Show twice told white house hea m ouse tase tale retold john adams hung clothes on lamb limb swam in potomac by BAUKHAGE news analyst and commentator washington at a recent press and radio conference one of the reporters ribbed the president delit about the balcony he was building on the white house which the washington fine arts commission objects to as destroying the archiie architectural c beauty of the building someone suggested he might conduct a back porch political cam laign from it mr truman came right back with the remark that it was a front porch that in a sense is correct for the southern facade of the white house originally was as intended as the front of the building of late the pres dent has been given to historical anecdotes he s i a seat great student of american his tory and this I 1 time he told us a story which I 1 have heard be fore from prest dennial lips anent the white house front yard of other days in the time of dent adams the story goes a ca nal skirted the lowered edge of the grounds and that gentleman vas fond of slipping down to its banks tor for a swim au naturel in the early morning hours there was in those days said mr truman a certain female jour aalst who had been unable to get an interview with the president so she slipped down to the canal bank at dawn wa wit ted until be he was im mersed then sat on his clothes and stayed there until he answered her questions decently draped in the waters I 1 repeated the story on the air as mr truman told it and in the next days day s mail received a letter from mr dan el J kelly jr of south bend ind who is a collector of early historical newspapers wrote mr kelly I 1 enjoyed your reference in a recent broadcast to the newspaper woman who sat on pres dent adams clothes until he agreed to give her an interview the president adams was john quincy adams and the woman newspaper reporter was anne roy all however the story does not con form to the facts and you might mention this to pres dent truman the next time the story is brought up tip john quincy adams was an ar dent and accomplished swimmer and he enjoyed a daily plunge into the potomac even while president he lie was also an ardent diarist and his diary contains many a mention of his d ps in the river anne royall was adams wash ington contemporary a vicious writer and a malevolent journalist in 1826 1829 she was convicted ot of being a common scold her first con tact with adams was in 1824 when she called at the white house to de mand a pension as a revolutionary war widow adams mentioned her in a very uncomplimentary manner in his diary according to adams diary she continues to make her self noxious to many persons tolerated by some and feared by others by her deportment deport mant and an d her books treating all with a familiarity which often passes for impudence insulting those who treat her with incivility and then lampooning them in her books stripped of all her sex s delicacy but unable to for feit felt its privilege of gentle treat ment merit to others she goes about like a virago errant in enchanted armour and redeems herself from the cravings of indulgence by the notoriety of her eccel tn tri cities and the forced currency they give her publications although adams chronicled all unusual incidents while swimming and had referred to mrs royall in his d ary he makes no mention of the d meeting of this woman while swimming while adams lived in the wh te house mrs royall royal was a resident of washington but travelled about most of the time she was known as an author at that time but not as a newspaper woman her journalistic career began two years after adams retired as pres dent in 1831 she estabi shed a newspaper aptly named paul pry and later she founded another small newspaper the huntress it does not seem pos s ble that anne royall could have interviewed pres dent adams at least in her capacity as a journalist adams was mentioned in paulfry paul pry jus just tonce once on july 28 1832 there are references to him in the august 1 1840 au all gust 20 1842 december 14 1844 february 6 1847 and the march 4 1848 issues of the huntress MIS royall also mentioned adams in her sketches it and in her black book p but nowhere did the woman who was supposed to have been involved in the potomac shore incident ever refer to any inter view with john quincy adams the sop supposed posea incident still makes a good story and especially I 1 suppose when newspaper men are interviewing the president and when news is somewhat dull how ever I 1 cannot believe that any of the known facts can justify the truth of this old story but I 1 insist it s a good story and I 1 for one will not dis allusion any president as to its authenticity |