Evening Star Newspaper, August 14, 1921, Page 57

/ George Alfred Townsend, Famous Writer of Days Gone By 174 ATH" was a widely known pen name, and perhaps for two generations it was the widest known Ppen name, but as to that there may be conflict of opinion. The name of the man who signed the letters “Gath” was not so well known as his pen name, though there is nath- ing extraordinary in that, for it was “Gath” which readers saw in print day after day for more than forty years, and it was “Gath's” observa- tions, comment and opinions which men quoted, or which they appro- priated, repeated and passed on as thelr own However, as time went by the name “George Alfred Town- send” became extensively known and the general run of people reading newspapers came to understand that “Gath” was George Alfred Townsend or that George Alfred Townsend was “Gath." ‘The span of the life of this man was seventy-three years—from 1841 to 1914. His period of writing cov- ered fifty-four years, or from 1860 till death, and the active period of his newspaper writing was from 1867 until the late eighties, and it may be that some will say that his newspa- per activties did not perceptibly de- cline until the nineties. Almost all of that part of George Alfred Town- send's career which marks him as a conspicuous man was passed in Washington, though he made trips to other parts of the world, and he was an important figure here along the streets, at the Capitol, in the departments, in the hotel lobbies and in those saloons where newspaper natural and bril- Townsend. It 18 easy. clear. ave called sparkling,” “scintil- whatever those words may mean as applied to a man's way of writing. Mr. Townsend generally chose interesting subjects, he pre-’ sented them in » way that stimulated rather than choked your Interest, and when you finished one of his news- paper stories you felt that you had been entertained and had ~learned something about the subjeot. Mr. Townsend had a large vocabulary and an ample knowledge of the values of words, and he had the -imaginationp and originality which enabled him to employ words out of their hack- to” make picturesque and striking combinations of words which put his ideas across the page to the reader. He was an impulsive man and aggres- sive man and independent minded, and he soon came to a point in the news. paper business where he could afford to declare his independence. To illustrate this, Mr. Townsend either did not ad- mire or positively disllked James G. Blaine. The reason for this is of no con. cern to us. It might have been strictly to us. It might have been strictly personal, as something which Mr. Blaine said to Mr. Townsend or about Mr. Townsend, or something it was re- ported that he sald, or something which Mr. Blaine did to Mr. Townsend or one of his friends, or something | which Mr. Blaine refused to do. or something like that. Our antipathies to men usually have some such foun- dation. At any rate, Townsend's cor- ‘respondence in a democratic cast during the Cleveland-Blane campaign of 1884. The owner of the democratic news- | paper really liked Blaine and did not | like Cleveland. and sending for Towns- neyed relations one to the other and; L tain number of suckers who will (applaud that kind of bunk. L IT is not to be denied that the con- though there has been a marked improvement during and that brought ‘improvement has all and are carrying men’ better plane. has played a more | than the free press. the press remains free or a: to expose that part which is not. We have registered mighty progres: er Tiberius Gracchus was as |nated and his brother Caius * jto dle by the hands of a faithful of his enemies.” We have had many slumps, but we emerge and go for- socfal maladies of such long stand- ing are to be cured by the off hand have been often wanting. ditions complained against exist- EADER of the Old Guard of Newspaper Writers in Washington—Correspondent During the Civil War—Reporter, Editor, Essayist, Poet and Scholar Combined. “Gath,” his Pen Name, a Byword for Many Years—Monument He Erected Among I the Blue Ridge Mountains—QOther Well Known “Journalists™ of the Last Century. the centutries been about by the progress of education and enlightenment, by in- telligent discussion and the play of those forces which have carried morals to a In this work no agency luminous part And the prog- ress of the world is safe as long as long as enough of the press remains free since the plebs of Rome journeyed to hen. | the mons sacer: sigce Licinius Stolo 5 - land Lucius Sextius set up the Licinian paper took on a strong anti-Blaine | Rogations and since the classic reform- 8i- hose slave rather than fall into the power ward. It is too much to expect that remedies of vagrant politicians. They tried and fouad |He was an energetig traveler fn his The Associated Press sent out the following message Wednesday night April 15, 1914: “New York—George Alfred Townsend a journalist, novelist and verse writer of many years' activity, who was widely know in America apd Eng- land under the pen name of “Gath, died today at_the home of his son-in law, E. F. Bonaventure, 318 West 106th street. He was seventy-three years old and had been in failing health for three years. For forty years after 1867 Mr. Townsend wrote a daily letter of from two to four columns in length for the Chicago Tribune and Cincinnati En- quirer. It was as a signature for those letters that he