))T " '::L Wlff'fWW: -
, tj jjnla - cSSZMr Ihrll irlb da dLrV db; ; tin j ,: :!L UL
IIS I 1 I I II w 1 I . I I I fc III III -W- f 3
w ,Mnt iMan ara carried out, an
1 effort will ba mada In tha naar
futare to hava tha Cnltad 8tate
: congress appropriate funda for tha
" teraiitlnir nrt tnoat valusbla collec
tlonat of Washington rellca extant
Thesa already Invaluable m men toe of
tha. Father of Hla Country ara now to
' ma ptinory er am r uuiwn
' of the lata General Robert E. Lee of
tha confederacy, ' ond who la on her
' mother" a aide a great-granddaughter of
Martha Waahlngton. .' Tha project for
tha Diirchase of theae artlclea aq cloie-
" ly related with the life J of th here
- of the revolution will. If carried out,
brinar Into the toanee10it--rof oAr na
tional gevernmwit all the nwiat signlfl-
t of the republic.
Quite hturllj no, doubt, the per-
- nn.un.lnn. rt IK ftftvlAr AfhlB
country ara regarded aa all but aacred
by a large proportion or the American
nubile Certainly the care lavished
noon them and . the efforta for their
. denervation have not been equaled tn
the case of the reralndera of any other
public roan who has had a place In
. the history of the new world. The fact
that this reverential regard waa' man!
- feated from the very date of Washing
.' ton'a death la presumably responsible
for the fact that the Washington relics
. were never scattered, as ,were the be
longings -of many a hero whose worth
was fully appreciated only by posterity.
Almost all or t.ie really import, nt
. relics of the military career and pri
vate life of General Oeorge Waahlngton
. are new Included In one or another of
. three general collections. Ons of these
- Is, of course, the cherished accumula
: tlon now In the possession of Miss Mary
Lee by right of descent. The second
collection of rare Washlngtonla la that
owned by the national government and
National Museum, In Washington.. The
inira is 10 m louna m nuuni vvroun,
the. home of Washington on the Poto
mac, 'and Is to a considerable extent
mads np of relics donsted or loaned by
persona residing tn various parts of tha
country. .
It Is a matter of congratulation that
the objects that once belonged to Wash
Inrtnih which are nf tha .rremtest nonulsr
Interest are already In the possession of
Uncle Sam. and. aa baa been explained.
ew.'U tvy air viwiora u nw nuionu cmpi
. taL This collection Includes that most
Interesting of sll Wsshlngton trophlea
, the famous camp chest which was osed
by Washington all through the revolu
tion; his headquarters tent, used con
, tlnuousiy dnrlng the war, from Lexing
ton to Torktown; his baptismal robe
and the last chair In which be sat prfqr
to-his death,, and. finally, the conti
nental uniform worn by General "Wash
ington -during the war for Independ
ence, -.-..
All these literally Invaluable souve
nirs cams Into the possession of the
government through the purchase by act
of eoogresa In 1171 of what 'was known
as the I wis collection. Perrons who
are st sll familiar wltj Washington's
family bist'iry will isurmlse thet these
relics reoresent the Inheritance of the
other branch of the family from that
w iiup smumi t wt wiuv vi w i .
Miss Mary Xe. The two children of
Martha Washington adopted children
of Oeneral Washington) and their heirs
iu1te rightfully 'came Into possession of
roost of the personal belongings or the
distinguished family st Motint Vernon.
hut ell hha knew of WaKhlnartna'a fnnil.
am for the pretty Nelly Custls can
readily Surmise thct she was presented
With all the best, of the mementos, and
It wss Ihts cplWtion that Oicle Bam
purchased Trom fim Nelly Custls heirs
trtr tha Bum of If; 000 In the vear 17S
. Wh"1 -the government first acquired
these Washington relics they were de
posited.' at the United Rtatea patent
.office, but In the year 1881 they were
transferred te the national museum, and
there they have reposed ever- since.
Kvery time an International exposition
la held la any American city it Is ons
of the ambitions. of the management to
secure the loan of these trophies as
special feature, but the relics which are
kept In-glass cases and closely guarded
are accounted much too precious to per
nlt of transportation arxwifflhs country
and their display In buildings not fire--proof.
