Norwich Bulletin Newspaper, February 22, 1913, Page 8

ED TARKS TH WASHINGTONS DEATH CHAMBER-CLOCK. | THE HOUR.OF B ! S MASTER er'm\r. Looer. Pt cial Correspondence. HBE universal celebration of the natal George Washington, day of the immortal -4 February b 22, brings forth annually count- o less anecdotes and bits of his- tory based upon his deeds. From the vast volume of song and story woven around the incidents of his birth, life and death, it would seem as though every act of his eventful career and every trinket and bit of furniture which had ever been in his possession are as familiar to the averzge American as his pictured features. Famous Painting. Though this is the 181st anniversary of his birth, and 114 years have passed since his death, there is stili-a -material in one collection “Which has o secludedly treasured that only a small ‘proportion of the people of the land are are of its existence. Here, too, may be found the only portralt painted from-life which shows the brave eommander as an old man. It is also the only picture In existence which is not an idealized por- trayal of the artist’s conception of the character of the father of his country, instead of a faithful reproduction of his living features. ‘This famous Willlams painting, now of fabulous value. and many other relics &nd trinkets, likewise of intrinsic worth Tecause of their assoclation with Wash- ington. are the property of the Alexan- dria-Washington Lodge, No. 22, - A. F. eand A. M, at Alexandria, Va., and line the walls of Hs historic council cham. ber, whose very atmosphere is impreg- nated with the stately dignity of the soldler and craftsman. No. the proud distinction of having George Washington for #s first or gharter master, which affice he held in 1783, and, after being elected to succeed himself, 'served in all about twenty TTR1798 the lodge. , o . by resolution, requested thé general. then President and residing 18 Philadelphia, to sit for his portrait. After his consent had been obtained the artist, Willlam Willlams of that city, wis _compmissioned to do the work. Mr. Willlams at cne time lived in George. town, D. C., and was presented to Presi. dent ' Washington by Gen. Henry Les (Light Horse Harry Lee), Who was. then the-rep: tative from this afstrict, by Tequest .of the lodge. The artist, through the influence of the fraternity and Gen. Lee, secured about thirteen sittings, most ,of which were given under more or less protest, as the fllustrious subject aid not Telish the idea of Dosing. Authentic Likeness. After » year's work the portralt was completed and accepted by Washington .&s a true likemess of himself. It was then scrutinized by a committee of Ma- sons, lifelong friends and assoclates of :&:t‘gx:t tg:sldfi:;ifl e:ttte; mature delib- st elr satisfaction with it. “Last of all, as proof conclusive, the family, the most critical of all judges, ‘Were called Judgmen: % 22 fbeen too, gave expression of approval, the Por- trait was'framed and hung in a place of onor in -the-Masonic Hall, 80 - guarded all these years. ‘When the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania sought ‘to procure a good portrait of Gen. Washington, its librarian, Mr. Julus Saehse, was. commissioned to make a study. of the various paintings of him. with & view to procuring the best like: ness. . After investigations covering a period of two years Mr. Sachse selected the Willlams picture as the most correct and authentic likeness of the general in existence. The Alexandria lodge gave Mr. Sachse permission to have the pic- ture copied, which was done in oil, and was subsequently presented to the Penn- sylvania' lodge by John Wanamaker. The -Willlams' picture is an entirely di ferent conception from all other portrail of ‘Washington, and, without doubt, is 0st true fo life. It has the double distinction of being the only one ever made of him in Masonic regalia and in old age. In cast and feature it some- what ~resembles the -original Houdon statue in Richmond, Va. It is a flesh- colored pastelle, which critics pronounce of superior quality, and for which the artist recefved about $300. 1 abulous sum: have been offered-for it from time to tim the United States government' has. evel bid for its purchase. Needless ‘to_say, though its valuation is now beyond $300. 000, its Masonic character and the: senti- ment of.past associations preclude the possibility.of its ever being sold. mrrked by lpox. ‘upon to sit In the artist’s handiwork, 20 Tpalnter Had.aver. besh able. to. et He 1s accredited with having admitted being asleep part of the time he was pos- ing for Peale;and while Gilbert Stuart was painting the most famous of his portraits and jaw, ginia else ‘That Dort.zlhlnhl.l( falled to show.us | Hife. Tavo ad the one that is t R mbthier porerait wh er W) the lodge room merits the considerstion of -the -visitor, - because - Of - the - identity. of the original and his lpyalty to the interests of the young estate. This was the :mighty Lord Fair- fax, who owned 5,500,000 ‘acres of Vir- 1and,” which young - Washington helped to subdivide. 