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Oldest Living' Descendant q/ Martha Washington
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Tudor Place a Puch WasHing'ton Reliquary
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By G.
1
1
Written for Tjho Sunny South
(Copyright, i905.)
HOSE who visit AVashlng-
ton’s tomb at Mount Ver
non, standing- in awed si
lence near the marble
sarcophagus which holds
all that is mortal of one
so distinctly Immortal,
may be Interested to know
that within the same
vault. Immediately be
hind it, is the tiny coffin
of a little girl who died
more than 100 years ago,
who In life, as in death,
associated with the great
casket, which originally
the sarcophagus itself, is
closely
The
■d upon
was
man
restt
that of Martha Eliza Eleanor Peter.
Mrs. Washington’s first great-grand
child, named for her three granddaugh
ters, the children of her son, John
Parke Custie, and of his wife, Eleanor
Calvert, the granddaughter of Lord
P.altimore, The little girl, who was
born January 20, 1796. nearly three
years before Washington’s death, and
Who died September 10. ISOO. just nine
months after that event was taught to
walk by him. With the green-tinted
slopes rising gently from the shining
river in the foreground and framed in
clustering- trees, bursting with buds a».d
vocal with the twitter of mating birds,
the two must have made a pretty pic-
tme on the verandah at Mount Vernon
on those early spring mornings, she
clinging to his great forefinger with her
dimpled baby hand and he suiting his
gait to her slow, uncertain steps.
Across the intervening century the
scene is a dim abstraction, but the mists
clear and the shadowy figures start into
reality when we clasp the hand of a
-inter of the child, Mrs. Britannia Wel
lington K< n.non. the oldest living des
cendant of Martha Vashington, and her
only surviving representative in the
third degree. At Mrs. Kennon’s beauti
ful, historic home. Tudor Place, in
Georgetown, too, are souvenirs of the
little girl, a coral and bells bought for
her by Washington during the “difficult
second summer," which he enjoyed see
ing her manipulate and upon which she
left the impress of her first tooth, and
a little chair, a gift from Airs. Wash
ington, upholstered with a remnant of
one of her wedding gowns.
MANY PRICELESS TREASURES.
Tudor Place contains besides many
priceless relics of the Washington fam
ily and is the scene of the most inter
esting events in Mrs. Kennon’s life.
The central portion of the Stuccoed
structure was built in 1816 by her fath
er, Colonel Thomas Peter, who married
Martha, the second daughter of John
Parke Custis, but the wings which it
unites, standing where he purchased the
property, are of much earlier date, it
is situated in the heart of Georgetown,
the beautiful grounds surrounding it,
shaded by forest trees and intersected
with gravel walks, having been reduced
by the encroaching city from six and a
half acre s to a half square. Entering
the great iron gate an odor of boxwood,
suggestive of colonial gardens, greets
you, and following the driveway, out
lined by the pungent shrub and encir
cling a spherical bed of the same, re
sembling a mammoth green table, and
so evenly trimmed and with such close
ly Interwoven branches that it might
almost be used for such we pass through
the vestibule and into a spacious cen
tral apartment. An inverted bay whj-
dow. half inclosing a round stone porch,
whose dome-like roof is supported h>
four pillars, occupies its opposite end,
while flanking it on either sde are wide
doorways leading into contiguous rooms.
Of these the one to the left terminates
in a conservatory, imprisoned behind
whose glass doors is a sago palm, a
scion of one of three brought to this
country in one of the historic tea ships
which emptied their cargo in Boston
harbor, tvas destroyed by a tire which
occured tbyre, turning a portion if ’"ft.
greenhouse; another was carried to
Morrisiana, the home of Governor Mor
ris, and the third went to Pratt's Gar
dens in Philadelphia. In 1813 Mrs.
Mrs. Britannia Wellington Kennon.
Born January 28, 1815. The Oldest
Living Descendant of Martha Wash
ington and Her only Surviving Rep
resentative in the Third Degree.
Peter drove to that city In her carri
age. the journey occupying four days,
and, visiting tho gardens, bought an
offshoot of the palm, bringing it home in
a basket. The plant thus transported is
now a semi-tree, and under the garden
er’s fostering care bears every year a.
profusion of scarlet blossoms.
In the room to tho light of the central
apartment is a brass-framed mirror
which hung in the parlor at Mount Yei-
11011, and a child’s desk presented to
Mrs Peter by General Lafayette when
she was a little girl, while tho walls of
ail three are covered with a rare col
lection of pictures. Ann ng these ire
the painting by Edward Savage (so wide
ly copied) of the family group at Mount
Vernon, life portraits of General and
Mrs. ’Washington, of General Ivnox,
Rear View of Tudor Place Which Contains Largest Collection of Washington Relics Extant.
