The Washington times., 1912-06-11

Mrs. wickliffe had been searching for
her. The wife OF the Louisiana member,
however had been shopping and came
direct from the downtown district TO
HAS Bob been drowned?' Mrs. Wick
life asked as she half staggered into
the Speakers private office
.ponsed s has sssn hurt by aen st
dreading to tell the whole truth.
You are hiding something from me,
she said, moment later ~ want to
know the truth; Is Bob deadT
Falls In Faint.
Mrs. wicklitfe sat rigid for a second.
then she fell Imply back into the chair.
Thinking she had swooned Mr.. South
sought Congressman Foster, who is
physician, and he came hurriedly to
the Speakers room, where he admin
istered restoratives to the overwrought
wife.
For more than ten minutes Mrs.
Wickliffe said little. She sat with star
ing eyes, a convulsive shudder going
over her body again and again. So
unexpectedly did the shock come that
Mrs. Wickliffe did not at first seem to
realiz what had happened, that al
most within the twinkling of an eye she
had assumed the sorrows of widow
hood.
While Mr.. Foster and other members
remained with Mrs. Wickliffe, Congress-
man Estopinal returned to the House
where he made the formal announce
ment which had been halted a few mo-
ments before BY the pathetic discovery
that Mrs. Wickliffe would learn Of her
husbands death only when II was an
nounced In the formal tones of the
House reading clerk.
Ere this every member in the House
was aware of the cause Of the inter
rupted proceedings. Scores of eye, some
of them bedimmed with tears, were turn
ed toward the gallery, as Mrs. Wick
liffee, still smiling, answered the mys
terious summons to come to the Speak
er's office. AS they watched her leav'
the gallery, members wrung their hand,
and declared:
1T is the most awful thing hav'
! ever Witnessed"
Get a woman to tell her; get wor, SI
! gathered in the corridors. Several mem
| bers went to the telephone to summon
women friends of Mrs. Wlckline, ,bu
before they arrived she had been tolc
| the heartrending news.
After she had partly recovered he
| composure, Mrs. Wickliffe asked to b.
| taken to her little girl.
The griefstricken wife bore. up well
| as she left the Speakers office AM
started homeward In an s.1s automobile, mobile.
| man Foster, 'she Is in highly ner
vous state. She doesn't seem to fully
realize as yet the truth Of 1t ALL
Did Not See Seat.
In the gallery Mrs. Wickliffe fortun
ately occupied a seat from which sh
could not see the pe-bedecked desl
| of her husband. Once she started tC
| lean over the railing, from which posi-
ton she might have seen, and severa
members started simultaneously towarC
the gallery to call her away. Mr.
South, however, reached the gallery
moment later and a possible scene wa
| averted.
While Mrs. wickliffe was leaving tn
| gallery, the House transacted absolute
~ no business and hundreds of person
who were not aware OF what was tax
ing place about them gazed wondering
iy upon the unusual scene. During thi
neriod Speaker Clark, who feels kee
personal loss in the sudden death o
the young Louisiana member, occupie
himself in preparing list Of thos
who will attend the funeral. After Mrs
Wickiiffe had gone, the Speaker mo
toned to Mr. Estopinal. who made tn
withheld under such peculiar circum
stances a few moments before. -.
The House took an immediate ad
journment. The committee named b
the Speaker to attend the funeral
as follows:
| Congressman Pujo, Estopinal, Rams
dell, ,Broussard, Dupre, and Watkin
Of Louisiana, Thomas of Kentucky
Rodenberg and Thistlewood OF Illinoi
Austin Of Tennessee. Hawley OF Ore
gon: Campbell of Kansas. McLaughli
OF Michigan, and Simmons OF Ne'