The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1913-06-06
Willy WOMAN WON
She Made Up Her Mind to Get
That News, and She Got II.
a FINE FIX FOR A PRESIDENT.
Anne Royal, the Mother of Newspaper
Interviews, Trioked John Quincy
Adams and Badoered Him Into Civ
ing Up the information She Wanted.


Adams and 6adaered Him Into Civ
ing Up the information She Wanted.
In clearing the ground for some i'm
proyements in Potomac park in Wash
ington the contractor some time ago
removed a stone that for nearly cen
tury was a quaint landmark in the ma
tional capital. 1t is called the Anne
Royal stone End lay on the bank
of the river just opposite the White
House, about twenty feet back from
the waters edge, at the top of grass
covered knoll
1t was on this stone that Anne Roy
all sat when she had her famous inter
view with President John Quincy Ad-
sms-at least, so runs the story that
has been handed down for three gen
erations by the inhabitants Of Wash
ington.
And. according to that story, Ii would
appear that the good lady for whom
the stone was named was not only
person of energy, but was endowed
with considerable grim determination
as we'll She evidently had q good
strong will of her own and an active
mind of her own, and when these two
started to work in concert In deadly
earnest results were bound to follow
Whether the good ladys sense Of hu-
NOR was cramped or extensive the
n - L.:
Anne Royal was in sort the mother
of modern journalism. She was the
originator of the interview" She first
In the little sheet that she published
in Washington in the second and third
decades OF the last century, departed
from the dry forms that had always
characterized newspapers.
She did not contne herself to 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
sonal note" She wrote and printed
things about public men as they were
In their daily lives-an innovation the
startling effect of which we cannot re-
alize today. Her paper was called the
Washington Paul Pry and afterward
the Huntress.
During the administration of John
Quincy Adams congress passed a 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 a
newspaper man was unheard OF, and
no one had the temerity to ask Mr..
Adams what he 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-
| ply at the White House for a confer
ence with the president. the avowed
object of which was to learn from him
his 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
rising, the president walked to the
bank of the Potomac, some half a mile
in the rear of the White House, and
there, after taking off his clothes,
plunged into the stream for swim.
One morning when the president,
after swimming far out into the stream,
turned to make his way back toward
the shore he was astonished to see,
sitting upon his clothing. which he had
| left upon a stone on the bank. a spec
tacled female with look OF great de-
termination. 1t was Anne Royal, and
beside her We're a pen and bottle OF
ink, and in her hand was a sheet of
paper
Woman, departr sputtered the
president as he swan up into the shall
lows where he could touch the bottom
a-tiptoe.
You know who | am, Mr.. Presi-
dent" said the woman, land you know
what | want. I'm going to sit here
until you tell me what you intend do
ing with that Cherokee Indian bill"
Go away, womanr' shouted the
president. This is scandalousr
ITS scandalous," Anne is reported
to have said. that the people of free
| country have to resort to such extreme
| measures to find out what their serv-
| ants are going to do. You give me the
| information that | am entitled to; then
I'll give you your clothes. Otherwise
I'll stay here-and you'll stay there!"
There was only one outcome to such
struggle, The shivering president
| told Anne what he expected to do and
why he would do it. Then, and not
until then, did Anne, armed with copi-
Gus notes, rise from the stone that she
had made famous and hasten to her
little printing Office, where she lost
no time in getting that first and most
famous presidential interview into
print Companion.