Washington’s secretary of war, and of
John Parke Curtis, and engraved repro
ductions of Trumbull’s famous battle
.-•••0110s and of Ary Scheffer’s portrait oif
Lafayette, sent by him to Mrs. Peter
after htg visit to Tudor Place in 1024.
Of tho miniatures owned by Mrs. ICen-
non, the one of Washington represents
him as he afterwards appeared at Nellie
Custis’ wedding in the colonial uniform
of buff and blue, with delicate shirt frills.
It was painted for Martha Custis at her
special reguest immediately before her
marriage, a duplicate being given to her
older sister, Eliza, the ancestor of Mrs.
George Goldsborougli and Airs. Kirby
Flower Smith, of Baltimore. The superb
heirlooms are set In dark blue enamel,
encircled with pearls, a pearl-framed re
liquary at the back containing locks of
hair of Nellie and George Washington
Parke Custis. The miniatures of Airs.
Washington were executed at widely sep
arated ■periods. In tho first, taken soon
after her marriage, and on the reverse
■'Me of which is a portrait of John Parka
Custis, she wears a lavender gown, with
lace fichu, caught at the throat with a
butterfly pin. In the second, painted at
Mount Vernon by Field after her hus
band's death and a short time before
h<T own, she appears in her “morning
cap’’ that her granddaughter. Airs. Peter,
i i iy see her in her “every-day iace.”
WASHINGTON’S VESTS.
Airs. Washington’s bridal gown, an ele
gant white brocade, with rich lace trim
mings. drawn back from a silver-wrought
petticoat, carried us back to the festivi
ties at the white house, on the Pamun-
key river, in New Kent county, Virginia,
^.fhe purple satin slippers, emoroidered
with silver and worn with It, being also
at Tudor place. Here the wedding knot
was tied by the rector o£ St. Peters
t church, still used for worship, and here
lie couple passed their honeymoon
shington giving the executive man-
I. n its name in memory of these asso
ciations. Handsomely painted fans, with
ivory Frick? ar» souvenirs of the
’ ceremonious functions at which she after
wards presided as “The First Lady of the
Land,” her card 1 plate, with her own
name engraved on one side and that of
Airs. Peter on the other, being another
memento of her social life.
White cloth vests anil other articles of
apparel worn by Washington indicate
that he was drawn physically, as well as
mentally and morally, upon heroic lines.
There is also a mammoth pewter plate,
a camp stool and sundry cooking utensils
which belonged to his army equipment,
■while the historic conch shells, bought
of ai insistent street vender in Phila
delphia and converted at his suggestion
■nto buttons for a dress suit, recall a
well-known incident in his life.
Tile silver, the china and glassware at
Tudor place admit of an exiaiot reproduc
tion of Tie table o.l Afount Vernon at a
period when carriage loads of guests
emptied thef,selves upon the front Ti?iwn,
nnd ali foreigners of distinction were en
tertained 'beneath the Ihcspitable roof.
Among the chirrs is a part of a set upon
which is WashingToti*s monogram, given
to him by a the Count de ■Custlne and
made upon that nobleman’s estate in
France, with pSeces of The famous “M.
W.” china, presented to Airs. Washing
ton by the French officers who took part
in the ravolut'ionary war. There are also
portions of the tea. anil dinner sets’ used
during tile presidency in New York and
F!i ’Liueliphto, a salad and pnnah bowl
of the Order of the Cincinnati and a bowl
in which five generations of Mrs. Wash
ington's descendant;? were christened.
Mantel in Drawing Room at Tudor Place, Life Portrait of Washington,
Parian Figures and Candlesticks Belonging to Him, and Andirons in
His Room When He Died.
The silver owned by Airs. Kennon Is of
English iv. jrkmanship and is engraved
with the family erost. a few specimens
being a ■cream pitcher, teapot and caddy
sqxion used by Airs. Washington, a num
ber of oval waiters, with claw feet, upon
which glass dishes were set, and a half
dozen candlesticks of chaste design, over
Which are odd-sthatped glass globes to pre
vent fhe flaring of the light. The Pa
rian marble figures which were grouped
around an immense plate glass plateau,
simulating a lake and used at state din
ners, are also at Tudor Place, but the
plateau was cold by Washington alter
his withdrawal from public life as un-
suited to his altered situation. They
were selected for him In Paris by Gov
ernor Alorris, as were five brass “patent
temps, warranted not to smoke nor in
jure the furniture.’’ which, having out
lived their usefulness, are now used for
decorative purposes.
SOUVENIRS OF THE FARM.
Illustrations of the farm life at Atount
Vernon may be seen in blankets and
towels made from the wool and flax
grown there and manufao turned under the
mistress’ eye by negro artisan* in the
spinning room, where all day long the
merry wheel sang songs to the accom
paniment of loom and flax brake. In
deed, with hundreds of subordinates to
care for and 011001, Airs. Washington
could scarcely have led an idle life.
