Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-04
Past Inaugurals
Seen as Milestones
Along an Old Road
Continued From First Page. b..

: :
crowd ever to attend an Inauguration
up to that time was in the Capital.
There was salute of 26 guns at
daybreak. A carriage drawn by four
white horses. presented by the Wings
of Baltimore, called for Harrison at his
hotel. The old soldier insisted on rid
ing horseback. He rode to and from
the Capitol. mounted on a.. white
charger. holding his hat in his hand
and waving it in acknowledgment OF
the cheering along the route. He was
attended by an escort OF mounted
heard his inaugural address from the
east portico. . & nv
There was as:rather pretentious pa
rade for those days. Tippecanoe clubs
from Virginia and Maryland were rep
resented with log cabins mounted on
wheels, each with its hard cider bar
rel and coonSkin nailed to the door.
The students of Georgetown College
marched down the Avenue, headed by
the faculty in birettas and black
robes. There was something prophetic
of . new age. in the power loom. I
mounted on wagon, which was en-
tered by factory at Laurel Md.
II was a hard, full day for the con-
q,ieror OF .Tecumseh, but he stuck it
out like soldier. All the afternoon
he received at the White House He
stood on his old legs and shook hands
with everybody who came, sustained by
the intnSd cation Of excitement. He
wotildsio smiss anything of this strange
honor thEawhole Nation was paying to
q rough froptiersman. That night
there were three inaugural balls. The
President attended all three of them.
It is recorded that he danced polka
with Mrs. Gales, wife of the editor of
the Intelligencer. t..A ,,.--..
Back In the White. House at mid
night. away from the music and revel-
ry of the dance halls. William Henry.
Harrison was too tired to sleep.
Age demanded its due. Tremors, in
side and outside. shook the battle
wracked body. He stumbled into bed
An owl, perched on a window out
side his bedroom, hooted all night, He
was quernlous the next morning, COM
planning that a dog had been bowling
under his window.
A month later gentleman and a
little boy were playing together In a
garden at Williamsburg. Va.
the garden. He asked the gentleman
to. be directed to the President Of the
United States, for, whom he had an
important communication.
After word of explanation John
Tyler reached out his hand for the
letter the courier bore.
The excitement of the Inauguration
had killed old Tecunseh. The little
boy ran into the house to tell his
mother that they must leave at once
for Washington. H.
War with Mexico was foregone con-
clusion on the day James K. Polk of
Tennessee was inaugurated
Sheets OF rain drenched the crowd
which listened to his inaugural address
For half an hour he spoke over sea
Of umbrellas.
A miracle was wrought that day
Prof. Samuel s. B. Morse had set up
platform. While the President was
speaking the inventor sent a running
account Of what he said TO Baltimore
The conqueror at Resaca de Palma
and Palo Alto had retired in his old
age to the peace of his Louisiana plan
tation house.
Old Rough-and- Ready took little part
in the campaign In which he was elected
President. He had plenty to do manag-
ing his slaves.
Notification ceremonies were q thing
of the future. He was officially in
formed of his election by letter. There
was no reply. Another letter was dis
patched, and still another. No answer.
Plans for the Inauguration of March 4,
l849. could not go ahead without some
word from the President-elect.
A messenger was sent from Washing
ton to Louisiana to notify Zachary
Taylor. The three letters were found at
the nearest post Office. There was post
age due on them, the postmaster said.
II they had been of any Importance,
said Old Rough-and-Rea 1t was rea-
sonable to assume that the sender would
have attended to the postage. If they
were Of no Importance, why should the
person to whom they were addressed
pay for them?
Mrs. Taylor was happy now in her de-
clining years, far from battles and
bivouacs In this deep peace of live oak
groves and cotton fields.
1T is just a scheme to break I'D our
home" she said, when told they must
move to Washington.
warm and sunny. Cannon roared and
the city church bells pealed at dawn
The old soldier. dressed in black
suit, rode to the Capitol in a carriage
drawn by four black horses. The
Speaker Of the House and the MAYOR
of Washington rode with him. presi-
| dent Polk got into the carriage beside
| Taylor at the Irving Hotel, Twelfth and
Pennsylvania avenue. There were 70
/ companies of soldiers in the parade.
They were followed by rough-and ready
! clubs of Washington, Georgetown and
| Alexandria. A delegation from Balti-
more had four bands in line There
was contingent of feathered and
blanketed Indians.
| Wild cheering followed the admin
istration of the oath by Chief Justice
! fancy. Zachary Taylor was a soldier
/ and not scholar, His inaugural ad-
! dress was short and laundering, He
! told his cheering admirers that the
United States was lat peace with all
the world and the balance of mankind"
That night there were three inaugural
balls-one at temporary structure in
Judiciary Square, a military ball at
| Carusi's and another at Jackson Hall
on Pennsylvania avenue. The President
and Vice President attended them all
Old Zachary even tried to dance. He
was beginning to enjoy himself in his
new role. .-
His wife would take no part in the
gayety.- He was attended by his daugh-
ter Betty, in a simple white dress and
a solitary white rose in her hair. The
big ball at Judiciary Square remains
a. gala event in the social history of
Washington. The belle of the ball was
Nine. de Bodisco, wife of the Russian
Minister. She wore Russian court