The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-01-24

Artist In London.
W written for the American.o
In the great interest that Is taken In
President Rooseveit's daughter. Mrs.
Nicholas Longworth. 1t must not be
forgotten that there Is another laugh
ter Of the White House living in wash.
ington. Mrs. Letitie Tylersempie
was not only a reigning belle in her
day, but she has known the distine
ton Of being the first lady of the land.
She was the mistress of the White
House from September, 1892, shortly
after her mothers death, until. the re.
marriage of her father in the spring
of 1874. A coincidence in the careers
of John Tyler and Theodore Roose-
welt Is that both were nominated for
the Vice Presidency to side.track
them, both were elected to office by
the death of their superiors, ana both
were cut on from communication
when Providence promoted them to
the Presidency. When the messen.
ger bearing the news Of the death OF
President William Henry Harrison
reached the Tyler plantation, in Wiz.
ginia, he found the new executive
playing marbles with the boys in the
front yard.
When 1t is remembered that Mrs.
Semple was a little girl when Lafay-
cite madeh is last visit to America.
and a young lady before the Semin.
ole Indians were finally ,pacifed in
Florida, 1t would seem that she almost
belongs to another age. She saw the
first telegraph wire in the United
States stretched from Washington to
Baltimore, and( later. was given a
piece of the original Atlantic cable by
Samuel F. B. Morse himself. She
was present at the launching Of the
Allegheny, the first iron ship in the
United States Navy to be propelled by
steam. In the days when she was the
daughter of the White House familiar
personages in public life were Daniel
Webster, Henry Clay, John &. Cal
houn, Sam Houston, George Bancroft,
Washington Irving, Andrew Jackson,
John Quincy Adams and Martin Van
Duran. Zachary Taylor had not yet
his spurs in the Mexican war,
and AbrahamaLincoln's gaunt figure
had not yet appeared on the national
horizon.
Never Been There Since.
Mrs. Semple has witnessed four
a in which the United States were
partially or wholly involved-the Tex.
as revolution. the Mexican war, the
Civil war and the Spanish-American
She has een the acquisition Of
the territory now embracing Texas.
California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico,
Colorado, Wyoming. Arizona, Oregon,
Washington, Alaska and the more re-.
cent additions resulting from the war
with Spain. Mrs. semple has seen a
line Of Is Presidents take their seat
in the White House since her dag,
and although repeatedly Invited by all
of them to dine at the first mansion
in the land, she has never accepted
their hospitality. For some reason she
has never been In the White House
since the time when she was its mis-.
tress.
She leads a quiet life. in the Louise
Home for the Aged, in Washington,
where she loves to sit on the quiet
balcony before her room and look
down w the marble court with It's
plans and flowers. On the day I call
ed upon her a messenger from the
White House had just brought her a
box of gorgeous roses from President
Roosevelt. AS I went away this fine
old lady-the other daughter of the
White House-was holding her roses
and listening to the music Of a piano
somewhere OF in the palms. 1 wonder
what her day dreams are like as she
rocks in her easychair and calls up
the memories of that long. long ago?
Knock That Never Came.
John NJ Dixon, of Montana, who will
succeed William A. Clark in the Uni
ted States Senate, in March, tells how
once had an appointment with a
ghost. The incident occurred when
bad man. of Montana, with many
notches on his gun. was hanged for
murder at Missoula, the new sena.