Jingo Piano Sheet

[Geppe Warton]

FromHarry S Truman National Historic Site; a chance to share some of the stories associated with Harry Truman, Bess W. Truman and their times. We will share letters written between Harry Truman, Bess Wallace Truman, Margaret Truman, and others. We will link to digital versions of the letters in case you'd like to see them. You may need to refresh the page for the latest episode.

This is not an April fool prank, but Harry Truman refers to April 1 in this letter from this day in 1911. This may have been about four months into their fabled courtship. It provides an exciting insight into his life on the farm in Grandview. Today, it takes us only minutes to get from Grandview to Independence. In their world, it was a much more extensive experience.

The Truman Home will be reopening for tours starting Wednesday, April 6, 2022, after a significant closure from COVID. We are open Wednesdays to Sundays. Come and see 219 North Delaware Street! And please visit the Truman Library, which has a wonderful exhibit focused on these marvelous letters.

April Fool Day. Mamma says it is always customary to send blank sheets of paper today instead of written ones. Well perhaps you'd rather get the blank ones, but I am going to fill these and spoil the spirit of the day.

You see I have been sowing oats all week, got done Thursday night, and hauled about six tons of hay yesterday. My face is a sight, as the girls say. You know the wind blew something "fierce" last Tuesday and Wednesday and the sun also had some effect. Between them I look like raw beef or a confirmed "booze fighter." My voice is also somewhat weary from yelling at the horses. You know we drive four plugs to a drill-have them abreast. It is an impossibility to have four with inclinations alike. I had four whose names may be some index to their character-William, Samuel, Jane and X. X is a bronc-if you know what that is-he has an insane desire to arrive at the other end of the field in the shortest possible time. You dare not touch him with a whip or let him hear one if you can help. William-Bill we call him of course-is an ex-buggy horse. He hasn't much idea of work but to get out of it if he can. I yell at him in my sleep sometimes. When I am not hallooing "Bill, Bill go on," I am saying the same to Sam. Sam is a very large ex-dray horse and he never hurries under any consideration unless I poke him with a sharp stick or land on him with a baling wire whip. Jane, as Mrs. Barclay would say, is just right. She goes as she should. Well when I land on Sam and Bill, Jane and X want to run away. So I have to take it out in lung work and unprintable names. You can just bet that I am glad I'm done. I always sow Vivian's and mine too. This time I sowed seventy acres in five days. That is moving some. Vivian is well had has been hauling hay for me while I sowed his oats. (I do wish I had your new bottle of ink.) Did you get an invitation to the high school reception for Professor Bryant? I did but I can't go. I have a "previous engagement" to a tacky party. I am going as I usually go when at home and I bet I take the cake. My very best friends would refuse to recognize me if they ever saw me in town in my farm rags. They are dirty and tattered and torn with hog snoot marks, splashed milk, and other things too numerous to mention in their makeup. You ask Ethel what a pretty figure I cut when I pretend to work. Mamma ropes me in once in a while and makes me exchange for a clean set, but they don't feel right until I wear them a day or two.

I guess you will have a fine time at the river tomorrow morning. I haven't been down on those bluffs since I was a time-keeper for L. J. Smith. You know I was once a hobo paymaster. Not a pleasant job either.

I am sorry to hear of Miss Dicie's illness but I guess she'll soon recover. Lively people are never sick long. I hope your mother is well by this time. Our whole family is in good health. Papa only has to hop on crutches but he'll soon be over that.

You say you have gone back to W. D. Howells, well I have never come to him yet. He must be all right for he was a particular friend of Mark Twain's. It's luck I guess but I have never read one of his books. I certainly did enjoy The Mistress of Shenstone. I have read The Rosary since I read it and they are both good. I have also been reading the history of Jenghiz Khan the Tartar. He is the only great man in history who had no effect on American history, according to Miss Phelps. You know she began with Adam and came down. But I never heard of Jenghiz till recently. Well I am wound up but shall quit here. Please write me when you have the time as I enjoy your letters very much. I am

A charming letter from Harry Truman to Bess Wallace from April 1, 1911. Some fascinating insight into Truman's work on the family farm in Grandview. Plus insights into what Mr. Truman and Miss Wallace were reading, and more.

