The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-01-23

George Bancroft. Washington Irving
Andrew Jackson. John Quincy Adams
and Martin Van Buren,. Zachary TAYLOR
had not yet won his spurs i'm the Mexi-
can war and Abraham Linc0ln's gaunt
figure had not yet appeared on the ma
tionaI horizon.
Mrs. Semple has witnessed four wars
in which the United states were partially
or wholly involved-the Texas revolution.
the Mexican war, the civil war. and the
STanish-American war. She has seen the
acquisition of the territory now embrac-
ing Texas California, Nevada. Utah.
New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming Ari-
iona, Oregon, Washington, Alaska. and
the more recent additions resulting from
the war with Spain. Mrs. SempIe has
seen line OF fifteen Presidents take their
seat in the White House since her day.
and although repeatedly invited by an Of
them to dine 1T the first mansion in the
land. she has never accepted their hospi-
tality. For some reason she has never
been i'm the White House since the time
when she was its mistress.
She leads a quiet life in the Louise
Home for the Aged in Washington
where she loves to sit on the quiet bal
eony before her room and look down over
the marble court with its palms and
flowers. On the day I called upon her
messenger from the White House had
just brought her a box Of gorgeous. roses
away, this fine old lady-the other daugh-
ter of The White HoUse-was holding her
roses and listening TO the music Of
piano somewhere Off i'm the palms. /
wonder what her day dreams are like as
she rocks in her easy chair and calls up
the memories Of that long, long ago?
John NJ. Nixon, of Montana. who Will
succeed William A Clark in the United
States Senate I'm March. tells how he
once had an appointment with a ghost
The incident occurred when a bad man"
OF Montana, with many notches on his
gun, was hanged for murder at AIisoula.
the new Senator's home The condemned
man looked forward to his end with for
utude and told Mr.. Dixon that he was
certain there was an after life. and that
the immortal part Of man could go about
freely after death. He made a solemn
pledge that he would come and tap on
Mr.. DiXon's door in Washington at mid
night on the day Of the hanging. On the
date Of the execution Mr. Dixon sat up
until midnight, but there was no knock
lie was about 10 retire in disappointment
when he happened 10 remember that
there was difference Of three hours be-
tween the time i'm Montana and Washing
ton, and that probably the ghost was
running on the Western schedule. He
waited three hours more. but the knock
never came. After this Unfulhlment Mr.
Dixon does not believe in ghosts. but he
thinks De is the first man on earth 10
direct speculative inquiry as TO what time
is kept in the Great Beyond.
The first woman civil engineer in the
United States IS Miss Nora Stanton
Blatch granddaughter Of Elizabeth Cadv
Stanton. She was recently appointed q
member OF the staff of civil engineers
having in charge the work on the new
I6o0)0,o0 CatskiU system that has been
added To the New York water SUNNY.
Miss Batch received her training al Cor
nell, where she was the only woman in
the class At first 10 is said the men
students DurpOsely chose long trails. hard
climbs. and almost impossible barriers in
the attempt TO tire her out. but she
dOEHed short skirts and boomers and
managed to keep up with the best of
them. thus winning their respect and adj
miration. Before her election to this STAFF
Miss Batch was offered most fatterinp
position in China the offer coming
through a high-class Chinese official sent
here 10 organize a corps Of engineers for
work in the Flowery Kingdom. She was
recently elected Il member of the Aroeri-
can Society of Engineers, and was the
first woman to be so honored.
At the time of the great disaster in
san Francisco, many people encountered
experiences there which were almost as
unusual and unexpected as the earth
quake itself Willie Golfers theatrical
company was just ready TO sail from that
port TO Australia, and as q result Of being
alive and evidently able-bodied. ali the
men in the company were rounded I'D
by the entorprising soldiers and put TO
work The tasks were labor of the hard
est kind, and Mr. Collier was required TO
shuck his coat and work for three hours
lifting heavy timbers and clearing away
debris John Barrymore. a brother of the
actress. Ethel Barrymore. was put 10
trench digging for the prescribed three
hours BY his side was the secretary of