Evening star., 1936-06-28
John Quincy Adams
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we're spared and no injury befell our
person.
I'VE reached home about quarter
before 8, having been out nearly five
hours. I had been about three hours
in the water, but suffered no incon-
venience from it. This incident gave
me a humiliating lesson and solemn
warning not to trifle with danger. The
reasons upon which I justify to myself
, my daily swimming in the river did not
apply to this adventure. 1t is neither
necessary for my health, nor even for
pleasure, that should swim across the
river and having once swum across it,
I could not even want it as an expert
ment of practicability. Among my
motives for swimming, that of showing
what can do, must be discarded as
spurious, and I muS strictly conflne
myself to the purposes of health, exer-
else and salutary labor"
A month later he relates the drown
ing of Mr.. Shoemaker, clerk in the
post Office, and says: II walked as
usual to my ordinary bathing place
and came to the rock where leave
my clothes a few minutes before sun
rise. found several persons there, be-
sides three or four who were bathing.
and at the shore, under tree. boat
with four men in it. and a dragnet,
which was going in search of q dead
body"
The body was recovered and after
reviewing it he said that although
there was nothing terrible in the sight,
yet he returned home musing If he
ought to renounce altogether his prac
tice of swimming in the river, and his
conclusions were that he should not.
Gen. LAFAYETTE visited the Presi-
~ ident in the White House on Au-
gust /, 1925, and he briefly refers to
him, saying:
MY son John went out to Ross to
meet Gen. Lafayette, and they arrived
here between and o'clock pm. The
general was accompanied by Col.
Howard and Col. Randall, members of
Baltimore Committee of Arrange
ments. Mr.. George Washington, La
fayette and Mr.. lie VasSeur came in
the stage, which the general and his
two companions from Baltimore had
quilted. They arrived about half an
hour after the general
On February 20. 1928, this same son,
John, was married in the White House
to Mary Helen, the niece of Mrs. Ad-
ans and it was just l08 years ago
this independence day that he inau-
gurated the western canal enterprise
by turning the first space of earth at
short distance north of the Little
Falls bridge.
| There was a close companionShip
between Mr.. Adams and his son and
he felt he had been very much abused
in the encounter with Russell Jarvis,
one of the editors Of the United States
Telegraph. Recently, the writer print
ed the Jarvis version to this episode.
Mr. Adams side of the story follows:
| In carrying these messages, my
son, John, after having delivered them
to the House, was passing through the
Rotunda with that to the Senate when
he was personally assaulted and struck
in the face by Russell Jarvis, one of
the printers of the Senate. He return
ed the blow and an affray between
them was arrested by interference of
persons who were accidentally there.
THE origin of this outrage was that
Jarvis came to the last drawing room
and my son, indignant at seeing here
man who lives by the detail of daily
SANDER upon me, said to Mr.. StetSon
that If Jarvis had the feelings Of
gentleman he would not show him.
self here. This was on the I'd Of the
month. On the 9th, Jarvis wrote a
note to John, stating that he had
learned that while he was here on the
Wednesday before he had spoken of
him diSrespectfully. He sent this note
by man named Mclean, who, he
said, would receive any explanation.
John repeated to Mclean what he
had said, declining giving any writ
ten answer and said he would hold no
correspondence with Jarvis. This day
Jarvis followed him oilt from tie !
House q Representatives, came up to
MIN from behind, accosted him by
name, asked him if he had given his
final answer, and, upon Johns answer
ing that he had, struck him in the
face and retreated back, so that John
could only strike at him in return be-
fore they were separated"
John QUINCY ADAMS occupied the
White House for four years, when |
he was succeeded by Andrew jackson |
and apparently they were not on as
good terms as they were in 1924, when |
Mrs. Adams gave that magnificent |
ball to the hero of New Orleans. |
There has been much said about how |
Adams, on the eve of the inaugura-
ton, left the Executive Mansion in a
huff and walked to his new residence
on Meridian Hill-the old Commodore
Porter house. Apparently, this story,
like many others, has grown and has |
been greatly exaggerated and no
doubt Mr.. Adams has given us the |
facts, when he says:
Mrs. Adams went out to Meridian |
Hill on Thursday and my sons wife
this day. AS the general had |
sent courteous message not to hurry |
os,r reronval and had eYnressAd him.