3 This old -portrait Joshua Reynolds’ \SONIC RELICS OF GEORGE WASHINGTON- he appears in all records and literature— and appears in ‘Washington sat With his lips padded with cotton ,to hide the defects of his mouth due to a_badly fitting set. of false teeth. Stuart in his writings openly commented. upon the defects of feature Which his. art concealed. Washington contracted, smallpox when a youth of nineteen, and camri figuripg pock marks to his death. ' His whole make-Up was of majestic propor- tions, and his features were large and disposed to be somewhat coarse. Stuart says that his eye sockets were the lar- gest he ever saw, and the upper part of ich hangs nearby jn is, the ‘famous Sir painting ~of Thomas, sixth> Lord Fairfax, Baron of ‘Cameron, the ‘man to -whom’ more’ thantany one Washington owed his ‘success in From early boyhood until Lis death Oy ot Alexenaria, ihe. oaly one. oF th o e 3 o fameus baron in existence, is given .an even higher valuation than the Wiflllams picture by the art critics. Saw Washington Die. Besldes these portraits, =the 1d@ge is, rich in Telics of Washington's public and private lite, of all descriptions. Here and there in the collection are. to be seen articles closely interwoven with the early history of our nation. Of them, that which claime precedence in atten- | tion. and before 4vhich evep the most ndifferent observer must pause with reverential- awe, is the quah little old Dbed-chamber clock that told Off the pass- ing. of the hours for the reculation of the dally ‘schedule-of the duties and pleasures of the Master of Mount Ver- non. Its silent hands still point to the hour and minute when ‘the greatest life in_history” closed its earthly span. On the death of the general, Dr. Elisha ‘Cullen Dick, one of the attending Physi- cians and a lifetime friend. cut the pen- dulum cord and stopped the old timepiece at twenty minutes after 10 p.m. December 14, 1799. ~ = fater on Mrs. Washington gave it to Dr. Dick for the lodge, and for 114 years this little clock, with its detached’ pen- dulum _standing beside it, has kept a silent memorial vigil. It is the only piece of furniture in existence that belonged in the bedroom at that time which:has standard, ed, the dls- eyor of his en ey Om..YPam'm,rr OF SHINGTONLAS AN DMANIN since been restored to the Mount Vernon mansion. By it, also, stand the original lights of the- lodge, which played a part in the ceremonies attendant n the laying of the corner stones of the District of Colum- bia in 1791, the Natlonal Capitol in 1798, the funerai of Gen. Washington in 1799 and the corner stone of the Washington Thonument in 1848. Another aged and highly prized relic of national importance which still par- ticipates both in the great national events of note and in the annual fraternal me- morial exerclses of this venerable asso- clatior is the tiny silver trowel used by Gen. Washington, then President of the United States, when laying the corner stone of the Capitol September 18, 1793. This ceremony was conducted by the Grand Lodge of Maryland, which then bad jurisdiction over the tract set apart as ihe District of Columbia. The Presi- dent was escorted by his own lodsge, No. 22, which, upon arriving at the site, formed a hollow square, through which the procession filed in reversed order. The huge chalr which &tanas in a glass case in‘ the lodgeroom manifests evi- dence of age and hard service. It was originally the property of Washington at Mount Vernon, and when he was wor- shipful master «of No. 22 he had It brought up to the lodge for his own per- sonal use. After 117, years of continuous use in the hall, the splendid old plece be- gan to show signs of age. It has a frame of mahogany inlaid with white holly, and is upholstered in leather of so sturdy & quality that it neither ripped nor broke until ‘the soulless ourio-seeking vandal : > 1793 Em D.AT T1.ODGE. OriGINAI, LODGE. Roort OF OLD ALFXANDRIA WASHINGTON No 22 A Fad AM, with interest. ‘The romance, comedy and tragedy In'the life history of this man are linked, together in full measure by the association of ' these trinkets. stage. of his life, or an event in his career, with its early ‘hardships and privations and disappointments, some homely little souvenir. hood to old age, as son, lover, husband, citizen, soldier, statesman and friendahid life is intimately revealed to the student of history by these aged, battle-scarred relics. Scarcely a but. is recalled by From child- time-worn, Here may be seen his wedding gloves and coat, a button from the coat worn at his first pruning knife, farm spurs and bootstrap worn inauguration, compass, & | |2t Braadock’s defeat, glows wora at his 1 T came along' to cut and slash it. Then it was incased in glass and brought forth only on Washington's birthday. During its active ‘lifetime it has held many distinguished men, among whom may be numbered Gen. Lafay- ette during his visit in 1825, Vice Presi- dent Fairbanks, Admiral Schley, Speaker Cannon and President Taft,. who