The Washington times., 1925-08-01
AXE
UP AB()RS
At MIAMI
HOME
Ambition Is to Complete Big
Work cofnmoner Had
Under Way
BY WILLIAM K. HUTCHINSON

BY WILLIAM X. HUTCHINSON
!, Her dead asleep on a green knoll
of Arlington overlooking the city
Of his dreams, Mrs. William Jen-
nings Bryan today donned the
mantle of the fallen Commoner to
carry oat his last earthly ambition.
The one great purpose Of the
Commoner's invalid widow is 10
publish his personal memoirs TO
he world. She win leave Wash
ington for home in Miami, Fla,
probably late this afternoon to
begin at once upon the unfinished
task that Bryan dropped 70 spend
the last measure of his life fight
ing for what he saw as the cause
of religion.
Will Cover Career
The completed memoirs win cover
Bryan's entire turbulent career as 4.
leader of political and religious
causes. 1t win reveal his life step
by step, from his embryonic Cor
gressionaI days, through his three
campaigns for the Presidency down
to the last effort or his life on be-
half of revealed religion. 1t IS his
widows hope to accomplish this
task before she, too, goes to sleep
beside the Commoner in Arlington
This great ambition Of the Com
moner's widow was revealed today
to International News Service by
her son, William Jennings Bryan, jr.
Mother will so home to Miami
he said, to prepare fathers
memoirs for publication. Much OF
tile memoirs was written by father
in manuscript form before he came
north to the Scopes trial. Mother
elaborated with him and she will
compile it and furnish all the miss
ing parts from the voluminous notes
which father left
Revealed at Dayton
That the publication Of these
memoirs was the CommOner's great
ambition was revealed to the Inter-
national News Service by Bryan
hic1self at Dayton a few days be-
FIRE his death. On that occasion
the Commoner said he planned to
return to Miami within few days
to resume my literary work upon
my memoirs" Bryan then added
that he thought this work so I'm
portant he planned even to give up
tho lecture platform which he hal
served for three decades so he might
nave more time for the memoirs.
From her suite at the Lafayette
Hotel here, the widow sent word
this morning that the Commoner's
funeral had left her tremendously
impressed" with Americas tribute
to her departed helpmate.
ut was simply wonderful" she
told her friends. II was tremend-
ously impressed with the tribute
Flag Is Treasured
Mrs. Bryan treasured one
memento of the funeral beyond
everything else-it was the rain
soaked American flag which had
Liraped the Commoner's casket. The
flag was saved from the grave by
Kelsoe Rice, the young Chattanooga
policeman, who acted as bailiff at
the Dayton Tenn, trial and who
accompanied the funeral train north
to Washington. He presented the
flag to Mrs. Bryan.
. In return, the WIDOW reWaFu6u
Rice by giving him the Com
moner's silver fountain pen, in
scribed with Bryan's full name. It
was the pen Bryan used to. write
several letters on the early after
noon of his last day of life.
When Mrs. Bryan leaves Wash.
ington for her Miami home, she will
be accompanied by William jennings
Bryan, jr., and few other mem
bers Of her immediate family. She
will remain in Miami indefinitely.
I'VE have no other plans now,
young Bryan explained.
Out in Arlington, meanwhile,
crowds of the curious began Pill
grimage to the Bryan grave. From
where he sleeps, the spirit OF Bryan
can look out across the Potomac
into the National Capital
His last resting place lies within
view of the Washington Monument,
the Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol,
the White House and even st. Al.
bans Cathedral, where Woodrow
Wilson sleeps, while to the north
ward. there rests the Unknown
Soldier And all about the Com