' ' '
Until a very few years ago the relics
of Washington now-held by Miss Mary
mere else on display st the national
museum eiia pr siur. wi n mane ownea
"outright by the government, and the
trsj heirlooms tn the representative of
the Ihi family la especially Interesting
new thst th're Is re son to op that
TUTS.
i r iff ; i r-t III rs v
I - - t . - , 4;." :' '
ths relics maybe placed permanently
In the safekeeping of thr federal gov
ernment. : Just who could rightfully
claim ownership to them was for years
In dispute, and repeatedly put the gov
ernment officials In a quandary.
The federal authorities had taken pos
session of ths relics soon after the out
break of the civil war, when the onion
troops invaded Arlington, the beautiful
home of General Robert E. Lee, on the
Potomac, opposite Waahlngton. ' Now,
tbs mansion at Arlington had been built
by General Washington's adopted son,
George Waahlngton Parke. Custls, and
after the death of Martha Washington,
the builder of Arlington had removed
from Mount Vernon to his new home
the silver plate, china, and other house
hold articles which had been bequeathed
to him. The only' daughter of tha
household In time married Robert E.
Lee, who came to make his borne at
Arlington, and thus the . beginning of
the war for the union found the prised
Washington 'relics left behind In a room
In the bssement of the home suddenly
abandoned by the confederate chieftain.
When Arlington was converted .Into
a federal army camp the captured relics
were sent to the patent office at Wash
ington for safekeeping. A few years
after the close of the war Mrs. .R,. B.
Lee petitioned that the Washington
relics be returned to her, and Preeldent
Johnson, after a consultation with his
cabinet, ordered that this be dona but
congress entered a vigorous protest and
paased a law prohibiting the secretary
of the Interior from allowing the arti
cles to be removed from his department.
Tbe matter hung fire . for years, and
then when the government by act of
congress paid to the son of General Lee
the sum of $160,900 In settlement of his
claim for the confiscation of the Ar
lington estate many ef .the government
officials deemed that this payment em
bodied a purchase price for the Wash
ington relics., and under the supposition
that they were government property the
trophies were transferred to the national
museum. .. -..... .-, ... ,
The next chapter' In the story of the
Washington relics brings us up to the ad
ministration -of .the lata President Mc
Kin ley. to whom -Miss Mary Lee ap
plied for the restoration of. the family
heirlooms: Senator Daniels of Vlrglnli
trsnsmltted the request which the ehle!
executive Immediately , referred to the
attorney-general of the United States
Mr. P. C. Knox, who wss at. that, time
at tbe head of the department of Jus
tice, mide a thorough investigation of
Jte- -rat hr--eom plicated-situation., and
finally reported that the government had
never through any set of war laid pro.
prtetary claim to. the relics, snd thst it
w.is elrarly within ths Jurisdiction ot
the president to rciesse them t the
heir of tbe original owner If ha chose tc
do so. President McKlnley thereupon
Issued Instructions that the relics were
to be turned over to Miss Lee.
It Is understood that the relics thai
were restored to tbe Lees "after twe
score years sre now stored In s building
owned1 by a member of tbe family at
Alexandria, Virginia. Miss Iee . was
earnestly Importuned to allow the rellcj
to remain. In. the National Museum,
where they could be viewed by sll
visitors to thst patriotic shrlns, but she
declined. So eager were the officials
to be allowed to retain them as ai loan
That "When Miss Lee announced1 her-Intention
of selling the trophlrs they ever
offered to allow her to oonduct the sale
from the museum. In the end she did
consent - to leave In Unrle Sum's show
paWce S few objects, notably two Can
delabra snd the treasure rhest In which
General Washington kept his bonds snd
Other Valuable papets. , '
The relic collection which It Is now
hoped1 the- government ' jnajr ' purchase
OREGON DAILY JOURNAL. PORTLAND. SATURDAY'
t '
'rom Miss Lee Is especially ' rich In the
Id china uttt4 by the Washington fam
r. There sre numbers of pieces of ths
o-cnled Cincinnati ahd Lafayette siUaJ
.a well as the gold-rimmed .white china
nd the old blue and white earthenware.