at- tended the memorial services in 1911, and Wwho is the' only President who has par- ticipated in these celebrations. - The time-honored chair is not the only Tello brought forth to play a part in the Masonic ceremonial each year. ton’s Masonic apron, worn by him when master and at the ceremony at the Capitol site, ‘was the gift of Gen. Lafayette, and the handiwork of his talented wife. This ‘was a gosgeous affair of cream-colored satin, heavily fringed and richly em- broidered in gold, with the French an American flags entwined, their colors still retaining some of their old brilliance. In tho center may be seen a beehive and a_group of fairles. This emblem of the craft was sent to ‘Washington with the handsome sash In a pearl-inlald ebony box, with which it was presented to. the lodge in 1812 by Lawrence Lewis, nephew of the general, and husband of his adopted daughter, Nellle Custis. Only the most notable occasions have called the apron into use since the death of its famous owner. Of course it. and everything pertalning to Washington were ght forth - du Lafayette’s visit, when he was the g of_the lodge. 7 The simple wall cabinet, filled with ap- parently insignificant trifles, is teeming 1 mother’s funeral, medicine scales and a piece of a tent ured pocket knife, showed story and his mother's words. tude of Congress and the plight of his so diers, he wrate his resigmation and sum monéd the members of his staff and notl fied them of his action. cers of the council was Gen. Washing- | labored earnestly to dissuade him, falled utterly to move him untll the story of the knife recurred to him like an spiration. 5 the .brief command of his medallions of honor, n the revolutionary war. But of them all the chief interest ocitcrs around the little pearl-handled penknife, .which-was gift from his mother when a boy and a which he carried constantly for fifty-six years, for it is given credit for having changed the map of the world. Nation’s Fate in Balance. ‘When Washington’s mother forbade his entering the English navy after she had once given her consent and the comm! sion had been obtained, he relinquished his boyhood’s dream and returned to his studles in. surveying and mathematics in the depths of despalr, but with respectful and unquestioning obedience. While she apparently expected nothing else d merely considered that he had done filial duty, yet when her next order household supplies was sent to England =t > among the items on the list was one for a good penknife. Upon its arrival she presented it to her boy with the injunc- tion: “’Always obey your superiors.’” All through life he carried the little and upon one eoccasion it to Gen, Knox, relating the Years afterward. at Valley Forge, w. discouraged and desperate over the at n Among the offi- Knox, who but He . reminded Washingi othe: vays obey your superiors!” and ou were commanded to lead this army and no one has ordered-you to cease lead- ing 1t1” The words had the desired effect, afier a time Washington tore up th ignation and cafermined to fight the end. Upon the associations little knife with its far-reaching 1 ence of early discipline hung for a brief moment the future life of this nation Another<highly treasured possession is “a beautiful set of cut gl which ~ there iwers origina pleces, inscribed with Ma blems, many of which, like mo. original furniture of the lodgeroom, were, destroyed > astrous fire® that wrecked the build- ing. There are now about 150 pleces of it left.”This beautiful service was the gift of an unknown' friend. for One of the great- est pleces of min- strel mimicry ever seen or heard comes annually from Representa- tive Heflin of Ala- bama, who is known as the typi- cal southern ora- tor of the national legislature. Toward the end of ~the sessions, when ~ the - House ! and Senate aresit- ting. up nights to get 'Tid of busi- ness and to wait for presidential slgnatures to ‘importdnt bills, the House demands ‘that Mr. Heflin give his camp meeting sermon. & for . three-quarters of an hour and never-falls to convulse the members, as.well as the watchers in the galleries. 1t never appears in the Congressional Record, although once the stenograpbers took halfiof it down before a motion was presented” to dispense with the services of those hard-working men for the occa-: Clothes and the Man. It is-doubtful- if “Uncle Joe” Can- non .ever owned a silk - bat. -Nobody | eround . ‘Washing- -ton remembers see- ing him wear on Next to his cigar, nothing is quite s familiar to his friends as the type of black soft hat which he has made famous. It recalls an amusing inci- dent that oocurred in the old Arling- ton Hotel & few years ago. Mr. Cannon strolled into the place one evening with his secretary, L. White Busbey. - Now- it happened - that Busbey was.always a §00d deal heavier on dress ! than his chief. Wwas immaculate. A man in the lobby was showing a visi- This particular night he r e presenftative from New . York, who wrote that,de- liclous classic in _slang, - “Chimmie Fadden,” went through his ' ap- prenticeship of let- ters upon ‘a ‘New York newspaper. "He says he-got the inspiration for ‘himmie Fadden™ from hearing a newsie under the Brooklyn bridge say “Aw, wat tell.” Townsend once received’ an-assignment from his city editor.to get. am Interview with Willlam K. Vanderbilt on some Im- possible subject. The magnitude of the assignment, together with the cub report- er’s idea of the magnitude of the Vander- Dbiit millions, made him nervous. He ar- rived at the Vanderbiit's large .iron fret work front gate about dusk, and with his heart in his mouth went inside and some- how. or other found himself ringing & doorbell. The great oaken door opened slowly, and a portly gentleman in side- whiskers appeared. “Goodievening, Mr. Vanderbilt. I came up from a newspaper .ffice,” began the cub Townsend, “to ask you what you ‘Would do in case war were declared with secretary. to the President, who oftens int&rvenes. at such times, has developed a splendid knack of keeping friendly ‘wich ‘When the presiden- Canada—" and away he went stringing out his question and_establishing a very firm foundation on which to begin an in- the newspaper men. service men. Hon. Obarles D. Hilles, Ves fu W askingion? £ £y G Mr. Hilles fingered the paper for a min- ute and then wrote in, pencil across the tial party was at a New York hotel, at the time of the Duke of Connaught's sojourn In the United States, a written query came by beliboy. It had been sent up by e mewspaper man who had not been able to rum the gantlet of secret The message reas trul AV] bottom of the note: I am sorry, but I con neught. Room 1448. - Dear Mr. Hilles: Osn you teli us why the Duke of Connaught will mot visit the Fresident Repr esentative Burleson of Texas, ‘who is being picked by everybody these days for-one of the berths, in Wilson's cabinet, was hur- $op tho Menils. P terview. rying away from ‘“There’s Uncle Joe ‘Cannon,” he sald, | At the end, the portly gentleman re- the Capitol at the nudsing the stranger. marked in a fone that froze all the water t 1o You @on’t tell me,” exclaimed the |in the surrounding block: cloas ofia - seasion: visitor, Tooking at Busbey. ‘“Who is that| “Mr. Vanderbilt is h'out. Hi am the the other day. It oid slouch with him?" butler. Good night!” had been a long g by _ sess! devoted to much talk but to ) An ! little else. ~Burle- A Zealous Cub. Awful.One! son was out of hu- Whenever ~ the g mor. . Also, he was E. A. Townsend, President . travels | 5 hurry to get home, and his long less bis-path is always were making the, ground fiy beneath seething with news- them. paper men. "The| Suddenly an old man bobbed up in front correspondents Who | of him, and effectually blpcked his way. mre members Of | “Say,” sald the old man, “ain’t you his party are well trained. They ask few foolish ques- tions ‘except When| -Thought I recognized your pictrre,” some . bright neW isaid the old man. “What did you all do managing editor up there in the Capitol today?” thinks of a query | “Nothing!” barked Burleson. to have them Des- (lutely mothing!” i ter Mr. Taft with. | Solemnly the old man produced a little Charles D. Hilles, | red notebook and a pencil. “You sey you didn't do nothing?” he repeated, doubtfully. “Absolutely nothing,” Texan. N Solemnly again, the old man made a long, black mark in his ‘book. “One good day for the people,” sald he calmly, and passed on. ; Congressman Burleson?” “Yes,” sald tHe Tgxan, “what can I do for you?” **Abso- afirmed the Judge Willlam Waller Rucker, repre- senting the second - Missouri district, Smokes & corncob pipe in the cloakrooms. Representative Frank Nye of Minne- sota is the brother of Eill' Nye, the hu- ) morist. yours, ., New York Moon. Jefferson M. Levy of the thirteenth New York district is sald to. be the only man in Congress who wears a- ten-thousand- C.D.H. dollar scacfpin. TVERY American knows the story of George Washington end the cherry tree. This is a story of James Had- den, who lives today, and a wild cherry tree that stood within the lines of old Fort Necessity in Fayette county, Pa., the only place where Washington ever capitulated to a foe. From the stump of this old tree—which shared better than its kinsman connected with the hatchet episode, inasmuch as its life is believed to have extended consid- erably over a century—James Hadden of Uniontown, Pa., has constructed a bust of Washington. The unique souvenir, pat- terned after the famous Houdon bust, 13 pronounced a remarkable likeness of the father of his country. Mississippi valley, establishing their forts, their missfons and their trading post: planting leaden plats in evidence of thel formal possession of the Ohio valley, and ejecting every English trader from the territory. “George Washington, who had just at- tained his majority, was commissioned by Gov. Dinwiddle of Virginia as an en- It is especlally prized by its maker be- cause, after a careful investigation, Mr.