Evening Star Newspaper, March 17, 1935, Page 54

F-2 NOTABLE DAYS HERE HAVE HONORED ST. PATRICK Emerald Isle Always Found the National THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MARCH 17, 1935—PART FOUR. f— ? is not obtainable. Just when he came buried near the church in 1831, and to this locality, and the circumstances, | probably remained there until some are mostly conjecture, and whether | time subsequent to 1857, when the or not he was able to build any or all | ground where is now Mount Olivet of the little church he had planned | Cemetery, and where his remains now on the new site is undetermined. The | lie. was purchased. St. Patrick’s lots were deeded by him to Bishop | Cemetery, near Third street and Carroll on September 4, 1804, ‘for the Florida avenue, was probably abene use of the Roman Catholic congre- doned about 1885, when Johanns gation worshiping in St. Patrick’s Stack was superintendent. {Church and for their use forever.' | Father Caffrey returned to Ireland in Capital a Magnet, and Have Taken an Active Part in War and Peace—Some Heroes Who Were of Irish Race. By John Clagett Proctor. “Oh! Blest be the days when the green banner floated i Sublime o'er the mountains of free | Innisfail; i When her sons, to her glory and | freedom devoted, Defled the invader to tread her soil; ‘When back o'er the main they chased the Dane Ard gave to religion and learning | their spoil, When valor and mind together com- | . bined. But wherefore lament o'er the glories departed? Her stars shall shine out with as vivid a ray; For ne'er had she children more brave and true-hearted Than those she now sees on St. Pat- rick’s day.” OT only has the green banner of Ireland sublimely floated | over the Emerald Isle, but it has followed the Irish to the| four corners of the earth, and in no place has it been more promi- nently displayed than right here at the Nation's Capital, where on St. Patrick's day, particularly in years gone by, it has conspicuously blended | with the Stars and Stripes, for which | Irish blood has been shed on every | battlefield in which our troops have been engaged, and in all our wars | they have freely sacrificed their lives | not only for the cause of independence, | but for the maintenance of American | freedom and its institutions. Indeed, the first general officer in the American Army, in charge of troops, to make the supreme sacrifice for his country during the Revolu- ! tionary War was an Irishman—Brig. Gen. Richard Montgomery, born in Dublin December 2, 1736. He was the son of Thomas Mont- gomery of Convoy House, whose other children included Alexander, John and a daughter who married Lord Rane- lagh. Gen. Richard Montgomery, for whom ‘was named Montgomery County, Md., served first in the British Army, commission having been obtained for him in 1754, when he was but 18 years of age. Subsequently, however, he decided to abandon the King's service and, accordingly, in 1772 sold his commis- sion, and in January, 1773, arrived in New York, where he purchased a farm. It was here that he either became scquainted with or renewed the acquaintance with the Clermont branch of the Livingston family. We know that it was in the following July that he married the eldest daughter of Robert R. Livingston, then one of the judges of the Superior Court of the Province, but chancellor of the State of New York when he administered the oath of office to President Washington, April 30, 1789. When Montgomery was appointed an officer in the Continental Army, he accepted it as a duty he felt he owed to his adopted country, and, like many other capable Irishmen, gave the cause his whole-hearted support. In a letter which he wrote to a friend soon after his selection he said: “The Congress having done me the honor of electing me a brigadier gen- eral in their service, it is an event which must put an end for a while, perhaps forever, to the quiet scheme undesired by me, the will of an op- pressed people, compelled to choose | between liberty and slavery, must be obeyed.” THE Irish have always been numer- ous and prominent in Washington, and as early as two years after the Capital was moved here we find “the sons of Hibernia” parading on March 17, 1802, with shamrocks in their hats. A few vears later D. B. Warden de- 4First and Third streets, back of which, | through the efforts of Gen. O. O.