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Show Twice-Told White Grouse Tale Retold John Adams Hung Clothes On Limb, Swm in Potomac By BAUKTIAGE Newt Analyst end Commentator. WASHINGTON. At a recent press and radio conference, one of the reporters ribbed the President about the balcony he was building on the White House, which the Washington fine arts commission objects to as destroying the architectural architec-tural beauty of the building. Someone suggested he might conduct "back porch" political campaign cam-paign from It Mr. Truman came right back with the remark that it was a front porch. That, in a aense, is correct, for the southern facade of the White House originally was intended as the front of the building. Of late, the President has been i given to historical anecdotes he's a great student ',vJflf of American hls- tory and thia I '4 1 time he told u Vlof I Itor whlch 1 1 ' vr j have heard be- 'v'?fS&rl ore trom PresI I ' V I dentlal lips anent I I I the White House LytfTlfl "front yard" of 7h III other days' In yi5 - if Ume of PrMl" -iff ' dent Adanis, the '4kWr "ZSLt tory goes, a ca- .-I.J nal ,kirted the lowered edge of BAUKI1AGE tn Bounds, and that gentleman as fond of slipping down to its banks for a swim au naturel in the early morning hours. There was, In those days, said Mr. Truman, a certain female Journalist Jour-nalist who had been unable to get an interview with the President So she slipped down to the canal bank at dawn, waited until he was immersed, im-mersed, then sat on his clothes and stayed there until he answered her questions, decently draped in the waters. 1 repeated the story on the air as Mr. Truman told it, and in the next day's mall received a letter from Mr. Daniel J. Kelly Jr., of South I Bend, Ind., who is a collector of , early historical newspapers. Wrote Mr. Kelly: "I enjoyed your reference in a , recent broadcast to the newspaper i woman who sat on President : 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. Roy-all. However, the story does not conform con-form to the facts, and you might mention this to President Truman the next time the story is brought up. "John Quincy Adams was an ardent ar-dent and accomplished swimmer and he enjoyed a dally plunge into the Potomac even while President. He was also an ardent diarist, and hia diary contains many a mention of his dips In the river. "Anne Royal was Adams' Washington Wash-ington contemporary a vicious writer and a malevolent Journalist. In 1829 she was convicted of being 'common scold.' Her first contact con-tact with Adams was in 1824 when she called at the White House to demand de-mand a pension as a Revolutionary war widow. Adams mentioned her in a very uncomplimentary manner in hia diary. "According to Adams' diary . . . 'She continues to make her-aelf her-aelf noxious to many persona; tolerated by some and feared by others, by her deportmant and her books; treating all with familiarity which often passes for impudence, Insulting those who treat her with Incivility, and then lampooning them In her books. Stripped of all ber sex's delicacy, but unable to forfeit for-feit Its privilege of gentle treatment treat-ment to others, she goes about like vlragoerrant In enchanted armour, and redeems herself from the cravings of Indulgence by the notoriety of her eccentricities eccen-tricities and the forced currency they give her publications . . .' "Although Adams chronicled all unusual incidents while swimming, and had referred to Mrs. Royall in his diary, he makes no mention of the suppob'.d meeUng of this woman while swimming. "While Adams lived in the White House, Mrs. Royall 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 President. In 1831 she established a newspaper aptly named 'Paul Pry,' and later she founded another small newspaper, the 'Huntress.' It does not seem possible pos-sible that Anne Royall could have interviewed President Adnms, at least in her capacity as a Journalist "Adams waa mentioned in 'Paul fry' Just once, on July 28, 18.12. There are references to him In the August 1, 1840; August Au-gust 20, 1842; December 14, 1844; February 6, 1847, and the March 4, 1848, Issues of the 'Huntress.' Mrs. Royall also mentioned Adams In her 'Sketches,' p. 166, and In her 'Black Book,' p. 126. But nowhere did the woman who was supposed to have been Involved In the Potomac shore incident ever refer to any Interview Inter-view with John Quincy Adams. "The supposed Incident still makes a good story, and especially, I suppose, when newspaper men are interviewing the President, and when news is somewhat dull. However, How-ever, I cannot believe that any of the known facts can Justify the truth of this old story." But, I Insist, it's a good story and I, for one, will not disillusion any President as to Its authenticity. |