Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-01-02

terly repented, and Dr. Bentley speaks Of him
thus:
"Mr Noyes came out and publicly confessed
his error; never excused himself; visited loved,
blessed the survivors whom he had injured
asked forgiveness always and consecrated the
residue OF his life to bless mankind
Although Hawthorne in his preface to the
House of the Seven Gables, says that it was
built " Of materials long in use for constructing
castles ia the air. STILL trust that do not
commit an objectionable offence If suggest
what think may probably have been the frame
soork Of this aerial edifce Uncle yenner's
farm. house which would in common parlance,
suppose, be called the poor house, was it will
perhaps be remembered, distinctly visible from
the windows of tho Pyncheon mansion and
when first read the House Of tho Seven Ga
bles and noticed this fact, | conld not but
think that the author must have had in his
mind the thought Of q most singular old house
which, until lately, stood cornering on a cross
street Ut, ,ti,s lownr end Of the city, directly
overlooking Tire Salem poor-h0nse and its farm,
Il bend Of tho harbor flowing between. 1t
was spacious mansion, with many gabled
roof bedecked with all kinds Of peaks and pin
nacles, and was very curious specimen OF the
architectural ideas Of our ancestors. remem-
tei with all the out buildings and fences
around it in similar state Of decay 1t was
built by Philip English, at some time in the
latter half Of the seventeenth century. He
was gentleman of education and fortune,
but had created some local enemies, who caused
his wife to bo arrested on a charge of witch
craft, in 1892. Her husband secrcted himself,
and many attempts were Intellectually made to
discover him. Being convinced that he could
do nothing to save his wife, he at last snrren.
dered himself to the magistrates, and declared
his determination to die with her. But before
her trial, they made their escape. II is said
that the horse on which he fled was shod with
shoes reversed, in order that the tracks might
deceive his puispers. They returned to Salem
afterwards, and regained possession Of their
property. A few years ago, this old English
house was torn down. we'll remember some
tiles Of chimney piece in my fathers house,
which were taken from it, and the almost
night mare-like horror with which used
when boy, to regard them, as If | half ex-
pected some one of the seven stern witch judges
to start into life again before me Some sixty
or seventy years ago, it was occupied by a me-
chanic, whose stock in trade was undoubtedly
moro valuable than Hepzibah's assortment Of
pipes and thread and Jim Crows, inasmuch as
he pursued the worthy calling Of silversmith
And Hepzibah's cent shop-there in the city
now, is many just such an establishment; and
many Jim Crow from just such shop, pre-
sided over by just such an old maid as Hepzi-
bah, have nibbled in my schoolboy days.
There are many houses in Salem which date
back to even an earlier period than Philip
English's mansion. One, in particular, which
stands at the corner Of Washington and Church
- 1...lk ~.
Ann, and then taken to pieces and brought by
sea to Salem, by Roger Conant before 1929
Governor Endoots resided in it for a time, and
It's walls must have heard many fierce dis
cussion about pope and king, and many wise
deliberation for the welfare Of the infant col.
ony; and il they could speak and tell us the
many secrets they are burdened with, they
would disclose even more eventful sayings and
deeds than are recorded in the history Of
Grandfalher's Chair. Since those cold colony
days" it has passed through very many hands
at one time being transformed into the g Ship
Tavorn,n ut another occupied al a shop, and
then again restored to its former condition as
dwelling house.
city in which there are SO many antiqui
ties must of necessity number amongst its in
habitants descendants Of many old families
Hawthorne il himself descended from one Of
the most ancient Of these. The family name
was originally spclt Hathorne, and Justice
Hathorne was one Of the seven witch judges
Hawthornes direct ancestors were, like those
of most Of tho Salem families, scafaring men
His father, Nathaniel, whose name the author
bears, and his grandfather, were both sea-
captains Doring the early years of his life,
think until he received an appointment from
Collector Bancroft in the Boston custom house,
he resided in an ancient house in the lower
part Of the city, which is still standing, though,
like almost every relic which remains in Salem
Of the old times fallen far into decay.
II is matter OF extreme regret that some
faithful aud accurate record has not already
been made Of the quaint life in Salem half q
century ago. twas most peculiar in its char
actor The merchants there having in most
instances, begun their lives by sailing before
the mast" and then rising to be ship-captains
and gaining sufficient property to enable them
TO venture into trade, and many at last accu-
mulatng immense fortunes, were naturally
moulded by their rough lives into hard and
unpublished forms There were oil kinds Of
oddities amoog them. There was hardly one
of them who did not have his peculiar eccen-
tricity. But they have almost all gone Here
and there one fingers still telling his stories Of
privateering in the English war, and Of the
East India trade.
During Administration after Administration,
the custom. house, the same great brick build
ing with which Hawthorne has made every
one feel so well acquainted, was tho rendezvous
to all the ray-headed old sea captains who
wero left And there they used TO sit, day after
day as Hawthorne describes them, "asleep in
their accustomed corners, with their chairs
tilted back against the wall, OF chatting in
the back entry, row Of them all tipped
against the wall, as usual; while the frozen
witticisms Of psst generations were thawcd ont
and came bnbbliog with laughter from their
lips'
But oven the drowsy offciais &C the Salem
custom-house have been aroused from their
slumbcrs; for when the Democrats end of the
SEQ saw tilted up into the White House, most
Of them slid of the other end out Of Office.
The sturdy old collector, the gallant General
Oh a -. lxI lo..