} { Hadden has become convinced that the tree lived during Washington’s time and was probably standing on_the day of the, memorable surrender at Fort Necessity, July 4, 1754 . At ‘all events, the bust made from the stdmp of this old tree links the past with the present in singular fashion. Mr. Had- den spent much time in experimenting With methods to be used in constructing the model, finally hitting upon @ plan that was satisfactory, and completing the work in the latter part of 1912. : Tn constructing the bust he procured a plaster cast-over which a plaster matrix Was formed. Wood taken from the old stump was reduced to sawdust, this being made necessary on account ‘of the tree being hollow. Just enough monolith Cement was added to cause the sawdust to adhere and solidify. The plaster cast was then removed from the matrix and replaced by the cherfy tree wood, thus producing a replica in the wood. The bust has been on exhibition in Uniontown and has called forth the most favorable commendations from those who have inspected it. Certificates have been obtained by Mr. Hadden from persons Who witnessed the reduction of the old stump to sawdust and the construction of the sculpture to prove the ::nuineness of the memento. Mr, Hadden’s recital of the historical events connected with the surrender at Fort Necessity adds a mew touch of in- terest to Washington's early military career, and easily explains why so much time and labor should have been spent by him in constructing a bust of the first President of this country from the de- cayed remains of a wild cherry tree. Those who are at all conversant with " he states, “‘are aware American history, that England based her clairh to the new continent upon discdvery and treaty with the Indian tribes, and that, while she lay BUST OF WASHINGTON MADE FROM CHERRY TREE. voy to visit the French Dosts at the head of the Alleghany river and demand of the commandant of the French forces stationed there his reason for, the en- croachment upon the territory claimed by the English crown and also to demand his withdrawal. Here Washington was informed that the French had come to stay and, further, that they intended to dormant to her’ interests, French ex- plorers established themselves on our northern coasts and penetrated the great eject every English trader from the Ohio valley. “This called for fmmediate action upon as the structed a stockade Necessity. learned that a French force, command of Jumonville, not a great ways off. of a few friendly Indians the encampment of the French and here, May 28, 1 arms in.the great French and Indian war. rea force of French and their Indian allies, under the command of de Villiers, pro- ceedel against the English. day of July they found Washington and his small army of 400 provincial buddied within the lines of Fort Neces- sity. 50 revered the ground on which i\'eces}?n)’ Beiery v 767, he acquire rom Virginla, which s that time claimed the territory, o oeit emption of a tract of 343 acros, Fort “Mount Washington." Bust of Washington Made From Cherry Tree the part of Dinwiddie, who sent a small force -under the command of nsi Ward to Hold the jforks of the Ohio against further encroachment by the French. But the French descended the Alleghany in such numbers as to com- Pel Ward to surrender without a blow In the meantime, Washington wase placed in command of a small force to proceed to the forks of the Ohio and reinforce Ward in holding that important position. “Washington, however, learned of the surrender of Wcrd and proceeded as far ‘Great Meadows,” wheré he con- and named it Fort hero encamped = he under the was encamped While “With the aid of fifty men and the ald he discovered , occurred the first clash at “News of the defeat of Jumonville ed the forks of the Ohio and a large On the third troops ““An engagement took place, which last- ed for nine hours in a drenck i [hen Washington to. capitu: ate to a force of 500 French anc o their Indian aliles. Bepoiot {gflrlh day of J“{)}l" 1754, there occurre ©_ever memorable and onl: in dvx;luhlnfton's (e and here also crose the star of Washing. ton to aftract the wonder o £ tion of the civilized worid » o >dmira as_forced to capitu- And here, on entire mllitary career The account continues that Washington Fort is located that, as early as the name o‘f February 18, 1872, of ~ Pennsyivania Necessity, under the commonwealth granted a patent to George Washington which recites that the said tract . surveyed by virtue of an order June 13, 1769, to Willlam Brooks, who, by deed dated October 17, 1771, Conveyed the same tract gnd appurtenances.to George Washington. in fee simple. t was issued This tract was referred to in his will anc was owned by him at the time of his death. conveyances, it became the property of Godfrey Fazenbaker, , who purcha; from the heirs of James Sampey, Novem. ber. 29,1856, at which time there stood within the lines of the’ old fort the wilq cherry tree from the stump of which Mr. Hadden ‘Washington. stump in 1910, but did not commenee the gomstruction of the bust uatil ~ ebruary, 19: After passing through several ed it has constructed the Mr. bust Hadden procured of the