Evening star., 1950-01-01

us, on Mr.. Cleveland's election in
'84, that she knew all about him,
etc. I wondered little whether
her claims were exaggerated. but
they were not. At one of these re-
ceptions I started to introduce her
to the President. He stopped me
abruptly by saying. Don't tell me
this lady's name; she is old Squire
Cadwell's daughter.
One Trip Outside u. S.
knew that Grover Cleveland
was right because she had a son
named Caldwell Tyler, who lived
in this town for many years and
may be remembered by some of
The Star readers.
Later, at the cemetery in Hol-
land Patent. N. Y, I saw the lots
adjoining of the Cadwell-Tyler
family and the Cleveland family.
the latter including cenotaphs of
two older brothers of Grover
Cleveland who had been lost at sea
coming back from one of the West
Indies islands, where they had
operated a hotel. Grover Cleve-
land went there to settle up their
business affairs and this proved
the longest trip outside of the
continental United States that he
ever made. He never went to Eu-
rope. He never visited the West
Coast. Such an attitude on the
part Of President. at the turn
of the century. is only illustrative
OF the great changes that have
come over our national life in the
half-century under review.
Cleveland Fishing Trip
Most of Mr.. Cleveland's travel
ing had been in attending fu-
nerals. This. I fancy, was a hang
over from his upbringing in a
Presbyterian manse. I went with
him to President Hayes funeral
at Fremont, Ohio, in January,
1898. On such an occasion he
made a wonderfully good impress
sion; his dignified bearing. and
long black coat and solemn de-
meanor fitted perfectly.
wonder II I might tell, illustra-
tive Of the period we are reviewing
of the time that he went, while
President, on fishing trip In
North Carolina, and of the pub
licity growing out of 1t. In con-
nection with such enterprises he
wanted little said. He had ar
ranged that there should be no
appointments on his desk for
either Sunday or Monday. and
that no one should know anything
about his absence. This was his
typical attitude. in great contrast
with the press conference and all
the publicity which now attends
every step q President takes.
On Monday morning, q great
English stateman's death was
flashed into the newspaper offices.
I think 1t was Gladstone. Two men
came up to the White House from
the Associated Press to get what
was then, as now, curiously known
as "the Presidents reaction" The
object Of the second man was to
impress the President with seri-
BUSINESS with which the Associated
Press viewed the quest. They met
Mr.. Thurber, the Presidents Sec
retary Il was only his stenog-
rapher).
Strange Interview
Mr.. Thurber possessed great nat
ural courtesy. He had the gra-
ciousness of successful under
taker. But this inquiry put him on
the spot. Was he to tell the Asso-
ciated Press that the President
was in North Carolina fishing?
That would never do. So he opened
the door into the Presidents Office
very narrowly, being a slight man
himself, and he did not want the
rowing eye Of the Associated Press
to see the aching void. He de-
liberately walked around the
Presidents desk, three or four
times, and then came out, shaking
hands again with the two report
ers-another undertaker's gesture
and said, "The President feels. p"
He did not say the President
said" Mr.. Thurber was too truth
full for that, but he thought he
was authorized to interpret the
undoubted feelings of the man
whom he served; to-wit, that this
would be blow to much greater
area than the empire which the
English statesmen had served, etc.
The A. P. men sent it forward as
an interview.
That afternoon, q so-called cub
reporter in North Carolina ran
against Mr.. Cleveland at a rail-
road junction and asked him
what he-the President-thought
of the news. The latter allowed
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