adopte& the pen name “Gath,” by which he became more widely known than by his own name. In recent years Mr. Townsend had contributed a Sunday letter to ithe Boston Globe. ‘When he died Mr. Townsend was at work upon bis memoirs which will be published by his son-in-law. Mr. Townsend came into intimate contact with many world figures of whom he has written. Among those with whom he was closely associated at one time or another were: Col Henry Watter- son, Sir Henry M. Stanley, Whitelaw Reid, many of the civil war generals of both sides, all the Presidents with few exceptions since 1860 and the late King Edward VIL, whom he ac- companied on_his tour of the United States when Prince of Wales. Mr. Townsend wrote many books. lic buildings and the manner of liv- ing there, and a searching exposure of the various jobs and scandals tion (1876). Swamp _Outlaws, or the North Carolina Bandits, being a complete history of the Modern Rob Roy and Robin Hoods (1872). Bohemian Days, Paris (1880). Campaigns of a Nen-Combatant and His Romance Abroad (1866). Columbus in_Love; in Lippincott's Magazine (1893). Katy of Catoctin, or the Chain Breakers; a national romance (1886). The Entailled Hat, or Patty Can- non's Times (1384). Lost Abroad (1870). Mrs. Reynolds and Mrs. Harrison; a Romance (1890). The Mormon Trials at Salt Lake City (1871). . The New World Compared with the O1a-(1869). 4y hin w10 Tales of the Chesapeake. Tales of Gapland. Volyme of Poems. Among the published works of Mr. Townsend not listed above are “Life of Garibaldi.” published in 1867; “Life of Abraham Lincoln,” published in 1867, and “President Cromwell, a prime and went abroad nearly & dozen times, visiting almost every country in Europe. His principal property is an estate on the battlefield of Crampton's gap, South Mountain, Md., where a village has grown up since he went there. He named the village Gapland. Besides his daughter, Mrs. Bona- venture, Mr. Townsend is survived by a son, George Alfred Townsend of Fort Wayne, Ind. * % k% HESE are sort of side observations as we go along Wwith this nar- rative and it should not be inferred that the writer of this intends to in- clude “Gath” in the class of those men who attract a following by making heediess and indiscriminate attacks on other men. Gath assailed some and praised many. He may have been wrong both ways. Men often are. Gath was probably right and | which have excited public indigna- fhe lof * THE MONUMENT TO CIVIL WAR CORRESPONDENTS AND ARTISTS, ERECTED BY GEORGE ALFRED TOWNSEND AT HIS SUMMER HOME, CRAMPTONS GAP, ON SOUTH MOUNTAl » NEAR THE BLUE RIDGE, w e Philadelphia_Inquirer in 1860, made &' reputation as a war correspondent for the New. York Herald and World on the buttlefields of south und of the Austro-Prussian war, and riy half a century, under the pen name Gath," wrote for the Ciacinnati Euquirer and many other papers daily letters w among the most widely read new cles of the time. His summer home was on his estate at Gap- land. ip Maryland, where the hattle of South Mountain in the civil war was fought. If George Alfred Townsend had any &ood reason for choosing “Gath” as a ven name the service of biblical scholar is needed to discover it. In all the references to Gath in the Old Testament there seems nothing that fits in with the work of Mr. Town- send. Gath was one of the five royal cities of the Philistines and the native place of Goliath. It stood on a hill now called Tell-es-Safth at the foot of the mountains of Judah ten miles east of Ashbod, and ten miles south- east of Ekram. Extensive ruins of the city are to be seen. In the con- quests of Joshua, eleventh chapter, it is related that “There was none of the Anakims left {n the land of the children of Israel; only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashnod, there remained. In the first chapter of the second book of Samuel is this: “And David for Patriot; J. H. Hawes, the New Era: W. C. MacBride, the Chronicle; W. J. Murtagh, the Republican; William P. Saville, the Chronijcle; Arthur Shep- herd, the Republican; A. B. Talcott, the Patriot; Lucius Quentin Wash ington, the Patriot; Crosby 8. Noye: editor The Star; Samuel H. Kauff- mann, The Star, and R. F. Boiseau, The Star. IN 1871 George Alfred Townsend is in the Congressional Directory as editor of the Washington Capital and correspondent of the Chicago Tribune. His office is 428 11th street and his residence 926 17th. His name is in the directories of 1872, '78 and '74 and in 1875 he appears, not as the repre- sentative of the Chicago Tribune, | but as correspondent of the Cincinnati Commercial and St. Louis Republicam. W. J. Vance is for the Tribune. He 1s {not in the 1876 directory, but reap- pears in 1877 as correspondent of the Cincinnati Enquirer. He is in_the directory for the Enquirer in 1578 In 1879 he disappears from the Con-! | gressional Directory and W. C. Mac-| Bride, office Corcoran building and residence 1005 Sth strect, appears as correspondent of the Cincinnati En- quirer. Mr. Townsend’s name does not ap- pear in the Washington directory of 1867 or 186 He enters the directory in 1869 as “George A. Townsend, au thor, residence 319 B street north. In 1870 he is still “George A. Town- send, author,” but has moved to 926 17th strect northwes There is no change in 1871 and 18 In 1873 it is “George A. Townsend, correspond-' {ent, New York Herald, 916 17th street northwest.” In 1874 the name appears in