The Washington times., 1915-12-17

while the occupant of the White House.
President Tyler the irst President to
wed while welding the scepter of pow
er. simply stepped off ard surprised
everybody. President Cleveland how
ever. was married in the Blue Room OF
the Executive Mansion and the Ameri-
can people. particularly the women
were kept in a constant furry ot cx-
citement over the announcements con-
cernng the wedding, which were Is.
sued at intervals from the White House.
Many weeks in advance it was given
out by Col. Daniel Lamont, the Presi-
dents secretary. that the Chief EXecu-
tive would we'd Miss Frank almost in-
variably mispelled Frances) Folsom.
his beautiful young ward. who lived in
Buffalo. N. y. The wedding day was
announced as June 2. 1856.
Full Details Announced.
Several days later 1t was officially
announced that the wedding would take
place in the Blue Room of the White
House. that Colonel Wilson. then Com
missioner Of Public Buildings and
Grounds. would be master e ceremon
les, and that all the members Of the
Presidents Cabinet would be invited.
Public interest next centered in the
official announcement that the Rev
Byron Sunderland. pastor of the First
Presbyterian Church of Washington.
and formerly pastor of the Central
Presbyterian Church of Buffalo. which
Miss Folsom attended, would perform
the ceremony.
A few days later President Clcvc-
land announced that he had selected
Wilson S. Bissell, his former law part
ner, as his best man.
Happy and rejoicing over the tortn-
coming nuptials. the bride and BRIDE
, groCm-to-be disclosed practically all
of Cupid's secrets, including the hour
OF the ceremony. which has fixed at I
o clock on the evening of the beautiful
June day.
AS a result of the many official an
nouncements made about the wedding,
public interest was whetted to a Keen
edge. and, all the world loving a lover,
a great crowd assembled around the
hte House grounds to be near the
President and his bride, although they
had not been invited to pass within
the portals of the Executive Mansion.
gathered at the gates of the White
House. where they were halted by
guards, wore evening gowns, full-dress
suits. high hats, and white gloves.
Church Bells Rung.
Because everyone in Washington ana
the nation knew the hour of the we'd
ding. the bells in all the church tow
ers in Washington were rung from I
to : o'clock on the evening OF June =.
1886. All the whistles on the factories
and steamboats, in the harbor We're tied
down and allowed to Screech for JOY
for full hour Prof Widdows. organ
ist at metropolitan Methodist Church.
played Mendelssohns Wedding MarCn
on the church chimes and rendered
ing with Cegal Wedding Feal from /
to 3 o'clock during the evening.
Miss Folsom. who spent the day be-
fore her wedding with her mother and
father in New York. came to Washing
ton in the private car of President Rob
erts, of the Pennsylvania railroad, be-
ing met at the local station by the
Presidents sister and whisked to the
White House in a carriage, arriving
there at o'clock on the morning Of the
all-mportant day.
Announcement OF her safe arrival and
of the fact that Best Man Bssell was
In Washington, was made by Colonel
Lamont, who described the brides Co.'S
tune for the trip as a close fitting
black silk dress and a peak chip hat
with a high white feather: He said she
| would be given away by her father.
After making this announcement, Col
onel Lamont left the White House in
company with a number of newspaper
men and went to the City Hall. where.
! at II 30 o'clock on the morning Of the
wedding day. he obtained the license for
Folsom.
Colonel Wilson stated on the day pre-
vious to the wedding that he would be
unable to transact any official business
| because of the task of decorating the
| Blue Room and other parts of the White
| House, for the wedding was a big one,
and he intended converting the Execu-
tive mansion into bower of blossoms.
Shaved Himself.
| That President Cleveland was in every
sense a Democrat was established BY
Colonel Lamonts statement that the
President had shaved himself for tho
wedding. That MIR. Cleveland was un
terrified to the last seems to be estab
lished by the following quotation from
a newspaper published on the day O
the wedding:
and the brightness OF his eye, which Il
| his most noticeable characteristics, wa;
| in no way dimmcd.
Many wagon loads of flowers, potteC
White House on June and from tn,
, conservatory of the Executive Manson
Agricultural Department propagatini
grounds. and the Botanic Garden. Th'
House were drawn, and flowers ant
! moss were placed on the sills to shu
out all light. Flowers of every desCrip
tion were used IN building huge altar
|
formed, and all the mantels and corner
were strewn with a profusion of bios
| SONS.
Promptly at o'clock the wedding
| ceremony began, the Marine Band. di
/ rected by John Philip Sousa. burst fortl
with Here Comes the Bride" as Mis-
Folsom entered the Blue Room on tn
arm of her father Following the brid
and bridegroom to the altar was tn
distinguished party of richly gowne'
and ieweled invited guests. Those il
the party were Mr.. and Mrs. Folsom
| Miss Cleveland and Mrs. HOyt the Pres
| dent's sisters, and William Cleveland
| his brother; Beniamin Folsom, brothe
of the bride; Secretary of War Endi
colt and Mrs. Endicott, Secretary o
the Navy WhitnAy and Mrs. Whitney
Postmaster General Villas and Mrs. vi
las. Secretary of State Bayard and Mrs
Bayard. Mrs. William Cleveland. tn
Presidents sister-In-law; the Rev Byrol
Sunderland and Mrs. Sunderland, Col
Daniel Lamont and Mrs. Lamont. VIII
lam Bissell Miss Nelson, Mr.. and Mrs
Rogers, of Seneca Falls. n. Y; Mrs
Cadman and Miss Huddleston, of De
, troit, and Mr.. and Mrs. Harmon. o
BostonA
Attorney General Garland was invite,
but did not attend. lie sent his re
grets.
The Brides Gown.
= The bride wore n wedding gown mad
, in Paris. fashioned of ivory satin smpl
garnished on the high corsage with In
dian muslin. creased in Grccian fold