davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-02-11

night. often remaining until long AFTER
midnight beside the operators al thelF
keys Colonel Crooks recollection OF the
President on these night pilsFlmaSes 10
the news center presents an uuusuoi PIC
tare of the mighty LinColn-tne tati hs
ure striding beside him In the gIoon'
wrapped in the rough gray sna"' ut III
variabiy wore on such night eApeuIIlohs'
and with mis- tall beaver hat emphasizing
his enormous height. WithaI, Lincoln
kindness OF heart sh0ne through MS
preoccupation for occasionally ne would
draw his bodyguard 10 his side ana Walk
some PAGES hand in hand or arm III arm
with the younger man.
1t fell to the lot of Colonel CROOK early
in his career under Lincoln. TO naugu-
rate what has since been an lhNarlaoie
rule at the White House-that against
permitting guests at the White rouse re-
ceptions TO enter the presence OF the
President clad in voluminous cIosks or
other garments that might reauAIy con-
ceal weapons. Nowadays no WOMAN car
rytng Il muff or man with ms nahds
thrust deep into the pocket OF an over
coat would be permitted TO approach the
President, but until the latter part OF
the Lincoln administration such pFecau-
lions had not been dreamed OF. Oh the
night on which Colonel Crook nrst put
the innovation into practice ne eocoun-
tered some vigorous protests TON some
OF the White House guests, notaDIy t2e
famous Kate Chase Sprague, WHO en.efeo
wearing a wrap that completely ND her
dress. but the young and rather nsfvous
bodyguard kept his temper ana Nnea rs
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-02-11

lighter moods were in no wise so pleas
ingIy disclosed as when be Tomped up and
down the long upper corridor of the
White House with Tad, playing all sorts
Of juvenile games. II was for Tad's sake,
too, that Lincoln. accompanied by body
guard Crook, made frequent visits to
quaint little toy shop. stir in existence,
a couple of blocks from the White House,
and there in his rare intervals Of leisure
sought new p!aythngs for the little lad
who occupied the largest place In his
heart
Crook who had been on duty with the
President all day, did not accompany Lin
coin to Ford's Theater the night Of the
assassination. He always refers to his alb
sence with a certain regret. for he had
special system of his own for guarding
the Chief Magistrate on such public APP
pearances. and he is convinced to this
day that If he had been at his usual sta
ton at the door of the President box
Booth would never have passed him.
There would seem to be some ground for
Crooks confidence for the bodyguard did
Illustrate the plans Of a man who sought
TO gain audience with Lincoln during the
latter's famous visit to City Point, ana
who, when refused admission, made
threats against the President. At the
time the man gave the name OF SuilLn'
but Crook has always been confident that
ii was none other than the notorious
Surrat, with whose appearance under nor
NAL conditions he was familiar through
having lived in the same county in Mary
land before the war
After the death Of Lincoln Colonel Crook
accompanied Mrs. Lincoln to Chicago, and
later returned TO the White House as the
bodyguard of President Johnson. Ere ne
retired from the presidency Johnson In
stalled him in a permanent cierkshlp al
the White House, and he continued In
this capacity during the forepart Of the
Grant regime In 1876 Grant appointed
Crook acting secretary to the President,
and in March, 1877. appointed him dis
bursting officer of the White House, In
which position he has continued ever
since, having In the aggregate expended
hundreds of thousands OF dollars for the
maintenance of the presidential establish
ment.
Colonel Crooks home In the city or
Washington Is filed with relics and me-
mentoes of Lincoln and other Presidents
Probably the most priced OF all the keep
sakes is card In Lincoln's handwriting
which the President addressed to the
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-02-11

was driving in the outskirts of Washing
ton. he finally did consent 10 special pro
tective measures. hut he insisted that no
public announcement should be made re
gardiug these precautions: that the guardS
should wear plain clothes instead OF uni
forms. and that the guard, who accom-
panied him on his walks about the capl-
tai should ever remain at his slde
after the fashion of personal friend
and with no suggestion of that protection
which was obnoxious To Lincoln, because
II seemed an admission of lack Of conn
dence in the people Of the country.
Colonel Crook declares thar he gained
perhaps his best insight into the gen
erous. patient. kindly nature Of the war
President during his nightly walks with
Lincoln to the War Department In those
days, be il explained. there was no tele-
graph and telephone station in the " mite
House. such as there is today. and the
President, when he wished 10 get fresh
from the wires, the latest news from the
front, had 10 go 10 the War Department
Building, where the telegraph office was
located This Lincoln did almost every
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-02-11