black-face type and is “Gearge A. Townsend, -journalist, Chicago Tri- bune, 916 17th street northwest.” In 1875 it is, in ordinary type, “George A. Townsend, correspondent, Chicago Tribune.” and he has moved to 1020 17th street. . In 1876 he disappears from the city directory. not to reap- pear for many years till he buys the house, long known as his Washington home, No. 229 1st street northeast, which was torn down at the time of the bu‘lding of the Senate office build- ing which covers its site. Tracing Mr. Townsend through di- rectorics yielded few facts about him, but brought out some things which The Star man believes interesting. The Washington directory in the ‘708 began running a list of “journalists: Most mem who do the “writing on -wspapers like very little, or not at ,"the term “journalist” Many of them say/a “fournalist” is & man who has no job’on a newsepaper; some de- fine a “journalist” as a man who car- ries a cahe.and canpot write; some say that & “journalist” is a man who {borrows money from reporters, and that a “journalist” is a man its for another fellow to get the stuff apd write it and then signs his own nagne at the top of it. How- ever, the directory calls us journal- lists. In the directory those who get {into this list of journalists are nearly jall employed by out-of-town papers. A few of the purely local men get into the list. but they are generally { prominent editors and owners. The | list. taken year by year, shows when | these men “came to Washington, or when a local man beca: attached to an out-of-town newspaper's | Washington office, but this test is not infallible, because some men served in Washington, went away, came back and were then put in the ilist of journalists. They appear as | newcomers, though they may have served in Washington before the be- ginning of the list. * ok X ¥ * * x ¥ { we find that the these names: Adams, Walter Allen, rence M. Barton, F. T. ton, Thomas J. Hremnan, T. W. list contains | | | George { drews,” ¢ dent,” at the same address, and in 1898 and 1899 “George A. Townsend, ir. is an employe of the Library of Con- gress. In 1916 the old Townsend ouse s occupled by Willlam J. Plater, an employe of the Bureau of Engrav ing and Printing. Knowing that James Rankin Young, | veteran correspondent, retired, had | long been a friend of George Alfred Townsend, The Star man sought him at his home, 1204 K street, and what | follows is in substance what Mr. Young said: “Townsend was a remarkable man in many ways. He was a prolific| writer on a varlety of subjects, had a keen intellect, strong power of ob- servation, a sense of the dramatic, a richly stored. mind and a wonderfully retentive memory. He was a sociable man and liked to talk, but he talked | about things and men and not about | 1 himself. Some men said he talked too much, but we zll agreed that his discourse was interesting and inform- ing. He was a temperate man, but we often met in those old Washington saloons where there were chairs and tables, drank, smoked and talked. and Townsend as chief spokesman always had a group about him. “I remember that when he came to | Washington in the late sixties he boarded at & house on the north side of Indiana avenue near the old Tre- | mont house. Mark Twain, then writ- | ing fugitive letters, also boarded there and among the other boarders were J. H. Riley of the Alta Califor- | nian, a very bright and learned man, | and H. J. Ramsdell. 1 was young, | but I was welcome and found the company very asreeable. Repartee, | ; and anccdote flowed freely. later time Townsend kept | house on the north side of F street west of Seventeenth. Several news- paper men lived in that block and on R. T. Creighton, T. Colburn, Joel Cook, 3. Cash, Chureh, W. Clarke, ‘John A. Cockeril. L. L Crounse, E. Cuthbert, N. Davidson, W. E. Davis, E. ¥, DeHyse, J. P. Dunn, D. % 3 Eaton, C. H. Farrell, 3. C. Fitzpatrick, & Francis, T. B. Glover, T. C. Gres, ( iffen, Charles G. Halpine, C. Hannem. Harding, C. H. Hart, J. Hasson, John Hay. Hayes, L. A. Hendricks, A. R. Henrs Henry, V. Hickok. A. S. Hill, G." W. H H. House. A. Houston, W. P. Keim, W. H. Kent, Thomas W. Long, B. T. McAlpine, Richard C. McCorta’ Joseph B. McCullagh, W. H. Merriam, J Norcross, Crosby 8. Noyes, G. H. Osbo F. Osborn, s 1. Painter, Count de Paris, A. Paul, |’ E. Peters, Henry J. Raymond, Whitt Reid, Albert D. Rickardson, W. I Tunkle, 0. w. R. . Sheily, . H. Stiner, Syivester. Benjamin F. ¥, C. Truman, Henry Viliard, J T. M. Cook. Chapmas., } William' Swinton, R. I Taylor, George Alfr: Russell Young, and W. Young. On three tablets are cut the names of civil war artists and they a: “Army Artists,” “South- “Artists” The army artists and Borghavs, T. E. H. Bonvill, 8. Dielman. E. Elisburg, 8. Fox, C. E. Hil J. F. Laycock. A. MeCallum E. F. Mulien, Fred &hel. 8. Trevier, G. F. Williams, B. Hough, The southern artists are: der, Durant Daponte. Jam:s Defonlsine, W. Shepardsu: C. Jeukins, George W. Olney, George Peirs and Henry Watterson. Those listed simply as “Artists” are: Matthew B. Brady. W. T. Crane, F. 0. ( Darley, Henry Mosier. Theodore P. Dav. GEORGE ALFRED TOWNSEND (FROM THE BRADY-HANDY COLLEC- TION), PHOTOGRAPH MADE BY ET us start with the year 1881 and | that side of the street. One was | Erank ghell, B, Forbes. 3. 