There is a record of her having cut oiut
on a. certain long summer day thirty-
two pairs of trousers for the men ser
vants about the place, and specimens of
her fancy work are preserved by Airs.
Kennon in a covered stool and chair
cushion, embroidered with her monogram,
the latter lie>ng a duplicate of nine di
vided among her three granddaughters,
one of which, presented to Lafayette by
Nellie Custis, is now in the American
room a.t his country seat near Paris.
Her netting, of which there are samples
at Tudor Place, in the deep fringe of a
counterpane, was so beautiful that the
■girts of the connection trimmed their
gowns with-it. Her own dress, a sim
ple white dimity in summer, had the
adornment of a perfect neatness, and
iAIiss Mildred ‘ Lee, the daughter of the
•confederate chieftain, states that when
as a child at Arlington she ran in from
play with a soiled frock on She was told
how her great grandmother kept house
CONTINUED ON LAST PAGE.
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Ufae Retired Car Conductor'
A Series of Humorous Stories by Gelett Burgess and Will Irwin
AMES W1 SWELL COFFIN.
3d pulled steadily at his
cigars. He smoked ner
vously with a ruthless de
termination to finish at
any nazard.
By the watidh. he had suc
ceeded in smoking iris
first cigar in eleven min
utes. Keeping fairly well
to Uhls pace, 8 o’clock
found him with but- four
left in the box. Rather
sallow, with a faded, set
grin, still puffing, still chaffing, the Har
vard freshman was as cool as Athos un
der fire. The Klondiker was as excited
as a heavy backer at a six-duy-go-as-you-
pleti.se. The cigar clerk had run out of
■racy talcs and conundrums.
At last but three Panatelas remained.
“■See here,’’ said the scion of the Puri
tans, “I promised to smoke the whole box
didn’t I. and to keep one lighted all the
time? Well, I didn't say only one, and
so I’m going to make a spurt and smoke
the last three at once.”
“Tho Klondilker demurred and it was
left for the cigar salesman to decide.
Coffin won. Ala'king a grimace, the young
f.<ol, with a dying gasp of bravado,
lighted the three and while the others
looked on with admiration, puffed stren
uously to the horrid end. When the
stumps were so elrort that he could hard
ly hold them between Ills lips the sales
man pulled out a watch.
“Seven hours, twenty-three minutes
and six second—Coffin wins!” he cried.
At this the Harvard freshman toppled,
and dropping prone upon the floor, felt
so desperately, so horribly, ill that for
a while his nausea held him captive.
Tine room went round. After a while he
reeled to his feet and felt Che cool touch
of gold that the Klondiker was forcing
into Ills palms.
“You were dead game «.ll right, young
ster,’’ the Klondiker was saying. “I
never thought you’d see It through, but
you earned your money. I’ll bet you
never worked harder for a salary,
though.’
Coffin tried to srnilo and drank a half
pitcher of water. “Gentlemen.’’ he said,
solemnly, leaning against the wall paper,
“one of life’s sweetest blessings has
faded. I have lost one of youth’s illu
sions. 1 shall never smoke again. There
is nothing left for me to do but join
the Salvation Army and knock the demon
rum. My heart feels like a punching
bag after Fritz has finished practicing
witli if, and my head is as light as a
new-laid* balloon. As for the dark brown
hole where my mouth used to be—brrrrrh!
I move we pass out for fresh air. Funny,
it seems a trifle smoky here! Wonder
why. Come along and see me skate
on the sidewalk. I’m as dizzy as Two-
step Willie a’ the eleventh extra.” Then
he patted the double eagles in his hand.
“Every one of you little yellow hoys has
got to go out and get married; I must
have a big family by tonight!”
Tho Klondiker gasped. “For heaven’s
sake, you don’t mean to say you’re going
to begin again? You ought to be in the
-.-a-.-
■*■•■» •<■• ® o *
receiving hospital right now. Can you
think of anything crazier to do after this?
I'll bade you! I haven’t had so much
fun since 1 left the Yukon. You're likely
to tip over the City Hal! before night, if
I don’t watch you.”
“Well, well. I can't quite keep up this
pace, geptlemen,'■ said the cigar clerk,
“and I have to open up the shop. I’ll
look you up tonight at the morgue.”
He left hurriedly.
Once outside Coffin's spirits rose. “I
never really expected to greet you glori
ous orb again,” he said. “Let’s climb up
to Chinatown and get rich.”
“Spending money is my mark; I’m a
James P. Dandy when it comes to letting
go of coin. I’m with you,’’ said the
Klondiker. "Beside, I want to see how
long before our luck changes.”
The Freshman led the way. They
passed up the narrow Oriental lane of
Dupont street, the Chinatown highway,
and. as he pointed out the sights, Coffin
discoursed.