1t least 10 the fact that this particular
hodyguurd WIS comparatively young and,
as he himself now cunfeSSeS. had some
thing Of the attitude of Il bashful boy
toward the tall President. Lincoln did
everything in his power To put his pro
rector at his ease. and in their walks 10
and from the white House kept mp run
ming fire Of conversation with his COM
panion. Not fnfreQUeutly. Colonel CrooS
relates iEe topj- discussed concerned the
possibility Of an attempt on the part of
any person 10 do harm 10 the President.
A circumstance thar contributed 10 the
intimacy between President Lincoln ana
Colonel Crooz was found in Lincoln In
variable practice OF having his bouyguard
walk by lis side instead Of some distance
In his rear-after the fashion OF an orderly
AS has been the custom of Preslnent
Roosevelt and other recent CHIEF masls-
trates Lincoln never liked the idea OF
being specially guarded and when, IoAoW-
Ing the appearance OF Garowski. sus-
picious Pole. who skulked about the
White House grounds, and very narrow
escape from a bullet fred at him as he
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-02-11

patiently explained to each protestant the
reason for the new rule he succeeded ID
inducing them all to comply.
How intimate was Crooks association
with Lincoln will he the better under
stood when it is explained that at night
he was on duty in the corridor just out
side the Presidents bedroom-so close
that frequently he could hear the great
man sigh o. moan in his sleep after a
day of unusual anguish and anxiety &c
casionalIy he would have to awake the
sleeper to deliver some important tele-
gram. but Crook declares that Lincoln
never displayed any irritation at such IN
terruptions He tells too. OF one coca
sion when entering the Presidents room
in response to the usual Come II. ne
was surprised TO find Lincoln busIiy en-
gagged In sewing button on his trousers
Just repairing damages, explained the
droli chief magistrate, with hair sIn'ie.
Colonel Crook was frequently called upon
IN act as messenger between Mrs Lincoln
in the private apartments at the "hlte
House and the President in his private
office and these interchange gave MIN
an Illuminating insight into the nuIhor
Lincoln found in yielding to the petty
tyrannies of his wife. Once wnen ms
spouse had sent for him repeatedly anu
evidently to the limit of her patience 10
accompany her on a promised drive, Lin
| coin arose from his desk with resigned
expression, but with d merry twinkle IN
his eyes, and remarked to Crook:
| guess | would better go.
| Iincoln's fondness for Crook was prop
| ably partly attributable to the fact that
! Crook and little Tad Lincoln, the apple
| OF the Presidents eye, were fast friends.
| Incidentally, 1t may be mentioned ponce
men seem 10 possess an especial fascina-
ton for the young sons of our presidents
| Readers o. the newspapers may reLnelloe
| that during the early days of the Roose-
valt administration the then very youth
/ full Quentin and Archie were the almost
| tnseparable companions of certain biue-
| coats on duty at the White house
| grounds Tad Lincoln was 10 years oln
/ at the time Of Colonel Crooks first recoi-
| lection NJ him and the veteran White
House employe adds his testimony TO tnat
| of other intimates OF Lincoln In the dec
lars4son that the sad-faced President
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-02-11
Are American Women Rough2

The Swedish jurist who thinks tie
athletic tend ncy of the American wo-
man is to blame for many divorces,
ought to take an extra think or two
before he makes any more statements
of that kind. The roundshouldered,
aat-chested, flat-footed beauty of Euro
pean society may be his ideal, but
the American man knows his own
mind and his taste doesn't run to
that sort.
European titles seem to have a fatal
fascination for sundry empty-headed
and empty-hearted American girls. but
you don't see American men prowl-
ing about Europe hunting for wives.
The American man doesn't marry a
woman merely to get his housekeep-
ing done for nothing. He marries a
bright, beautiful American girl to be
his companion in life. He doesn't re-
gard his wife as a chattel He like
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-02-11
~ Hw LFnlF