8. Jowett, At Joseph Macfarland, New York Herald correspondent, editor of the Washing- ton Chronicle and father of Henry B. F. Macfarland—Henry Boyd Flovd Macfarland, 1 believe it is. Another was William P. Copeland, a very { BRADY, ABOUT 1876 Waud, Heury Love, H. Artii Lumsey, J. E. Tuylor, F. H. Mason, Larkin U Mead and Dave M. Strother. Near the correspondents and &rt ists’ memorial are tablets erected L. the battlefield commission which tel Vissitelly, lamented with this lamentation over {wrong in his estimate of men and Saul and over Jonathan, his son: Also | things in the same proportion as Burr, J. N. Burrett. | witty man, representing the New |the story of the fighting on this Drama.” > York Journal of Commerce. Further |ground and the neighboring gaps in * % % X GEORGE ALFRED TOWNSEND (FROM THE BRADY-HANDY COLLEC- TION), PHOTOGRAPH K MADE BY BRADY ABOUT 1S563. other men of like ability, equipment and temperament would be. Gath sailed men he did not like and praised men he liked, and there is a Mr. “Washington | Outside and Inside,” published at Townsend's ™ he made them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: Behold it is written in the book of Jasher. The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy s, jr.: Bdward P. William H. € Copeland, P. DeGra Edwards, Henry George Dougl Fred Elliot, Jared | up the row lived Don Piatt, long noted In local newspaper annals Piatt and Townsend started _the Washington Sunday Next September, 1862, and also near the correspondents’ memorial is a markel set up to commemorate the valor of which - : ] : i Capital. the 1st New Jersey Brigade d dcal of | Cincinnati in 1873, is this dedicatign: | high places; how are the mighty fall-1 P, F v B " 4 3 men, consressmen, sovernment of-|end urged him ‘to modity his letters, | Fhe” point is, ‘that it 1s mot knows | “This book s Inscribed to Edwara |Eh Tel it not'in Gatn, Dabliah it mot | Kiening: D, ¢ Fomet A7 M. W8 95 oor - bevond. Tomaacod liwed ‘l?f.'l o, September 16, 18850+ cers, official “had-beens” and citi- |saying that he (the democratic ed-|and mot belleved that Gath did theeo in'the streets of Ascalon; lest the |Gilman. F. A G George O, Seilheimer of the New York s Alfee o zens prominent for one thing or an- other, or not prominent at all, met, itor) would give orders that the let- ters should have the strong anti- things at the orders of any other Cowles, Esq., editor of the Cleveland Leader, who took the first letters I daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the unclr’c‘:llc; mund Hudson, W. S. Hutchin De B. R. Keim. George Kennan, George Kelle- Herald. George Alfred Townsend was born Dela at Georgetown, Sussex county. i man. 0 G. G, K , Willi: . Ma j N e Blaine stuff edited out of them. Towna- | "Gatn 1ked o write of government | wrote on politics and océurrences | €154 triumph. FelC G, Kinbl, Sillam ¢, Siaciar, 3 *xxx | ware, July 300 1841 son of Stepher * % % * L O G nis seandals, and we know that at the | from the city of Washington in the ke H B F. Macfariand, A L Alndd. Charles T} (¢’]NOWNSEND was a man of great Townsends were Quakers. George Al (GEORGE ALFRED TOWNSEND was | consent that his letters be revised. It Close of the civil war and during the | . ,r 1368, and who has always been [[F “GATH" came to Washington in|c.'5: Gsden, J, &, o ores confidence in himself. You fred attended academies at Newark & newspaper writer whose work the editor and correspondent of long friend.” Col ] . i 2, eminent. It is hard to define the line |length the editor said: “Well, Towns- | 201, [0 200 atire st Weak. Valn | ginning of Mr. Townsend's work at credited - correspondents ™ Khaw, ‘Arthar_ Siepherd, W Seott Smith. s I e S e e e Il Rl looked for a few minutes as though there were enough scandals to keep to me a considerate and thoughtful 1867 he does not appear in the might call him energetic and re- Del., and Chestertown, Md.. and was graduated from the Philadelphia High was the biggest earning co.respondent 38 & reporter on the Philadelphia In- quirer. On the outbreak of the civil war ne went with the New York Her- end, don’t write any politics for me at all. I'll pay you what you are get- ting now if you will write about any- :Vu:h\":on in ‘ll“ "hflsll‘x_lh it may | were: “Reporters for the Press—Re- e that he was here in 1. , @s some ! porters’ 3 Taen have said. Here follow some | uricr> Gallery of the Senate: J. B. Harold Snowden. A. M. Soteido, jr.; A. B. Tal- | ott. Clifford Warden, ‘George Wardman, L. Q. in Washington, his income from his Washington, A West, B Wight, | newspaper letters being estimated at ! between these kinds of newspaper work, or at least the writer of this! whom he belleved to be weak, vain and incompetent. If they were weak 3 d incompetent he showed them up. McCullough, N ; s finds it a hard thing to do, and, per- else.” That was the compro-|ff' oy D | G t = ough, New York Associ Charles H. Williams, James Rankln Young: 5 % < ald and was with McClelland’s army haps it will be erfectly nuug'ngorz O Neansends loteore in lhahlppn- L ey el mat, ithey, Iemained f::{’;fi'osffigl."fia“;m‘f;m et Gown | Press; Joseph McFarland, w.sh::.:i s getinelmentin th APLRE W RrS MR R fn’q:}m‘:;};‘, pihe Jealumily caNpalgn Sgates to set it down that George Alfre bout all kinds of subjects X s old-timers whose service began long 3 i Richmond, an e western [aryland & red | per were abo 3] Gath. and no harm was done. Do not |here with the bellef that they will|ton Chronicle: S, P. Hanscom, | oeronr ohe v v rancEene '9RE | he married Miss Bessie Rhoads of the | Lactings®: 