Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-06-27
Willy WOMAN won
She Made Up Her Mind to Get
That News, and She Got It.
A FINE FIX FOR 4 PRESIDENT.
Anne Royal, the Mother Of Newspaper
Interviews, Tricked John Quincy
Adams and eadoersd Him Into Civ
inc Up the information She Wanted.

Interviews, Tricked John Quincy
Adams and eadoersd Him Into Civ
ing Up the Information She Wanted.
In clearing the ground for some i'm
! provemcnts in Potomac park it, Wash
ingtOn the contractor some time ago
removed Il stone that for nearly n ccn-
fury was Il quaint landmark in the na
tional capital. 1t is called the Anne
Royal stone" and lay Oh the bsnk
OF the river just opposite the White
House. about twenty feet back from
the waters edge. at tue top Of a grass
covered knoll.
1t was on this stone that Anne Roy
all sat when she bad her famous inter
view with President John Quincy Ad.
ams-at least. 81 runs the story that
has been handed down for three gen.
erations by the Inhabitants Of Wash
ington.
And. according 10 that story. It would
appear that the good lady for whom
the stone was IA med was not only \
person Of energy, but was endowed
with considerable grim determination
as well. She evidently had a good
strong will Of her own and an active
mind Of her own. and when these two
started to work in concert 10 deadly
earnest results were bound to follow.
Whether the good lady's sense Of hu.
NOR was cramped or extensive the
reader must determine for himself.
Anne Royal was in 4 sort the mother
Of modern Journalism. Sne was the
originator Of the ''intervicw.' She first.
in the little sheet that she published
in Washington in the second and third
decad es Of the last century. departed
from the dry forms that had always
characterized newspapers.
She did 0 cOnfjne herself to a mere
summary Of current happenings. even
spiced with careful essays on abstract
subjects. after the manner Of Steele
or Addison. She struck firmly the per.
! nat note" She wrote and printed
things about public men as they were
In their daily livcs-an innovation the
startling effect OF which we cannot re-.
alize today. Her paper was called the
Washington Paul Pry and aftcrward
the HuDtress,
During the administration Of John
Quincy Adams congress passed q Ger.
tain bill. the signing or veto of which
by the president was a matter Of in.
tense public interest. In those days
the interview Of the president by u
newspaper man was unheard Of. and
no one had the tcmerity to ask Mr..
what be would DO in the matter.
But there was one exception among
the timorous journalists OF that day.
1t was Anne Royal. She dared to ap-
at the White House for a confer
ence with the president. the avowed
Of which was to learn from him
bis intentions concerning the bill.
Poor Anne. however, was Kept at a
discouraging distance. Day after day
she waylaid the president. only to be
foiled BY his attendants. But she did
not grow discouraged. She learned
that every morning. Immediately after
the president walked to the
Of the Potomac. some half a mile
10 the rear Of the White House, and
there. after taking ID bis clothes,
plunged into the stream for a swim.
One morning when the president.
after swimming far out into The stream,
turned to make his way back toward
tbe shore be was astonished to see.
upon his clothing. which he had
left upon Il stone on the bank. a spec
tac|ed female With a look Ut great de-. |
It vas Anne Royal. and
beside her we're a pen and bottle OF |
ink. and in her hand was a sheet Of |
paper. ~
Woman, DEPART" sputtered the |
as he swan M into the shall
ows where be could touch tile bottom |
! .tiptOc,
"YUu know who I an. Mr.. Pvesi-
said the WOMAN. and you know |
what I want. m going to sit here
1utiI you tor he what you intend do.
Dg with that Cherokee Indian bill"
Go away. womau" shouted the
PRESIDENT. This is scandalous:"
ITS scanda,Ous." Anne is reported
have said. that the people Of 4 free
country have to resort to such extreme
measures ~ find u what their serv-
'uts are going to d.. You give me the
Information that | am entitled to: then
ri give you yVnl clothes, Otherwise
~ stay bere-and you'll stay there!"
There was only one outcome to such
struggle. The %shivering president
old Aune what he expected to do and
Why be would do it. Then. and not
lntfI then. did Anne. armed with copi' |
,us notes. rise, from the stone that she
lad made famous and hasten to her
title printing Office. where she lost
10 time in getting that trs: and most
"a NOUS presidential interview into
rint-Youth's Companion.