81 / tl,. mon NOW living VIM know
as Abraham Lincoln personally aud luti-
" mutcly. none can rival Col. William II.
Crook ian tn, possession of vivid and unique
recollection of The martyr president. Col
ouel Crook WAS the hodyguard Of PTesi-
dent Lincoln during the most interesting
period of IIu,olu's lille, aud naturally he
came more closely ami continuously in
contact with the great American than did
any other individual At the time he was
a young man. nbsevvunt and kceuly recep-
give of impressions. Fortunately there has
also been an opportunity for Lincolns
bodyguard 10 supplement- his close range
arst impressions with an estimate Of Lin
coin formed from the vantage of greater
oerspective and rendered convincing by
comparison with other Presidents The
latter has been possible because Colonel
Crook has been continuously an cmploye OF
the White House from the days of Lin
colin to the present time. Indeed. Janu-
AIRY Of this year marked the completion
OF his forty fourth year IN the bite
House.
Colonel Crook is now in bis sixty ninth
rear and WAS thus little more than 70
years of age when the Civil War broke
out. At y he enlisted in the Union Army
aud served for some time IN the ranks.
Al the expiration Of his enlistment he Sc
cured q position on the police force at the
national capital. !; was thus that he be
came eligible for the position Of body
guard to the President In order to enable
rotation of service three other men,
Elphonso Dunn, John Parker and Alex
.ander Smith-alI long since dead, were
also detailed TO act as special guards Tor
the president, but through various circum-
stances Crook came TO be closer asso-
ciated with Lincoln than any OF the
others and WIS in the company OF the
war president on all the most interesting
occasions of lis later career
Possibly the especial attention bestowed
~ Lincoln upon Crook was due in part
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-02-11

never a very handy man particularly
when he has been previously 81 asick.
1 listened to Captain de AnSelis's apol-
ogy with interest and aspect, but as
he, who for days had wrought might
lily for his village without tools, or
schedules. pleaded the impossibility
Of attacking the ruins of Messina with
willing bare hands, this mute refec-
ton occurred to me-and fear | shall
never be forgiven for printing it
My dear sir, how different it m CHI
have been if there had been a hun,
dred of you-two or three in high com
mand, the rest cheering on those
dazed but willing soldiers amid the
holocaust Of fallen Messina!"
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-02-11
14lLuGrz2<z -EoTurG5Z a. 2~7aG10G12<LL 17c11Iz
zArEHe EzIGa5pn ~L<0nE HzoHnU HeGn
orz/I@I z8~EHeH~x2T

provost marshal general when Crook and
his other bOdyguard. Alexander smith
were drafted for service IN the Army.
The President wrote that he could not
spare these men ana asked the official
aforementioned to please fix the mat
ter This precious bit Of paper reposed
for years in the War Department files,
but when Robert r. Lincoln. son Of the
martyr President was Secretary Of War
he gave II to his fathers Old guard. An
other Of Colonel Crooks souvenirs IL
mahogany cane made from the rail Of
the little spiral stairway whereby Lin
coin reached his office and which has
long since been torn down.
Colonel Crook has some almost price
less specimens OF the chinu service which
Mrs Lincoln selected for the White House
and which Colonel Crook declares to
have been more beautiful than any table
ware purchased before or since for use
on the Presidential table. There Is
dainty cup and saucer ard a plate which
Lincoln used all ornamented by the
broad maroon band and the eagle ana
coat o. arms IN colors Old photographs
of Lincoln, including the favorite one
OF the President, with Tad and other me
mentoes. also have place In the home
presided over by Colonel Crook and his
second wife, who vas Mrs Clara Robey
Priddy, when Colonel Crook married her
nine years ago.
One possession Of Colonel Crooks
which, though uc> relic Ct the Lincoln
period he yet prizes very highly, Is
violin which was once owned by Ole
Bull. Colonel Crook Is a "fddler,' he
disdains to cell himself a viollnist. IL
is his one diversion and he has lnduiged
In it ever since he was a boy OF 10
He plays entirely by ear, never having
read a note Of music, but he displays e1-
ceptional talent Many a night when
business is not pressing at the White
House the officials duty Mt the Presi-
dents Offices will appeal &c Colonel Crook
by telephone at his home aud he VIII,
in response to their entreaties, be kept
playing far into the night while each
member of the White House staff, tele-
phone receiver at his ear. enjoys the long
distance concert
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-02-11
Quick Wits.