306 (06, Westor, Maryand ‘Townsend was eminent as a reporter who saw statesmen, politicians, public | men and private citizens of all shades of belief and unbelief, listened to them, reported what they said, or in terpreted what they wanted to say, or divined what they thought but would not say, and by hearing, digesting, thinking and discarding, and by studying the written words of men of his own and other times came by such a sum of knowledge and understand- ing that in his work the reporter, the essayist and the editor were accept- ably combined. Usually these quali- ties or qualifications are found in a high-class reporter. He is reporter, editor or essayist the work re. quires, but in George Alfred Town- send’s newspaper correspondence the report, the editorial and the essay were blended. George Alfred Townsend wrote about twenty books and many poems, which make up 2 volume. Most of the books dealt with the same sub jects that he wrote of in the news: papers. and the matter in those books ‘was not better written than hiwnews stories, several of the books evidently being compilations of his press stories and in some cases rewrites of them. Some of his books were called “ro- mances,” but they were narrativ written from notes and observations made by him while living in or travel- ing through certain parts of the country near Washington. dealt with regions farther off. Of course, rratives may have been * but they were of the same texture and workmanship as his newspaper stories, and his newspaper stories, though often fanciful, were al- ‘actual, or as nearly so as Mr. Townsend could get at the fact: without too much labor. Mr. Town send was a very industrious man, but as his output of writing was very large, a few facts, a large amount of observation and opinion and a plenti- ful mixture of essay were often the ingredients of his stories. is poetry or verse is a subject which should be discussed by men who have more_than a superficlal knowledge of that form of writing. None of George Alfred Townsend's books made much impress on the public and no impress on what, for lack of a definite term, one calls “literature.” His books, repeating what he had written for newspapers, ‘were accounted satisfactory and inform- ing, and not even those men who were fond of Mr. Townsend and his work claimed, even aftar the death of Mr. Townsend, that his books are espe- clally noteworthy. There is in a num- ber of them matter of permanent value. Some contain a record of events valuable because set down by & wit- ness. =2 OME of his books hold narratives obtained from other men and which might not have been set down had it not béen for the industry of Mr. ‘Townsend. If you think that litera- ture is a matter of style, you perhaps. will be satisfled with the style of Mr, Some | | except the campaign, though in other papers he kept up the fire of his anti- Blaine sentiments. * ¥ * % GEORGE ALFRED TOWNSEND was | a great newspaper correspondent in Washington, and he served as & correspondent with federal armies during a part of the civil war and at other times in Europe. The adjective “great” covers a multitude of mean- ings to a multitude of minds. It is used here as meaning that Townsend had plenty of brains and ability, splendid equipment for his job, an ex- traordinary followlng among news- paper readers and was a large money- maker as a writer. There were Wash- iington newspaper correspondents be fore Mr. Townsend's time, during his life in Washington and now. who at least equaled him, and perhaps ‘sur- passed him in ability of exprei in knowledge of history and govern- ment, in familiarity with public men and current measures, and whose nar- ration and interpretation of events were quite as valuable to newspapers as Mr. Townsend's. As years went on George Alfred Townsend built up a background of information which in- creased the worth of his current work, but that is the case with many corre- spondents. George Alfred Townsend became ex- | tremely popular with a large body of readers because he gaye them “some- thing different.” He ridiculed and; “roasted” many public men. There are few public men or other kinds of men | who have not some loase joint in their armor or some indiscretion in their past. A writer who rips another man up the back very easily gets a repu- tation of being a “forceful and vigor- ous writer,” and he very likely is all that. The public has to read and hear 80 much praise and flattery of men in high station that a little bit of de- nunciation is refréshing to them. The sweet stuff of the writer who never likes to give offense cloys the public palate and when some writer comes along and hands out fireworks, hot peppe: tobasco, lime juice and sulphuric id, d tells the public that he does this beca: it is his “bounden duty” and because of his warm and sincere interest in public morals, the sancsity of the home, and his intense yearning to defend and uplift his fellow men, a large part of the public “falls” for it, shouts hallelujah and amen, and buys the paper. The ‘writer who delivers that get the impression. from this that Gath was principally a scandal mon- ger. That would not be true. He was a bright and companionable fel- low and he had a great number of friends in public office, in the news. paper world and in private life. He tried to be fair in his observation: and treatment of men and events and he believed ' he was fair, and when he “went for” a public man he believed he had he goods on him, and as we look back into the late 60s, the 70s and the early and mid 80s there are many of us who believe that Gath was right. George Alfred Townsend died April 15, 1914, and The Star of Friday, April 17, publishes as an editorial the following: “The death of George Alfred Town, send, known to two g tol readers as ‘Gath,’ induces a se sadness to an army. of people and a sense of loss to an unusually large number of ' personal friends, for Gath's circle of acquaintance was wide, encompassing men and women prominent in every sphere of life. 