when all the furniture came
out for a regular cleaning. and the room
was made sweet enough for brides bou-
doir. Jerry was always very fond of all
the wives of the Presidents. but he prob
ably liked Mrs. Mckinley better than any
of the others. so she appeal to we-all so
powahful. kase she so helpless" Jerry sa id
sympathetically, when talking about the
different women who had been First lady
of the land since he had been in the
White House.
Tt was cancer which finally DESTROYED
Jerry. but there is no doubt at all that the
poor old fellows heart was almost broken
a few years ago. Part of his duties was to
raise the Flag over the White House. and
that mOrning-it was during a critical
period of the Cuban war-Jerry raised the
Flag with the blue field down. Oh. my
goodness. what rumpus it did raise! The
phones in the White House replying to the
heated inquiries as to What was up?'
Finally some one had sense enough to ask
why these inquiries were being fired in,
and was informed of the condition the
Flag was in. OF course, Jerry caught
Hail Columbia and it was anything but
a happy land for him afterward, because
they took that privilege away from him.
Poor old Jerry. Use raise that Flag for
20 year an mo-" he declared to friend.
with tears in his eyes. "Op Jerry bout
raidy TIL go now. / reckOns. He ain no
good no mo-" But they let Jerry continue
his busting till a few months ago. when he
was taken with the final illness which sent
him to bed never to rise again.
just before President Roosevelt went to
Oyster Bay. he went with Secretary Loeb
to call on Jerry. His home is a pretty
little place. and he had a fine family of
grown-up children of whom he was very
proud. The President took Jerry some
flowers, and remained talking to him for
half an hour. The visit made Jerry very
happy, for he was always devotediy at
tached to the President. Last Thursday
Jerry was buried. On his coffin rested
flowers from the President, Mrs. Roose-
Welt and many members of the Cabinet.
He was remembered by newspaper CORE
spOndents and by many others who had
come in contact with Jerry during the 80
years he had been White House facto-
tum. Jerry never aspired to be much ex-
cept a gem man. as he understood the
word. ''My skin is black, it suttn'ly isl
he declared once, 'but that dom make my
heart black. no. indeed. The good Lawd.
lie say. Jerry, you act white, an white
folks ain goin' tn hut yo. they suttn'ly
won an they ain, deed they aim"
Jerry's life would be splendid example
for the smart Alec Youngsters of his race.
What Jerry did he did well. He recog-
nlZed his limitations to education and
ability, and he determined to be a good
man. doing his duty the very best way he
could. deeming that that would win i'm the
end. And it has. He never presumed on
his acquaintance with public men. yet
when his kind old black face was hidden
away under the casket lid the other day the.
heart Of the President of the United States
was grieved, the wife of that President
shed tears, and the children wept because
trusted friend was gone. In his higher
station i'm life Booker Washington will be
regretted in just the same way when he
goes. They are both splendid examples to
1ollow-the servant and the served.
The Washington Monument was struck
by lightning the other day. 1t has been
struck a number of times, but seldom
when anybody was in it to tell what the
sensation is like. The big elevator, which
1t takes ID minutes to go to the top of the
Monument, was about half way down
when the bolt fell, putting out the electric
lights, burning out the telephone fuses, and
nearly frightening the people in the ele-
yator into fits.
One OF those in the elevator described
the stroke" as follows:
AT first there was a great crash" he
said. "as though the monument had sud
denly collapsed and fallen inward This
was Immediately followed by a binding
fash, a cracking sound, and then BLUSH
illumination which pervaded the interior Of
the shaft from top to bottom. A few mo-
ments later there was strong sulphurous
odor. | was dazed and partly blinded. and
felt as though l had been in a railroad
wreck. One peculiar thing about it all
was that my hair stood on ends for fully
1O seconds after the explosion"
The startling word came to washington
the other day that Democratic Vice-Presi-
dental nominee Davis, who is also two
years over an octogenarian, was about to
take second wife. 1t is true, the second
choice picked out by the public as suitable