Evening star., 1933-01-08
BY JOSEPH HI. FOUNTAIN.

BY JOSEPH III. FOUNTAIN.
ST. ALBANS. Vt, January THE
sudden death Of former President Cool
idge vividly recalled the unusual and
dramatic circumstances surrounding
the homestead Inauguration of the
thirtieth President of the United States
in little white farm house at Plymouth
early on the morning of August 3, 1923.
The late Presidents father, Col. John
Coolidge, a Windsor County notary
public, administered the presidential
oath of Office in the presence of five
persons, one of whom included the
writer, who represented the Associated
Press.
Word of the death Of President Hard
ing at San Francisco had been Speeded
across the continent to Woodstock, VT,
in the form of a message to the then
Vice President, who with Mrs. Coolidge,
was passing a holiday at his father S
farm. The message was intrusted to
Woodstock man who hurried by auto
mobile to the Coolidge farm. Arriving
there he found the place in darkness.
But his sturdy rapS on the door soon
awakened Col. Coolidge who. lamp in
hand, admitted the messenger and then
called his son.
Coolidge Gives Statement.
BY the time Mr. Coolidge had dressed.
O half dozen newspaper men, who had
been staying at Ludlow, IL miles dis
tant from Plymouth and where there
was a telegraph Office, reached the old
farm house asking for a statement. The
statement was dictated by Mr.. Coolidge
and distributed to the reporters, who
Immediately left to file their stories
from Ludlow.
In the meantime, instructions had
been. telephoned to me at Springfield,
VT, by the Associated Press Bureau at
Boston, to hasten to the Coolidge home
and assist in covering the story.
Arriving in Plymouth shortly after
o'clock in the morning with United
States Senator Porter H. Dale. We found
the Coolidge home ablaze with lamp
lights. The man, who was to become
the next President, was sitting in a
rocking chair. quietly awaiting word
from the village store, across the street,
that Washington, D. c., was on the
wire.
After a fve-minute wait the call was
completed. Mr. Coolidge was furnished
the form of the oath and announced
that it would be perfectly legal for his
father to administer the oath in his
role as notary public and that the cere-
mony would take place Immediately.
Col Coolidge left the room to return
In a few minutes freshly shaven. Mr.
Coolidge dictated the oath to his then
secretary, Erwin C. Geiser, and had
three copies made. He gave one to
Senator Dale, one to myself and re-
tained the original. We read what
Geiser had written and Senator Dale
said he believed the form correct. Mr..
Coolidge, in a characteristic manner,
replied:
II hope So"
Father Administers Oath.
Mrs. Coolidge suggested it might be
well to await the return of the other
newspaper men from Ludlow and Mr.
Coolidge replied that he saw no occa-
sion for delay and that the Associated
Press representative would no doubt be
pleased to see that proper public notice
was given the event
At exactly PAT am. Col. Coolidge
took his position in front of an old
fashioned nlarb,e-topped table in the
living room. Two kero-ene Gil lamps
were brought in The President-to-be
stepped up to the opposite side of the
table facing his father and slowly raised
his right hand. Mrs. Coolidge was
standing at her husbands side, while
Mr.. Geiser, Senator Dale and myself
stepped back and to the side of Mr.
Coolidge. It was a solemn and impress
give scene.
Three faces could be seen pressing
against the screen in the door-the
faces of Mr.. Coolidgc's chauffeur and
two other men.
After clearing his throat, Col Cool
idge solemnly read the words of the
oath, which were repeated in that firm
voice that so definitely marked Mr.
Coolidge's New England birth.
BY the glow of the two lamps, Calvin
Coolidge signed the form of the oath,
In triplicate As he laid the pen aside
the President slowly raised his head
and glanced at Mrs. Coolidge, who still
stood at his side.
Speaking no word, he nodded his
head and with Mrs. Coolidge left the
room.