'He was prolific an@ versatile as a writer of fact and fiction. His style—and this he had—was rich and at times exuberant. In phrase he was deft, flexible and facile. His memory was encyclopedic and _its archives were so ordered that he could call forth any of its contents by the merest suggestion.. He had unusual graces of language and resources of information which made him one of the most acceptable and widely read newspaper correspondents. n addition to being a trenchant publicist his contributions to perm nent literature as historian, novelist and versifier were considerable. * % ¥ K IF‘ the memoirs of “Gath” were published the man writing this has not been able to find them. His published works, as catalogued in the Library of Congress, are: Lite, Crime and Capture of John Wilkes Booth, with a Full S8ketch of the Conspiracy of which he was the Leader, and the Purauit, Trial and Execution of his Accomplices (1365). ‘Washington, Outside and Inside; a Picture of the Origin, Growth, Ex- cellencies, Abuses, Beauties and Per- sonages of Our Governing City (1873). New Washington, or the Reno- Series of ticles in the Washington Chronicle (1874). Monticello and' I Preservation line of goods will always work up & large following of readers. It is the same with politicians. Let a poli- tician yell loud enough that people .are not so well governed as they should be, that many of us have not got as much money we could spend, that there is chaos in the world, inequality in property and g:mrfl bedevilment, all of which can cured by the enactmant of a few bills which he has in his waistcoat pocket, there will always bg & .cer- Since Jefferson's Death, 1826-190. ;:::;nnondenm of Gath—printed Houses of Bricks Imported from England; read before the Columbia Historical Sociéty at. Washington, November 9, 1908, and published in the records of that society. Events at the National Capital and the Clmn.l:n of 1876; & com. plete history and description of the foundation and growth of our gov- vated Capital; Reproduced from a glve you a hint as to the way Mr. Townsend's mind inclined: “Credit Mobilier Investigation in 1873 and Eminent Men Affected by the Sca dal”; “How Washington Came to Be. ‘Was It a Job or a Compromise Had Gen. Washington Interested Motives in Locating It?” ~>““Wrangles of the Land- holders™; “Architects of the Capitol and Their Feuds": “The Lobby and The Gentry”; “A Running History of Gov- ernment Scancals”; “Some Queer Peo- ple in Washington.” Among these he mentions Lorenso Dow and his wife Peggy, Ann Royall.and an old resis dent of the name of Alexander, who, be- cause of a claim he professed to have against the British government, was lo- cally known as “The Earl of SterMng and hereditary lleutenant governor of Scotia, including New Brunswick and upper gnd lower Canada.” He has rs on the New Year ceremonial hington, the newspaper press relations with the government, and interviews with two nerable citizens whom he writes of as “Chri: tian Hines, who remembers back to 1796, and Noble Hurdle, his cotem- porary.” The death of Mr. Townsend would have been given much more space in the press had it not been for the immense pressure on newspapers by the Mexi- can situation. The day of Mr. Town- send's death President Wilson ordered the Atlantic fleet to Tampico and the next it seemed that war between Mexico and the United States was in- evitable. - Newspapers were crammed with dispatches about Huerta, Mex- fcan affronts, salutes or no salute: Wilson's intentions, Wilson's advic and advisers and pictures of warships, bluejackets, officers, navy yards, Mexican ports and Inland _citles, Mexican volcanoes, maps of the Af lantic and Pacific, North America, Central America, South America and all that. No “follow-up” story of Mr. ‘Townsend's death telling of funeral was sent out of New York or carried by any of the New. York newspapers whose flles were exam. ined by the man writing this. How- ever, an old newspaper friend of Mr. Townsend’s in Washington (James Rankin Young) furn'shed the infor- mation that Mr. Townsend ‘was buried at Philadelphia in the Townsend fam- ily lot in East Laurel Hill Cemetery, now a2 part of Fairmount Park. In that lot rest the of the mother and father of “Ga ind of his wife, who was born Bessie Rhoades of Frankfort (Philadelph!a), Pa., and who died at Washington about 1902. THE Cineinnati Enquirer carried this Thursday morning, April 1 1914: George Alfred Townsend, widely-known jour- malist and author, who wrote for many years under the pen name of “Garth.” died yesterday at New York at the home of E eraing city, & deseription of the pub~ Her Majesty in the provinces of Nova |y Washington Republican; W. R. Col- lins, Washington Star; T. B. Florence, Washington Constitutional Union; F. F. McLaughlin, U. S. and uropean News Association; F. A. Richardson, Baltimore