Evening star., 1939-04-16

ton, Pa, ne recalled that this phy-
sician had once set an arm for him
when he was boy.
Mrs. Gulick recalls that not only
were the soldiers sick and wounded.
but they were also very homesick
and that those who were able to do
so spent much of their time loung-
ing around Lafayette Park, which,
according to her recollection, vast
surrounded by an iron fence.
But her fondest memories CEN
ter around the White House grounds,
where she and her cousin, George,
rolled their hoops and used it \as
their favorite Fairgrounds, and last
OF all, according to this sweet, ven-
cradle woman, who has grown old
gracefully, they often received a
smile from Honest Abe" and some
times kindly greeting They were
given the privilege of visiting the
greenhouse and were sometimes CIV
en- flowers by the florist. and upon
one occasion they decided to give
a bouquet of these flowers to the
President, and so they waited in a
room through which they knew he
would pass with Mrs. Lincoln to take
their o'clock drive, as was his
custom, according to Mrs. Guuck.
Their plan worked we'll and when
the President appeared one of the
girls proudly handed him the flow
ers-his own flowers from his own
hothouses. But If he realized this
he made no comment, but accepted
them graciously with a smile and a
thank YOU
Souvenir Hunters.
THE red room in the White
House" to quote Mrs. Gulick, "had a
red carpet and heavy lace curtains
with brocatel hangings. Visitors
used to cut little pieces of the lace
curtains as souvenirs, which would
seem an impossible thing to do to-
day."
The little, girls who visited the
White House and grounds in those
days, says Mrs. Gulick, seemed quite
a problem to boy cousin of hers,
who often took them for walks, be-
cause they would not walk properly.
and upon one occasion he walked
them up to the White House grounds
and began giving them lessons in
walking, and this so amused Tad
Lincoln, who was an eyewitness
and who was about the same age of
the other children, that he Joined
them and gave them lessons in how
to keep step, which one of them, at
least, says she has never forgotten.
Referring to the day the Presi-
dent was shot, this delightful lady
says she had spent a wonderful
day attending picnic in the woods
at Laurel, Md, where she obtained
her first experience with wood ticks,
which she still recalls. BY the fol-
lowing day the knowledge of the
assassination of the President had
spread throughout the country, land
the whole world seemed changed. No
one was allowed to go in or out OF
Washington, and every building was
draped in black, shutters were
drawn, and the city was in deep
mourning which had been bright
with red, white and blue trim
mings."
Lasting Impression.
This was indeed a tragic occasion.
| and naturally 1t formed an impress
sion upon the little girls mind that
has lasted until today and will
never be forgotten as long as mem
ory lasts.
There is also somewhat of q con-
nection between the Thirteenth.
Street Baptist Church and the New
York Avenue Presbyterian Church,
where Lincoln attended, the con-
gregation of which, we are told
worshiped here, in the former
church, while the New York Avenue
Church was being completed in 1859.
The connection referred to was
the courtesy returned by the Pres
byterian Church to the Baptist
Church when the steeple Of the lat
ter fell on February "a, 1862 de-
stroying large part Of that edifice.
OF this incident the late Robert Ball
has said:
This city has been exempt from
violent storms to q remarkable de-
gree. There have been but two 9TH
ers that I remember that did damn.
age to any great extent In unroofing
houses and blowing down trees and
fences. One Of these occurred In
1862; this struck the spire of the
First Baptist Church on Thirteenth
street. stood at the corner of
Thirteenth and r streets, east of the
grocery store kept by ]. j. Joyce,
and saw the spire, which was about
120 feet high, totter and lean toward
the east and then settle back to an
erect position. This occurred the
second and third time, when 1t be-
came overbalanced and fell with a
great crash upon the peak of the
roof, crushing it down with such vio-
lence that the walls were burst out.t
the north wall being thrown 16 or 20
leet across the alley, bursting the
south wall Of the residence Of Mr.. S.
MaSi. the former treasurer Of this
society referring to the Association
OF the Oldest 1nhabitants).