According to tradition" the ' Lafayette
bins' was presented to Washington by
.lie officer's of the Kroich srmy, but
for all that the story '.s a very pretty
mm lt--mns-regreTftlly-be--eifessed
that hlstora does hot' bear out the tale,
.'or some of the plates In this collection
nore than $1,00 each has been offered
by collectors of Ceramics, and these col
lectors were taking Into-consideration
ths rarity of the design rather than the
historical" Interest thst 'nttaches. -- -
The Lee collection Is also' especially
rich fn oddly shaped champagne and
wine glasses and oilier cut glass table
sppoltitments for- I lie collection of
which the former widow . Custls . ap
parently had something of a fad. There
are two qualnt-looklng glass eamlekihre.
each having two prongs and a central
holder for flowers. Then there Is a
silver tea tray and two small salvers
bearing the Washington eoat-of-arms a
well as a large cherry wood tea trey
that Is unique In many-respects. Yet
another -treasured it Mc is the etllptleal
shnped Us table which was purchased
by General Washington for Use la the
president's home la New York' when ths
present metropolis was the scat of gov
ernment, snd ahlcti ws Inter taken to
Mount' Vernon, and used there during
tbe hospitalities tht chsrscterlsed the
letter years of Washington's life.
The oldest article in the Lee collec
tion and ons which Miss Lee has kindly
f - : '
allowed ths officials of tha Smithsonian
Institution -to continue to exhibit at the
National' Museum, is the ' huge' Iron
framed lantern, which was used 'to Illu
minate the great hall, at Mount Vernon
when Its r first ownet. Lawrence Wash
ington, was master there. Ths. big
lantern served a similar purpose at the
manor, houae on the Potomac during yie
regime of George Washington, and then
lLwaa .transferred to Arlington and cast
Its glowing, beams -upon many a sceno
of. old-time southern merrymaking at
this famous habitation. Judging from
ths .'articles.' of. . personal "sdornment
which bavs place tn this treasure trove
the Father of Ills Country was mors
than fond, of gorgeous knee and shoe'
buckles. - Three, or four pairs of, these
gold-mounted and bejeweled ornsments
have been handed down to excite the
wonder and admiration of the present
generation. There are some of Wash
ington's army tents in ths Lee collec
tion, but the most interesting: of these
campaign houses Is. as. has been ex
plained, already owned outright by ths
government
Another. Interesting object to which
Uncle Sam has a clear title Is the bel
lows which was ones used to fan Into
flame the embers la the great fireplace'
st Mount Vernon, Nothing, however,
brings the present-day spectator closer
to the conditions of Washington's ilfs
during the most momentous period of
hts csreer than the old camp chest pre
viously mentioned. In this Iron-bound
bog. With Its numerous compartments
for dishes snd bottles, are to be Seen
the pewter dishes and the rather primi
tive knives and forks which the com
EVENING. FEBRUARY 23..
..... ; ' ., w .... ... "... f . .' ;?
mander-ln-chlef of the Continental army
used on his table during tha trying days
when' he waa directing a military con
test against overwhelming numbers of
a superiorly equipped enemy; In the
present government Collection are also a
number af tables, chalra and mirrors.
used in tha first executive mansions of
the nation, and at Mount Vernon, which.
aside from their hIStorle associations,
are fraught with, rare Interest for 'all
students of colonial fnrnltnrs.-"
The relice which now repose at' Jfouht
Vernon In tbe very rooms they oocupled
In the days of Oeneral Washington are
not. of-course, owned by the govern
ment,, but Insofar as their accessibility
to the publlo Is concerned, almost the
same purpose Is served,, for Washing
ton borne and tomb Is open to. the pub
lic every weekday in the year, and cer
tainly the stssdy stream of patriotic
pilgrims find more to Interest and In
spire them at Mount Vernon than could
possibly be the case were ths mansion
on the Potomac shorn of Its carefully
preserved antiquities.
One of the most interesting objects
now at Mount' Vernon Is tha harpsi
chord which Oeneral Washington Im
ported from London at tha unheard-of
ptioe of 11,000 as a wedding present for
his petted favorite, Nelly Custls. Here,
too. Is afluts which belonged to Wash
ington, snd the csrd table on which
Washington and Lafayette played whist.
On the wall of the main hall at Mount
Vernon hang the key of the French
KRastlle, sent by Lafayette to General
Waahlngton after the capture of the
famous French prison. On tha floor Of
one 9t the parlors Is handsome carpet
1CC7.
for Oeneral Washington. Owing to ths
law which prohibits onr presidents from
receiving gifts from foreign powers the
American leader never came Into pos
session of tha carpet. It was bought at
auction by a man whose granddaughter,
years after, sent It to Mount Vernon,
so .that by. a. strange twist of fate It
finally came to grace tbe spot fer which
It was originally Intended.