Press 'Association; L. L. Crounse, New York Times; D. W. Bartlett, New_ York Fost: G. W. Atams "New York World;' S. Glen, New York Herald; H. V. N’ Boy Cincinnati ~ Gazette: e Young, New York Tribune; Uriah H. Painter, Philadelphia Inquirer and Chicago Republic; Sidney Andrews, Chicago Tribune ‘and Boston Adver- tiser; W. W. Worden, Philadelphia Ledger; Baltimore Sun and Cincinnati Enquirer; C. H. Folwell, Newark Ad- vertiser; E. L._Andrews, New Orleans Crescent; J. W. Fitch, Boston Post; S, Holland, New York Express; J. H. Riley, Alta Californian; W. B. Shaw, Hoston Transcript and Chicago Journal; Crosby S. Noyes, Philadel- phia Telegraph; F. A. McCartney, Washington Intélligencer; Ben: Per- ley Poore. Boston Journal; J. R, Wos- ter, Charleston (IlL) Courier; Frank Smith, Mobile Tribune and Richmond hig; J. S. Franklin, Pittsburgh Dis- A. A. E. Taylor, Philadelphia Presbyterian; W. H. Goddard, Indian. apolis Gazette; B. A. Foriscth, Skan- digavisch Post: Edward Shaw, Taun- ton Gazette: Charles E. Mass, West- licht Post; George Redway, Cleveland Leader; Frank Y. Commeyers, Toledo Commercial. “Reporters of the Press, Press Gal- lery, House of Representatives: O. K. Harris, Washington _Intelligencer: Crosby S. Noyes, Washington Even- ing Star; T. M. Cook, New York Her- ald; L._A. Gobright, New York Asso- ciated Press; H. V. N. Boynton, Wes ern Republican Press; Horace White, Chicago Tribune; D. Florence. Constitutional Unfon; H. M. Flint, New Orleans Picayune; R. J. Hinton, Rochester Democrat and Worcester Spy: M. L. Higgins, Saginaw Enter- prise; J. L. Wilson,'Chicago Journa . M. Clatk, Cairo Democrat; J.. Thompson, Indianapolis Journal K. Elliot,’ New York Express: J. Eiliot, New York Observer; W. Hem street, Brooklyn Union; H. A. Bre ster, Rochester Union and Advertiser; L. 8. Abbott, Wisconsin; W. H. D. Morrell, Sacramento Union; L, Ches- ter, Great Republic; R. Geddes, Balti- more Gasette; D. F. Drinkwater, United Press ' Association; and H. Cameron, Kansas State Journal. George Alfred Townsend appears first in the Congressional Directory of 1870. The principal telegraphic correspondents then were: George W. Adams, Walter Allen, Finley Ande: son, W. M. Barr, D. W. Bartlett, H. V. Boynton, D. D.-Cone, W. P. Copeland, L. L. Crounse, J. P. Foley, L. A. Go- bright, Joht M. Morris, P. Morse, W. G. Overton, Charles A. Pilisbury, Ben: Perley Pocre, H. J. Ramsdell, Frank A. Richardsop, W. Scott Smith, 2. L. ‘White and James Rankin Young. The ‘Washington papers were represented in the Capitol press list by 1. N. rett, editor of the Herald; T. B. Flor- ence, editor of the Gasette; D. C. For- ney, Chronicle; John W. Forriey, edi- tor of the ronicle; Tompkins. C. Grev, James Rankin ! Chronlols; James . Harvey, the the next year, 1882, and we catch these names among the newcomers: William Asdelitte. E. W. Asres, Dave S. G. . McArdle, M. F. Pilgrim, George W. nd Walker. 1 1863--W. E. Barrett. Henrs De Witte, Charles A" Hamilton, David D. Lloyd and J cob J. Noah. 188§—0. P. Austin. Charles A. Boynton. Braendle, Thomas Brooke, Frank Dunnell, Oscar Hatton, Ed- £ Lincoln, Helena Me- Faonie R. Marchant, Frank Markle, Miller, Charles Barkman, Julia A. 0. 0. Stealey, Charles F. Towle and . Trusdell. 1885—Johu_Alden, James W. Allison. John | Boyle, E. Hrady, H. Conquest Clarke. | William E. Curtis, Frank A. Depuy, Edward Dingley. B. Dobson, can, George E. Earle Florence Dun- ynn, Co. ines. Jules Guth- | i . Hayes, | rry . Heath. Robert' F. Larner, E. W. Leightner. Charles Nordhoff, M. G. Secken- dorff, Walter Stevens, Richard H. Sylvester. mpson, Julius A. Truesdell and 1886—George A. Glavis, Frank T. Howe, Charles 'W. Knapp, Francis E. Leupp, Frank- n, Charles T. Ralston, T D. Sale, | John 8. Shriver. 1887-—Charles A. Conant. Hemry E. Biand, Sherbourne G. Hopkins, Charles P. Hunt, Ci E. Kincaid, Frederick D. Mussey. M. Pepper, ‘Alfred J. Btoter. Jerome 3. Wilbus 1R88— iam Carne, Willlam A. Croffut, Smith D. Fry, Charles’A. Merillat, Henry 8. Spofford. 1889—8t. John Appo. George C. Bain, F. A. Carle, Louis A. Coolidge, Arthur J. Dodge, Richard Lee Fearn, Ji Durham, Louis Garthe, Charles G thy, les T. Grandy, Albert 'J. Halford, Frank H. Hosford, William 3. Lampton, Francis Loomis, Msurice A. Towe, John' R. McLean, 0.” Messenger. Charles W. Motsgar, 3 8. Payne, Cilfford Rose. John L. Steel, John T. Suter, Howard Walter Wellm: H. L. West. H. Cushing, Charles gar J. Gibson, Frank D. Hatton, Louts J. Lang, McCubbii Lingan, Archibald (Angus?) McSween, Charles W. - Macune, Theodore W. Noyes, Thomas C. Noves, Elmer Roberts, Maurice Splain, Beriah Wilkins, John C. Williams, Frank wwdhnr{;' 1891—Raplle Cheshire, Robert W. Dutton, ‘William J. Dwyer, Kate Field, Luther Little, Irvine Matthews, Richard Oulaban. 1892—Addison * Atkins, William R. Bell, Albert Chapline, Alfred J. Clarke. Corellns mes'S. Henry, Charles . Kioeber, Matthews, Willlam G. Sterrett, J. B. SKIPPING the directories of 1893 and 1894 and reading 1895 one finds “George A. Townsend, journalist, 229 1st street northeas and these names of newcomers in the ntwspaper fleld not in the list of 1892 H Willlam E. Anain, Archibald W. lnn.l Thomas F. Dawson, James A. Halford, Charles B. Lockwood. Francis Mattingly, J. Cal O'Loughlln, Bdward Oldbam, Raymond Patterson, _ Reginald _Schroeder, ' Allan B, Slausson, William Wolf Smith and Corry M. { S Turning back to 1836, The Star ‘Turning to 1894, The man finds Mr. Townsend at his new-bought home, 229 1st street northeast, and there he is registered each year from 1894 to 1914, the year of his death, ex- the 1 and 190! In 1305 D85 “Beorke A. TOWRSeRs, it Btus Frankfort section of Philadelphia. They had three children. One died young. One was Genevieve, who mar- ried Mr. Bonaventure, a Frenchman and a dealer in rare books om 5th avenue, New York. He is dead. The other child was George Alfred, who after leaving the Library of Congress went out as a traveling salesman. 