"In the back of half these shops the
gentle game of fan-tan is now progress
ing. Alorcovcr, there are at least five
lotteries running in the quarter that I
know of. To wit: tho ‘American,’ the
‘Lum Ki.' the ‘New York,’ the ‘Ye Wah*
nnd the ‘Alee Lee Sing.’ I propose to buck
the Mongolian tiger in his Oriental lair
and watch the yellow fur fly, by invest
ing a small wad in a ticket for Ihe half
past nine drawing. I worked out a sys
tem last night, while dallying with the
tresses of My Lady Nicotine, and I sim
ply cun’t lose unless my luck has turned
sour. I shall mark said ticket per said
inspiration, and drag down the spoils of
war Kaloo, kalay, I chortle in my joy!”
“See here, then, you let me into that,”
Insisted the Klondiker; “you keep your
hundred and salt It down. You play
my money this shot, and I’ll give you
half of what’ s made on it You're a
mascot today, and I’ve earned the right
to use you!’
"All right, then I agree to be falry-
goiJmother until the sun sets. But 1
muchly fear you'll let the little tra-la-Ioo
bird out of the cage, with your great,
big, coarse fingers. Never mind, we'll
try It. Here we are, now!”
He paused in front of a smallish Chin
ese restaurant on a side street. In the
lower windows were displayed groceries
und provisions, raw and cooked, and
from the upper story a painted wooden
fretwork balcony projected adorned with
potted shrubs and paper lanterns.
They entered, to find a small room,
from the center of which a brass .step
ped staircase rose to the floor above.
On one side of this office was a counter,
behind which sat a fat, 6leek Chinaman,
industriously writing with a vertical
brush in an account book, pausing oc
casionally to compute a sum upon the
ebony beads of an abacus. He looked
up and nodded at CofTln. and, without
stopping his work, called out several
words in Chinese to those upstairs. The
two went past the kitchens on the sec
ond floor to the top story, where several
large dining rooms, elaborately decorat
ed In carved wood and colored glass
windows, stretched from front to rear
In one room a group of men, seemingly
eastern tourists, were seated on teak-
wood stools at a round table, drinking
tea and nibbling at sugared confections
distributed in numerous bowls. Expa
tiating upon the wonders of the place
was what seemed to be one of the or
thodox Chinatown guides, pointing with
his slim rattan caner and smoking a
huge cigar.
Coffin led the way to a back room and
looking carefully to see If he were ob
served, kr.oekad three times at an un^
obtrusive door. Immediately a silken
curtain at the side wi, raised, disclos
ing a window gui-Vded by a wire screen.
In an instant It was dropped again and
tho door was opened narrowly. Coffin
pushed his friend through and they
found themselves In a square, boxlike
closet or hallway. Here another door
was opened after a similar signal and
Inspection by the lookout, and they
passed through.
Inside this last barrier was a large
room painted a garish blue. About a
■table in the center several Chinamen
were assembled and doors were opening
and shutting to receive and let out vis
itors. At a desk in the corner was sit
ting a thin faced merchant with horn
spectacles and long drooping white
mustaches. To him Coffin went imme
diately and shook hands. Then he ex
plained something of the workings of
tiie lottery to the Klondiker. It was
deemed to buy a fifteen dollar ticket, and
they received a square of yellow paper
wher*, within a border, were printed
eighty characters in green ink. “New
York Day Time.” Tho price was printed
plainly across the face.
"Now, I’ll mark It,” said Coffin. “You
can mark a *hlgh-low’ system that is
pretty sure to win, but it’s too difficult
lor me—I was never much of a Dazma-
raz at the higher mathematics. So I’ll
mark out ten spots anywhere I please.
There ar« twenty winning numbers, and
on a fifteen dollar ticket if I catch five
of them I get S30; six pays $270, seven
pays *2.400, and eight spots pul! down
the capital prize. If more than one
ticket wins a prize the money is divided
pro rata, so we don’t know what we win
till the tickets are cashed in downstairs
in the office.”
He took a brush and marked his ton
spots, five above and five below the
center panel, and handed it to the man
ager, who wrote his name in Chinese
characters down the margin. There was
just time for this when the ceremony of
drawing the winning numbers began.
The manager brought out a cylindrical
bamboo vessel and placed in it the
eighty characters found on the tickets,
each written on a small piece of paper
and rolled into a little pill or ball. Then
he looked up at the Klondiker.
“You likee mix ’em up?” he asked.
The stranger assented, and, having
stirred up the pellets, was gravely hand
ed a dime by the treasurer of the com
pany.
The pellets were then drawn forth, one
by one, and placed in four bowls in ro
tation till all were disposed of. The man
ager now nodded to Coffin, who came up
to the table. "You shake 'em dice?”
said the Chinaman, Coffin nodded.
“You see this die?” he explained to
CONTINUED ON LAST PAGE.
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