In the dining-room - Is a handsome
sideboard which belonged to Washing
ton, and In the south bedroom of the
house, the room 'In which Washington
died, is' much of the furniture that waa
used bjr the greatest rebel of all time.
Here Is the bedstead upon which he died
end tbe chair upon which lay the open
Bible from which Mrs. Washington
read to him almost up to tha minute of
his death. In almost every room are
ohalra or other articles of furniture
wblch belonged to Washington, and such
personal- -relics aa his spectacles, -reading'
glass, ' dressing case, "holsters. Ink
stand, silver snuffers, etc. -
In the quaint old town of Alexandria,
the community nearest to Mount Ver
non, Is ' a supplemental collection of
Washington relics which are usually
spoken of In conjunction with those st
the .manor house. Hare in Alexandria
Is the Wsshlngton Masonic lodge, where
the father of his country presided as
worshipful master, and there la shown
to visitors the chair In which he aat
when presiding at lodge meeting! and
the apron snd collar made far him by
the nuns of Nantes. Here also may be
seen the cherry wood clock which was
ticking sway tha minutes In Washing
ton's bedroom' on tha night he died and
which, as ths great man breathed . his
last, was' reverentially stopped by Dr.
Dick with the hsnds registering II min
utes past 10, ths hour they have ever
since recorded.
It will be seen from ' the above re
sume that- almost all 4he Important
relics of George Washington have grad.
ually been gathexad together In the city
to which he gave Ms nams or in ths
territory . within a dozen miles , of the
sest of government Almost-the only
Important relic not 'to be found in the
.neighborhood of Washington's old home
are the books which belonged to the
first gentleman of America. Nearly
the whole ot ths original Washington
library now In ths Boston Athenaeum
which institution also owns the Stuasr
portraits of Oeorge and Martha Wash
ington, painted from life In the year
1786. (.','.'
The prominent men and women who
have Interested thenvaeives m tn pro
ject to have the national government
acidjre all of th' existent "memehtoes
of the Father of His Country are hope
ful that In time there may be turned
over -to the National Museum the relics
now In the possession of Mrs. Beverly
Kennon, great granddaughter of Martha
Washington and the oldest ,ltv1ng de
scendant of the. life partner of the most
famous American. Mrs. Kennon' home.
Tudor Place, located In old Oorgetown,
D C, now a part of Washington City,
la filled with historic souvenirs of note,
many of which were formerly, owned by
the occupant of Mount Vernon.
Jhe Washington silver 'plate -1s even
rarer than the china because there was
less of It originally, but Mrs. Kennon
has a goodly representation of this
tableware, all emblazoned with the
Waahlngton crest. iShs has numerous
specimens of all the china service used
In General Waahlngton's household and
mention of which has been mads earlier
In ths article In connection with the
Lee collection and the relics already In
the possession of the government. The
Kennon collection likewise Includes a
cherry-wood lea tray, similar to-that
owned by Miss Lee. Then there are
half a dozen-spiral candlesticks and
mural candelabra mounted ln-f ront ot
. .' V , .1 . Jr M L - .
wnirn- ijouii ai rnncv nia cnaae
ovsi mirror. . ,riuiiy, 011a. nonnoa nae
Martha Washington's writing table and
several autograph letters penned- by,
Oeneral and Mrs. Washington, as-well'
as an unequaled collection ot miniature
of the-various members of the Wash
ington family. - , -
If, as It now seems probable, the Na
tional Museum la to, tn .time, become
the - permanent depository ot all ' . the
most Interesting reminders of the great
est American, it is Indeed - matter foe
congratulation that this institution is .
shortly to nave a new home calculated
. . ...wi. .w, a 1 ,
all such treasures.- For two years now
workmen have been busy - erecting ths
sign ' that is to house- the vast eolleo
tlons'of this Important eduoational In
stitution. Three years more will be re
quired 10 iinisn inn monsisr eainoe.
which will cost when completed fully
United State Capitol as the largest of.
our publlo Buildings. , ... .
4 The new structure the largest mus
eum building In the world is ' 1(1 feel
In length and 1(0 feet In width, exclu
sive of j projections. The floor spao
will aggregate iw aoree ana more man
half of .this, will be devoted to exhlbl-
tlon purpose. . The Wsshlngton rellcsi
have the place of honor In tha present
museum, and It is expected that corres
ponding prominence will - be given ta
them in the new structure. It Is otv
viously Important that tha glass case
containing the Washington relic shall
be so placed that they - can ever be
under the watchful ays of . armed
guards. .
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