The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-09
LITTLE STORIES OF NOTABLE AMERICANS Betty Bliss, Dolly Madison'S
 Friend, Still Living STORY OF JOHN BARRETT Remarkable Life of John D. Porter of NashviIle-MaJor Hersey Dares
 Much for the Weather
 Bureau.
STORY OF JOHN BARRETT
BY FREDERIC j. HAsklN.

Betty Bliss the last mistress of tn @ White House who received Dolly Madi- son, is living in quiet retirement at Winch ester, Va. The life experience of this charming old lady Is intimately connected with every epoch of our na- tional history. When Gen. Zachary Taylor came to the White House as President in 1S49. Mrs. Taylor declined to assume the responsibilities of mis- tress of the first house In the land. She had objected to General Taylor's can didacy, and had described 1t as "con- spriacy to deprive her of his company and to shorten his life by unnecessary cares" The duties of hostess fell upon the shoulders of the Presidents younger daughter Elizabeth, who had married Major William ". s. Bliss, and who was then known far and wide as the beautiful Betty Bliss.
 Mrs. Bliss did the honors of the establishment with the artlessness of a rustic belle, and the grace of a duchess" At her first reception the most interesting figure was that of Mrs. Madison, who had come from her home across the square to the White House, where she had once reigned so brilliant 1y. and from which she was once forced to flee by the British soldiery. Mrs. Madison always wore a turban, and in 1S49 turbans had been long out of style. It is recorded that Betty Bliss said such pretty thing about the par ticular turban Mrs. Madison wore that day that the venerable old lady was delighted with the 23year- old girl who had taken her place as the First Lady of the land.
 Within n few months Dolly Madison had passed away. She had been inti- mately acquainted with all the men of affairs of the country since Washing A tons administration, and had exerted no little influence in politics. The next year General Taylor died, seemingly fulfilling the dire prophecy of his wife, and the Taylor regime at the White House gave way for the Fillmores Major Bliss lived but three years more and for some time Betty Bliss was pretty widow at Winch ester. Then she married a nephew of Martha Washing ton, Philip Dandridge, who died several years ago. Mrs. Dandridge is now S1 years old.
 Her elder sister. Sarah, was the first wife of Jefferson Davis. Just after the Black Hawk war Zachary Taylor was a colonel at a northwestern army post and Jefferson Davis a lieutenant Col onel Taylor did not wish his daughter to marry army officer, because army officers received such poor pay and had such :orry pro cspects. The mar riaEe was arranged without the pa ternal consent and Mir. Davis resigned from the army and removed to Misss- sippi. His wife did not long survive. Mrs. Dandridge is devoted to her step- son, Capt. W. F. Dandridge of Frank fort, Ky. Captain Dandridge wears, as 8 gift from her. the watch which be- longed to Major Bliss and the watch chain worn by General Taylor during the Mexican war.
 John Barrett, director of the bureau of American republics, the only man on earth who owes official allegiance to twenty-one governments frequently sees his name in the newspapers. AS a prominent member of the diplomatic corps, and as well known man in Washington, he has been much writ ten about, but it is doubtful if anything that could be said about him in print 1 would so delight his soul as that first mention of his name in a Boston paper nearly thirty years ago. Croquet was a popular game then, and Norwich Conn.,, was a meeting place for the greatest croquet players of New Eng land. John was only 12 years old then He played with the other children in ,it,rr Tn h St1 as "caddy" for his elders on the croquet grounds of his native town of Grafton Vt. The champion of the big annual meet at Norwich was touring New Eng land. playing exhibition games with the local town champions, and he came to Grafton. He went out for little prac tice to acquaint himself with the ground and asked one of the "caddies" to play with him so he could have a ball to work on. John Barrett was put forward. He played the champion to a stands still and was defeated only at the last wicket. The Boston papers made big story of the scare given the great croquet champion by a Vermont boy, and the next day John saw his name in a newspaper for the first time.
 James D. Porter, chancellor of the l University of Nashville and former governor of Tennessee is the only liv-
 
 having founded polic.cal party whose candidate for President carried three states In the d d,ss before the civil war. When Mir. Po"ter Vas q young man in bis 20s he was elected 70 the Tennes- see legislature. He immediately be- came prominent in the small group of whigs the remaining in politics. The political storm of 1860 was coming on, and tie division of the democratic party was inevitable.
 One night MT. Porter called a conference which was attended by five other members of the legislature who were adherents of old-fashoned whggery They talked over the situation. and when MT. Porter sug gested the formation of a new party and | the nomination of John Bell for president l he found hearty encouragement. Thus the movement was started in Tennessee. It grew rapidly and the regular formation of the constitutional union party was the result. The party nominated John Bell of Tennessee for president and Edward | Everett of Massachusetts for vice pres ident. Its platform and battle cry was: | "The Constitution the Union. and the 1 Enforcement of the Laws" The border states of Kentucky. Tennessee and Vir- ginia where unonism was strong but where the new republican party could | obtain no foothold, welcomed the old 1 Whig leader and the new party. The division of the democratic forces between Douglas and Breckenridge threw these states for the constitutional union ticket and in the electoral college Bell and | Everett received thirtV-nra votes