made a hole in the roof, crawled
through and got the boys out" says
Captain de- Angels How easily this
sounds as | write it. To make a
manhoIe in a fallen roof in the dark
and two minutes after the Messina
carthquaEc-w what could be more sim
pie or natural? 1t was this man who
a little later excused the italian sol
diers for not working more vigorously
in the ruins because they lacked the
proper tools fancy q hundred heads
and hands ike his might have done
more than shD-oad Of wrecking
machinery.
The boys were quite unins ured and
c3ol. A feather bed across their
f, ct a fortunate relic Of the mothers
German traditions, had taken off the
shocks whore heavy fragments of the
ceiling had fallen In both rooms the
raftors had chung to the partition
over which, like a ridgepOle, the root
of the, two rooms had fallen to right
and left. actually protecting the par
cnts in the arch and the boys in the
bed from The heavy flying wreckage
In the moment of inspection of the
wreck, before burroWing through tc
his boys Captain de Angels, looking
out whore the front wall had been
saw the sea draw back a matter oil
fifty metres. The same thing was
noted at SciIla, across the straits
He is certain that there was no un
usual light or atmospheric connection
Reports to the contrary are part OF
the growing legend There was just
the gloom of a still mild, winter
morning two hours before sunrise
The stairs and halls having become
mere iungles of wreckage, and escape
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-02-11

into the street perilous, the family
slipped out behind, by ladder,
through the kitchen window which
gave upon higher ground. On the
hillside the olive trees stood on step
like terraces, the stone facings of
which had been shaken down. The
solid earth was no longer itself, but
shifting mass of stones and loan.
The family had hardly left the house
before lettering walls fell in behind
them. closing the peTilOus path they
had taken. BY daylight they were
busy seeking out and aiding their
neighbors, and here follows frag-
mentary record Of six days Of SPLEEN
did service, the exact details Of which
| am only permitted to guess. 1t was
only after days Of such work that
Signora de Angels discovered she
was painfully wounded in the foot
Suffice it to say that when four days
later the French landed, the de Ange-
lis family knew the exact condition in
every house within two or three miles
her husbands absence in the city,
was able to tell the French officers,
"Do not risk your life needlessly in
that house. We have examined it
and they are all dead" and she was
able to indicate places where work
might be done with some chance of
finding living persons in the ruins,
Camp Contemplation,
Naturally, the first aid came to
AIcssina itself, not to it's suburbs.
Yet the need of the suburbs was
hardly less. At the village Of the
Faro half the population persisted.
The second day the Russian fleet
landed barrels Of water, but for three
days the village of ContemplaziOne
had to do for itself Captain de An
gels chose his camp site in the
grounds OF the wrecked villa Sander
son in which two Of the family had
been killed. When the deIuge Of the
evening and of the next three days
threatened, they took a big rug from
the ruins Of the villa and pitched a
tent in which twenty people passed
five NIGHTS when thew needed lit
tcrs for tho wounded thew imDgo-
,.fsod rban, ont Of naIings and the
Ioovrs Of doors The second dav Cap
+oin do Angolis walking to cssina
cot an assignment Of food from the
Sbin pagina. FIona lint here arose the
o+arra1 rneoIvod nrobIem of harbor
RECONSIDERATION Il took a day to d.
liver this food. three miles down the
watarfronr On this trip to town he
,,,oa caIIcd to save stout friend who
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-02-11

her briuioncy, and likes to be envied
because she is his. He doesn't want
a Continental. sickly NOPE, but
strong, able wife, with a sound body
as we'll as a sound mind. Guess
again, Judge CederstrOm. You're
away wrong.
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-02-11
Wits at MeSsina Better Than Tools
Remarkable Escape and Inspiring Courage Of Retired Officer

