The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-10-25
MONTGOMERY HAS BEEN HOST
 TO MANY NOTED AMERICANS
Lafayette, Van Buren, Clay, Kossuh, Filmore William walker, Jefferson Davis, Cleveland. Mckinley, Law
 ton and Roosevelt We're City's Guests.

A
 gattenaed the ball and who, lived tc talk of it for many years afterwards Mrs. James Fountain, now living at . remarkable old age was one of the lit- tie flower girls that sprinkled his path way with the blossoms of the season. The ceiling was so low and the General so tall that 1t was said that he was in l constant danger of pumping his head. At an early fcur General Lafayette | left the ball and went to the home of Colonel John Edmonson, which was To- | cated on Commerce Street, little be- | low the present building of the First National Bank. The fine mirror which was in his room that night is owned by Mrs. Lucy Winter Lahey of Mont lgomery.
 1 The next day General Lafayette left thusiastic reception was given him.
 Duke of saxe-Weimar. The next year, in January, 1928. the | reigning Duke of Saxe- e-Weimar visited Montgomery, incognito. but his identi- | ty was discovered and he was warmly entertained by the citizens of the | thriving village of Montgomery. Hc was at that time making a tour of all the States of the Union. He was a highly cultured man and his reign was one of the most notable in the history of his country. His splendid address i and manners charmed the citizens of early Montgomery.
 Martin Van Buren, fresh from the office of President of the United States came to Montgomery on April 3, 1S42 He was accompanied by James K. Paulding, a well known man of letters who had been Secretary of State in his cabinet, and by Joel R. Poinsett of | North Carolina, who had been Secre- tary of War in the same cabinet. The Su~kxx a.~ts G-A. A. | night and next day attended two | church services. While the ex-Presi- dent met and greeted the people of Montgomery with great cordiality he declined the proffer of a public dinner | made by the Mayor and Aldermen of the city of Montgomery.
 The Great Commoner' Henry Clay ! came to Montgomery from Mobile on March 8, 1S44. Accompanying him on that trip with a party of Mobilians was Mrs. Octavia LeVert Walton, the famous writer and novelist of Mobile MT. Clay was met at the river wharf | by great throng of people from Mont gomery and the surrounding country, | who gave him a rousing welcome From there he was escorted to large | warehouse where he addressed the peo- pie and stirred them to enthusiasm as only Henry Clay could. Mir. Clay spent two days in Montgomery
 K0ssuth's Visit.
 Louis KOssuth, the great Hungarian l who made his name synonomous with patriotism, was a guest of Montgom- cry in 1852. He delivered an address to the people of the city at Concert Hall on April and aroused unbounded enthusiasm in behalf of his struggling and suffering country. Kossuth 1t | will be recalled, toured the United | States to arouse the Americans to the help of the Hungarian patriots. In the pursuance of this purpose he made his | Montgomery address.
 Some fifty years ago. or to be exact, 1 in April, 1854. Willard Fillmore, ex- President of the United States, ad- dressed the people of Montgomery from stand built on the spot from which President Theodore Roosevelt spoke yesterday. Fillmore Is remem- bered by Montgomerians as perhaps the handsomest man that ever visited the city. His address was devoted to l a defense of his act in signing the Fugitive Slave Law. an act which had | made him the subject for more or less criticism throughout the North. MT. FlImore was accompanied by James P. Kennedy, the brilliant man of letters who had been a member of the Fillmore cabinet. Kennedy was the author of the famous Revolutionary
 
 of brave American scout and spy. If was well known to the people of Ala bama, that the original of that story had shortly after war moved to Ala bama and lived for nearly half a cen- tury near Tuscaloosa. For that reason MT. Kennedy was given an especially warm welcome in Alabama. The marty or the ex-President came up the Ala bama in the river steamer Magnolia. '' A local committee, headed by Mayor .. K. Hansford and Henry w. Hi1- Hard went down the river on another boat and met the boat of the PresI- dent. As the party came into view of the city they were greeted by a fusi- Jade of musketry fired by the Mont gomery Blues and the Montgomery Greys who were drawn Up along the river bank.
 While In the city the ex-Presiden, and MT. Kennedy were entertained by Henry W. Hilliard, B. S. BIbb and colonel John Owen and at these enter ,alnments they met the people of the sey or Montgomery. They spent three days in the city.
 IL will be observed that the early Presidents were not so strenuous. and no such ground coverers as President roosevelt. They would probably have thrown up their hands in horror if if was suggested to them that they could cover tour Of four cities of Alabama in one uay and that they could visit. see ana deliver an address in Montgomery m two hours. This Is a faster age than the age in which they lived.
 Noted Filibuster's Advent.
 General William Walker, that pict uresque soldier of fortune, who fought any number of wars and who all but established government with him at the head of it, In Nicaragua was an honored visitor to Montgomery in January, 1858. He addressed A great crowd In the Hall of Representatives and there, too, he was given a ereat ovation. Montgomerians learned some years later with pathetic interest Inf this brave and picturesque leaders death against wall with a firing squad before him.
 Montgomery in 1s47 entertained two men who were at that time popular heroes. They were General James Shields and General James Quitman General Shields had the remarkable record of having represented three separate States, in the United States Senate. California, Illinois and Missouri record that no other man in public life of this or any other generation ir the Union has equalled
 General Shields and General Quitmar were in Montgomery within a week oi each other in December, 1847. Bott were greeted at the capitol by the Ala.
 bama Legislature and by the people of Montgomery.