In a way we are lucky to have these letters. While preparing his memoirs, Harry Truman reviewed a lot of these letters, and his staff made photocopies. Mary Jane Truman, however, unfortunately destroyed the originals, so the photocopies are all that we have left.In letters to his family, Truman felt comfortable sharing his joys and frustrations as president. His family had the ability to be tonics for his soul. By the time this letter was written, Mamma Truman was in the last few months of her life. Mary Jane was the last surviving sibling, living until 1978.

Dear Mamma & Mary:- I have, as usual been up to my eyes in work and haven't had a chance to write promptly. I was glad to get the Dr.'s letter and am hoping to see the pictures next time he takes them. I am glad Mrs. Lester i there with you and I hope you will be able to get Lillie when she leaves.

This has been a right hectic week. The Congress acts like a lot of school boys or even worse. They have been piddling around now for 90 days and have sent me four or five little bills affecting special things like extention (sic) of war powers in certain things and some special things for special sections of the country. But for real policy legislation - nothing.

The Atomic Energy Commission fight finally came to a test vote. Mr. Taft has succeeded in making a real fool of himself as have several other so called "leading" Republicans. I am of the opinion that the country has had about enough of their pin head antics.

We have a special treat for you today...not a Dear Bess or a Dear Harry letter, but a rare letter that President Harry S Truman wrote to his mother and sister. We're grateful to have these letters. Writing letters like these to his family was quite important to Harry Truman.

A most important letter for you today, a letter written by First Lieutenant Harry S Truman, recently arrived in France, writing home to Miss Bess Wallace in Independence, Missouri. Lieutenant Truman shares his first impressions of France, shares a little about the voyage, and makes reference to the world of censoring letters, common practice in wartime. This letter is a splendid example of how Truman used his letters to Miss Wallace as a canvas, on which he painted wonderful illustrations with words.

This is a beautiful place. I wish I could tell you where it is. (Call Boxley up.) The room I have at the Hotel des Voyageurs is furnished in mahogany with double lace curtains at its windows. It has a picture of Henry IV and his children on one side and Henry VIII of England at some state function on the other. There is a fire place (no fire) with a white marble mantelpiece, which has a Dutch clock under a glass case. (The clock doesn't run, probably on account of its age.) It is a beautiful gold affair with a couple of seventeenth-century pikemen on top of it. It is flanked by two exquisitely beautiful lamps and there is a large mirror over the whole thing about four feet square. The chairs are upholstered in red plush. It looks more like some count's bedroom than a hotel room.

I am two days late on the letter but I guess you have some slight idea as to the reason. I have been endeavoring to learn to push an auto. My head is rather thick I suppose. Anyway I'm not an expert chauffeur as yet. It is to be hoped that there will be some improvement by Sunday. Have had a puncture already, killed the engine times without number, and got the batteries all worn out by running on them. It is as old man Fred remarked, when you have an auto there is nothing else to cuss about. Your mind is entirely occupied cussing the auto. I managed to get up Dodson hill on high and then killed the engine, getting up about a 2 per cent grade. There is only one thing I can brag about and that is that I can stay in the road. Got by some thousands of telegraph poles without disaster and then ran over a horseshoe full of nails. You can imagine the result of that.

Have you recovered from the big dose of music? I made the K.C.S. limited all right. It was exactly on time and I only waited about three minutes. Mary arrived the next morning and all she could do was talk music and auto. She has an insane desire to drive. She'll soon get it gratified for it's not much pleasure to me to drive. It's an awful amount of bother.

It is as I told you it would be when the car came home. It is raining like Sam Hill this morning and Papa wanted me to drive him to Independence! Ain't it awful what the weather can spoil sometimes. He seems to be fairly well pleased with the purchase. So does Uncle Harry, but neither of them are very anxious to let loose of any money. Papa is starting to the big town up the hill and I have to quit in order to get this mailed. I hope to arrive in Independence Sunday afternoon if nothing busts. Please don't expect the arrival too early but I'll get there some time if I have to take the train! Send me a letter this week since I'm behind almost two. Did you get the special Mary mailed?

A fun letter, likely from April 1914. Harry S Truman had recently bought a second-hand automobile, made by the Stafford company in Kansas City. It was a splendid touring car, but was always a maintenance headache for Truman. But as the car helped Harry Truman get to Independence to see Miss Wallace, it was worth it!

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