in which the boys were sleeping
not a second too soon, for the roof
and ceiling fell aslant across the de-
serted beds There was a rending
and cracking sound a flying Of tim
bers, a crashing of walls, as if the
house were being dismantled by a
hurricane. Scientists distinguish a
series Of shocks; to survivor the
Carthuuake is one and indivisib.e.
CAPTAIN de Angels merely recalls as
he bent over his wife to protect her,
that the shallow arch seemed to be
wrenchcd and shaken in every direC-
ton, and for a long time He was
cast from wall to wall of the doorway.
It was in reality perhaps hardly a
half-minute later when he shouted
through the door to the boys and
heard the answer: Were all right,
father take care Of yourselves" The
straining Of the arch had damned the
door between the rooms and the
fallen roof had barred it from the
other side The floor of the apart
ment stood but was rlV-n and per
forated The father and mother made
their way through the INSTRUCTED back
hall. to the inner door Of the boys
room II, too, stuck fast Smashing
in a glass panel, Captain de Angels
crawIed into the room, and found the
roof had fallen over the bed like a
pcnt house. The front of the house
had fallen into the street. A big
wardrobe, which had intercepted sew
eraI heavy iron Orders in their de
scent towards the bed blocked the.way
around 10 WreCkage.
Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-02-11

have given. Three days after the
! earthquake Captain de Angels ap-
Piled directly to the king for medical
aid A launch with seventy soldiers,
surgeons and orderlies was put
promptly at his disposition, and the
work among the wounded of the fore
| coast proceeded with tireless energy.
For five days and more Captain de An
CELLS had devoted himself to shelter
ing, feeding. and healing his neigh
bors. Now, on invitation, he took his
family to the flagship Vittorio En-
manuele, and put himself at the dis
posal of the king. His strength was
plainly far gone and the work of res
cue proceeding regularly. So it was
deemed best to deny him the detach-
ment of troops he requested, and he
has made a halt here at Capri. where
he first met the lady who is now his
wife.
Cat Deserted.
| have, unpardonably, forgotten the
family cat. Having no taste for camp
life, she simply deserted. At Messina
| NAV have seen her, with scores of
other tabbies. who ignobly summed
themselves in soft spots amid the
ruins.
There is material for many letters
in the two hours talk l had with him
Personally. he will not return to Mes
sina. Virtually all his friends are
gone, and his occupation as well. But
he thinks the day workers should be
sent back as soon as possible There
is danger that the refugees may be
aided for too long, and lose their in
dependence. The truest charity is 10
put them at work. AS the new city
rises upon the ruins of the old, it
should grow through the strong arms
Of it's own sons. I questioned the eX-
pediency of Messina rising literally
from its ashes, and he wholly agreed
with me- Aside from the constant
risk of earthquake the old city was
too low and badly drained to be sani-
tary. He believes he industrial and
warehouse portion of the nov Messina
should be on the level ground 10 the
south near Gazzi, and that the resi-
dental city should stand above the
waterfront where the high town nov
is The houses, he assumed. should
be low and of reinforced concrete or
other approved material prescribed
ny law
On the thorny topic Of the efficiency
of the military government he spoke
with great frankness, pointing out
the many difficulties that had beset
the work He. agreed with me as to
the pitifully inadequate embarkat1on
service. The local service naturally
had been utterly destroyed. On the
morning after the shock the straits
were full of hundreds Of boats, drift
ING awash He agreed with me that
on the, davits Of the warships and lin
els there were boats enough and
| found that the impressed merchant
captains were primarily at fault To
me- it seems that from volunteers
among the Hgurian soldiers and by
rounding up the surviving port boat
men an adequate harbor service might
have been improvised. Naturally
| only the military government could
! have done it.
Obstacles to Relief.
On the matter of the apparent in
ertia of the soldiers among the ruins
! ne pointed out that the battalions
were full of raw recruits that the
proper wrecking tools were lacking
end that the difficulty Of communi
! cation made a properly organized ef