1 have lost sight of him. “It” was in the mid or late 80s that Townsend bought the property at Crampton’s Gap. South Mountain which he called Gapland. He had been through that country with Mec. Clellan’s army and probably formed an attachment for it in 1862. While living there in summer he would drive about the country, or ride horseback, collecting material for let- ters and stories on the historic places and historic associations of the re- gion. and he wrote many stories about Antietam, South Mountain, Frederick, 8harpsburg, tioonsbore, Har- pers Ferry and Charles Town. The John Brown subject was one in which he was much interested and about which_he knew a great deal. The John Wilkes Booth story was another one which seemed to grip him. He followed Booth's trail through south- | ern Maryland, across the Potomac and Rappahannock to the Garrett farm, and talked with most persons who had any knowledge or connection with the great tragedy.” ‘West of the Monocacy river in Maryland is a range of mountains running north and south. These are the Catoctin Five miles west of the Catoctins you come to the main range of the Blue Ridge. In this ridge five miles north of the Potomac is Cramptons Gap, and the continua- tion of the Blue Ridge north from Crampton Gap is calied South Moun- tain. Crossing this part of the Blue Ridge north of the Potomac are four passes, the first from the Potomac being Brownsville Gap, the next Cramptons, the third Foxs Gap, and the fourth Turmers Gap, which is sometimes called Dahigren Gap, from Dahlgren Church, which stands by the roadside, and that road is one of the important ones in the Washington re- gion. It is the Frederick and Boons- boro pike. On historic South Moun- tain, at Crampton's Gap, George Al- fred Townsend built his summer home. Through that gap passes a road connecting the Middletown valley, east of South Mountain, and Pleasant Valley, on the west. * k %k % BY | the side of that road in the gap, and” commanding a grand view east and west, Mr. Townsend erected the tall, wide structure, a picture of which is shown_on this page, and called it a “memorial to the corr ndents and artists of the civil war. ‘arved on this monument are the; names of the following civil war cor- respondents: Finley Anderson, J. N. Ashley. Adam Ba- dean. T, Bln‘:ri. George W. Reamsn, H. Bentley, W. A Gearge G, = | s, |after year for the campaign which ended with the second Bull Run and Chantilly. Story of Southside Ivy. HE original American Ampelopsis T veitchii grows in Washington. You may see it in the National Botanic Garden. It is the nnqenor of millions of vines that wreath their greenery about the United States, and descendants of this old vine are plen- tiful in Washington. It may be that u are not acquainted with the words ‘Ampelopsis _ veitchii. Everybody 1is famillar with the plant, but not everybody knows its name. It is the vine or the vinelike plant that cov- ers so many of the walls of Wash- ington and vells so much of the brick and mortar, stone and marble of the whole United States. In spring and summer the vine glossy green. and in autumn its leaves, which somewhat resemble those of the grape, turn red and russet, and after too much frost they fall. Sometimes it is mistakenly callec “ivy.” and its popular names are ‘Boston_ivy,” “southsis ivy,” “Japan ivy,” “Chinese ivy” and various othel names. In late summer and sutumn it bears millions of blue-black ber- ries about the size of that wild grapc which we call the “chicken grap: This plant is a native of the orient and grows extensively in Japan, China and the Himalaya region. At somec remote time it was introduced into England. It is closely related to the grape and is related in some degree to our famillar Virginia creeper which, by the way, is officially called *Ampelopsis quinquefolia,” ‘ampelopsis.” “Ampelopsis” is & com- bination of the Greek words “ampe- los,”. or vine, and “opsis’ semblance, which means that the bot- anists do not class it as a true vine, b:n as a plant which resembles a vine. ‘The late William R. Smith, who for half a century was superintendent of the National Botanic Garden, brought seeds and cuttings of this vine to the United States about 1857. He took the seeds and cuttings from an old plant in the city of Blough, i Buckinghamshire, about _ten miles northeast of Windaor. Slough we. the site of Sir William Herschel's e servatory, and It was ciose to that historic _spot where Mr. Smith ob- tained the seeds and cuttings. Re- turning to Washington, Mr. Smith set out one cutting of the plant on the south side of a small brick bullding which stands near the west end of the Botanic Garden. There it grows to- day. This plant flourished and year half & century Mr. Bmith sent seeds and finnvm and hardwood _cli of to all parts of the Unit tes. Members of Congress sent hundreds of thousands of of the seeds mflr con- stituents. And that 1§ sketch of how “southside