|church holdings were considerably | | stream forming a part of the source | ported a bit of Irish architecture here in the form of the palace of the Duke of Leinster, which it resembles. When the British burned the White House in 1814, Mr. Hcban was called upon |to restore it, and at times he was |also employed as superintendent in | constructing the Capitoi Building. | When Hoban died, Decrember 30, 1831, he was buried in St. Patrick’s, | Cemetery, a plot of ground a‘tached to St. Patrick’s Church, which then | stood on the north side of F street, | between Ninth and Tenth, near Tenth street. scribes the laboring class of the city as being mainly Irish, which was not only true, but some of the more prominent people were also of this | At a very early date this church race, notably James Hoban, the Dublin |laid out another cemetery, which architect, who designed and built the | went by its name, located on the ‘White House, and in doing so trans- ' north side of Florida avenue between ‘Top. left: Death of Gen. Richard Montgomery, born in Dublin, Ireland. He was the first general to be killed Statue of Philip H. Sheridan, Massachusetts avenue and Twenty- Statue of Commodore John Barry, “Father of the American Navy,” Fourteenth street Thomas Moore, Irish poet, who visited Washington in 1804. Lower, center: St. Patrick’s Church, F street between Ninth and Tenth streets, as it appeared in the early fifties. in the American Revolution third street. Top, right at Franklin Square. Lower, left: Top, center: —_— extending northward, lane, was Moore's through which ran a small of the Tiber. Adjoining the cemetery on the east, pior to 1860, and subsequently also, was the farm of Mrs widow of George Beale, and to the west of the cemetery were tracts of land belonging to Z. D. Gilmen, Da- vid McClelland and C. Miller Gil- man, a druggist. The last-named and McClelland resided on the prop- erty. The Miller property, also included, was later laid out into building lots of one-quarter acre and upward, and became the well-known subdivision of | Le Droit Park This subdivision, which was put on the market by A. L. Barber, was in- tended to be one of Washington's most exclusive sections and, as such, maintained its reputation for a dec- ade or more. During the Civil War Campbell Hospital covered a part of this ground. At the close of the war, 1804 or 1805 years later.” | C. Clark, and follows: parture from this city. of seeing you once more. “Dr. Sir “Yr. Ever obliged & obedt and died there some LETTER. printed in Greenleaf and Law in the Pederal City, by Allen shows how grateful this good priest was to Robert Morris for a subscription he had made for build- ing the church The note is dated “City of Washington, October 1, 1794, “I thought I could have the pleas- ure of seeing you before your de- It is more | than probable we shall not be fa- voured with a visit from you before your return, from Europe. That God | may take you under His providential guard and protection will be my daily prayer until I enjov the happiness V\‘O DOUBT the loyalty to St. Patrick “ N is just as great today as it ever was. but the outward display is not so spectacular here on his birthday as it used to be when the writer and | many of his friends and acquaintances | in Washington were boys. Then up- ward of 2.000 members of the Sons of St. Patrick and kindred organiza- | tions would parade up the Avenue | and be reviewed by the President, re | gardless of weather conditions. These parades were notable events and were looked forward to by many. The event which took place on March 17, 1874, just a little over 50 years ago, The Star said, was the finest the Irish had ever had here on this dey. when all of those in line wore black suits and handsome regalia with gloves and gauntlets. The Knights of St. Patrick were under the command of Lieut. John Emily Beale, | | Howard, several of the buildings were | added to. Prior to this. however, ac- transferred to the Freedmen's Hos- | cording to Father William Clarke, pital and became the nucleus of that | the congregation worshiped in the institution. | second story of a building at Tenth | and E streets northwest. | §T- PATRICK'S CHURCH, on Tenth | Trere is uncertainty as to the exact | |~ street between P and G. one of | date when the church was erected, the finest church edifices in Wash- | though about the year 1804 seems to ington and the principal memorial to| fit in best with the known facts. the Irish patron saint in the Capital | pioneering in any way, generally C:S"-Edhfigntf\uglbll"mwnngrflsc-hulr?g;mnns intensive and hard work, and | s : . | if Father Caffrey failed to keep any | which stood on the P street side of | records during his busy stay in Wash.. | the block in which the present stone | ington surely none can blame him, | building stands, | although it would have been nice had | According to Mrs. Virginia King | he done so. He was loyal to Ire- Prye, its historv began on April 17, |land, and his reverence for St. Pat- | 1794, when Father Anthony Caffrey |rick was shown when he named purchased from the Commissioners| Washington's first Roman Catholic |lots 5 and 6 in square 376. which is|church. Of this devout priest little | |bounded by F and G, Ninth and!is known, and perhaps the most to | Tenth streets northwest. These lots | be said of him has been recorded by faced F street, and they were pur- Mrs. Prye, who states chased for the small sum of £80. In “It is, indeed, regrettable that so June of the same year lot 7, next to | little is definitely known of Father the corner of Tenth street, was also | Caffrey and his work: that more doc- | purchased, and in later years the | umentary evidence of those early days ' | be kind enough to give him my good “ANTH CAFFRY, D. D. P. S. You'll be pleased to tell Mr. Lafette thet I wish him a most pros- perous voyage & anxiously expect the happiness of seeing him once more in this New World. I hope I'll have the pleasure of seeing Mr. Delagarene shortly. As I could not hear that he is to be on your expedition. you'll F. Kelly, one of the finest, an officer of the metropolitan police force, still remembered for his sterling worth. Just before the parade started upon | this occasion, Lieut. Kelly and his men marched to St. Dominic's Church where the ladies of that parish presented the commander with a beautiful flag of green silk, bear- ing on it the harp and sunburst, wishes.” | encircled by shamrock, with the words, About 1809 the little frame church | “Erin Go Bragh.” Miss Fenton pre- was found to be inadequate. and | sented the banner and Comdr. Kelly new church of brick was erected in | received it. its place, Archbishop John Carroll| Lieut. Kelly was also at the head officiating at its dedication. of the mounted police. R. T. Dillon In 1820 the church was enlarged land C. C. Langley were essistant and remained the onlv Catholic | chief marshals. T. D. Dailey and church in the western part of Wesh- | Dennis O'Connell, special aides to ington until 1838, when St. Matthew's | chief. George Giddings, John church was organized, the building ' Fainter, Peter McNamara, John B. being dedicated November 1, 1840. Lynch, James Dailey, Patrick Culi- The present St. Patrick's Church on | nane, William H. Wise, David Riore Tenth street was dedicated in 1884. dan, Michael Bresnahan, Henry Just when interments ceased in | Busher. Patrick Quirk and Maj. B. St. Patrick’s churchyard no one' ] O'Driscol, aides to chief from the seems to know, though it must have ' societies. been nearly a hundred years ago. Dennis Kearney, assisted by J. P. The body of James Hoban was ' Dailey, John Donnelly, A. Lycett, H. J'/ MAN SIREE! & 780K} 175 JUST (RIGHT AND DOES \T FEEL GOOD/ TI\CKLES YUK FEET, V00 AFTER HAVING, SHOES AND STOCKS INGS ON ALL WHO 8 QEMEMBERS i WHEN Yoo CouLD SWIM TOTHE FLATS B AND BACK AT, BUTMANS 2, ot [ \ of life I had prescribed for myself; for, though entirely unexpected and | ) 'THOSE WERE THE HAPPY DAYS— “Springtime Memories™ i eVEN TOOK MY LONG DRAWERS OFF % VET. SOST TOOK MY 4 COAT OFF YESTIDDY MAN VD FREEZE BUT \F SOME— BODY DARE: MGE | MIGHT " OFFICIAL TEST OF SPRING, N2 ‘Yememeee ? A—a AN e [ (éE”;"Gz\I ,Lp . \PPERY, {“\\L_‘/ - 'y e - ON THE “FLATS® ABOUT THIS TIME OYEAR 00 REMEMBER w““;;‘/’é’a?:ro LAST WEEKY QUESTION, : HO WERE WASHINGTONS § | STAR PITCHERS OF 5 \903 ? AONSwWER AsE CATTEN AND WYATT § | LE COLLEN & COLLINS WASHINGTONS _ § LEADING BANIOISTS 8 4 (ONCERT5, RECEPTIONS, T05.0."AND We Gie 1451~ S5-SheNeWo \ T NEXT WEEK'TS, ) WHAT DARING FEAT OCCORED TOP OF A SMOKE . AVE,N. W, AB | Moore, Willilam Ryan and D. Me- | Carty, with 300 men, led the Wash- —By Dick Mansfield | > mme = | THE parade of 1877 was marred by | bad weather. but still there was ! a good turnout, with Maj. M. Emmett Urell as chief marshal. and to give added buoyance to the boys in green, | the band plaved such airs as “St. | Patrick’s Day.” “Wearing of the Green” and “Garryowen.” The celebration of 1880 was not so | large as formerly. on account of the | famine then raging in Ireland, and | some of the societies decided to save | the money it would cost for music |and other necessary things, inci- | dental to the parade. end send it to | the stricken folks back home. A few of the societies, however, decided to have a parade and to contribute to the Irish relief fund as well, Accordingly. the Knights of 8t. | Patrick, Comdr. James Ragan, es- corted by the Knights of St. Peter, Comdr. J. T. Jennings. attended mass at St. Peter's Church, end at the conclusion of the service the two ganizations, headed by Donch's Band, with the Knights of 8t. Bernard, from Georgetown, marched up Pennsylvania avenue to Washe ington Circle. | That same day, for the famine sufe | ferers, matinee performances were | given at the National Theater and at Ford's Opera House, However, the following year, March 17 1881, not too far back to be still recalled by many, perhaps the most important St. Patrick’'s day celebra- tions occurred. and The Star, as | usual, gave a full account of what transpired, saying: “This being the anniversary of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Iree land, the natives of the Green Isle and their descendants in this come munity are celebrating the day in the usual manner—a grand demonstr: tion in the way of a procession, fole lowed by a banquet at Abner's toe night. "TH! procession organized in the neighborhood of the City Hall at 1113 o'clock. | _“After the police escort came | Thomas Broderick. chief marshal; | Daniel Shannon and R. McDonald, aides. SULPHOR ANO MOLASSES, SASSAFRAS TEA, W00D BITONY, ) VIRGINIA SNAKE R0oT, GENTIAN AND THE STENCH OF ASAFETINA ARCUND YOUR = “FIRST DIVISION. “M. Shugrue and T. Sullivan, as- | sistant marshals. | “Knights of St. Patrick, a fine | drilled body, Comdr. Ragan, uni- formed with green baldrick, belt, sword, chapeaux with green and white feathers and carrying the (Continued on Page 3, Column 6.) STACK AT |41 00T | ”7 : 4