Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1857-09-09
NO. xxx.
From Rash's Washington in Domestic Life"
The Wrath Of Washington.

L
shortly before his death in 1916, may here be
related, showing the height to which Washing
toms passion would rise, yet be controlled It
belongs to his domestic life, with which am
dealing, having occurred under his own root.
whilst it marks public feeling the most intense,
and points to the moral of his life. give ii in
Colonel Lear's words as near as l can, having
made note of them at the time.
Towards the close of winters day in 1901,
an officer in uniform was seen to dismount in
front of the Presidents house, in Philadelphia,
and giving the bride to his servant, knocked at
the door of the mansion. Learning from the
porter that the President was at dinner, he said
he was on public business and had dispatches
for the President. A servant was sent into the
dining-room to give the information to Mr.. Lear,
who left the table and went into the hall, where
the officer repeated what he had said. Mr. Lear
replied that, as the Presidents Secretary, he
would take charge of the dispatches and deliver
them at the proper time The officer made an
swer that he had just arrived from the western
army, and his orders were to deliver them with
all promptitude, and to the President in person:
but that he would wait his directions. Mr.. Lear
returned, and in whisper impaired to the Pres
deDt what had passed. General Washington
rose from the table, and went to the officer. He
was back in short time made word of apol-
ogy for his Absence but no alusion to the cause
of it. He bad company that day. Everything
went on as usual. Dinner over the gentlemen
passed to the drawing room of Mrs. Washington,
which was open in the evening. The General
spoke courteously to every lady in the room, as
was his custom. His hours were early, and by
ten o'clock all the company had gone. Mrs.
Washington and Mr.. Lear remained. Soon Mrs.
| Washington left the room. tireft 81.
| The General now walked backward and for
ward for some minutes without speaking. Then
he sat down on q sofa by the fire. telling Mr..
Lear to sit down. To this moment there had
been no change in his manner since his Interrupt
ton at the table. Mr.. Lear now perceived emo
tion. This rising in him, he broke out sudden
ly, SITS all oyer-St. Clairs defeated-routed;
the officers nearly all killed, the men by whole
sale; the rout complete-too shocking to think
of-and surprise in the bargain"
He uttered all this with great yehemence.-
Then he paused, got up from the sofa and walk
ed about the room several times, agtated, but
saying nothing. Near the door he stopped short
and stood still a few seconds, when his wrath
became terrible.
"Yes," he burst FORTH "HERR on this very spot
took leave of him; wished him success and
honor; you have your instructions, / said, from
the Secretary of War, l had strict eye to them,
and will aGd but one word-BEwARE OF SUR
PRISE repeat it, BEWARE OF A SUR
PRISE-you know how the Indians fight us
He went off with that as my last solemn warn
ing thrown into his ears. And yet to suffer
that army to be cut to pieces, hacked by q sur
prise-the very thing guarded him against !!
Oh, God, oh, God, he's worse than murderer!
how can he answer it to his country 9-the blood
of the slain is upon him-the curse of widows
and orphans-the curse of Heavenw
This torrent came out in tone appalling. His
very frame shook. 1t was awful, said Mr.. Lear.
More than once he threw his hands up as he
hurled iinprecations upon St. Clair. Mr.. Lear
remained speeches.; awed into breathless ST.
lence.
The reused chief sat down on the sofa once
more. He seemed conscious of his passion, and
uncomfortable. He was silent His wrath be-
gan to subside he at length said, in an altered
voice,-"This must not go beyond this room"
Another pause followed-a longer one-when
he said, in tone quite low, General St. Clair
shall have Justice / looked hastily through the
dispatches, saw the whole disaster, but not all
the particulars / will hear him without preju-
dice; he shall have full Justice"
He was now, said Mr.. Lear, perfectly calm
Half an hour had gone by. The storm was over;
and no sign of it was afterwards seen in his con-
duct, or heard in his conversation. The result
is known. The whole case was investigated by
Congress. st. Clair was exculpated and regain
ed the confidence Washington had in him when
appointing him to that command He had put
himself into the thickest of the fight and escaped
unhurt, though 70 i'll as to be carried on litter,
and unable to mount his horse without help.
A wARNINe TO YoUNG LADIEs-The late Jes-
Sc W. Goodrich, of Worcester, whose will is be-
ing contested on the ground of insanity, publish
ed the following advertisement in the n. York
Water Cure Journal in 1854:
The subscriber is . bachelor, college grad
uate, teetotaler from boyhood, lawyer by
profession was for ten years temperance odi-
tor; uses no tea or coffee, opium, alcohol, pro-
family, tobacco, leeks nor onions; is Industrious,
affectionate. phianthropic, sound, domestic and
moral in his habits; is not q Church member,
but deems the Bible priceless boon from Heav-
en-: admires teetotal, moral, devotional, mental,
afectional, and physical beauty in woman has
vital temperament; size OF head and the groups
of social, moral and intellectual organs each
marked six or large, by O. S. Fowler and 9TH
er phrenologists; weighs about one hundred and
seventy pounds; is five feet ten inches tall, well
proportional, healthy, not bad looking. free from
all hereditary and other disease, and every
inch man in all his physical functions and de-
velopmerts; has an estate OF about ten thousand
dollars, and is now (but has not been for the last
ten or fifteen years. in situation to marry and
as husband, would love and cherish with pas
sionate fondness some worthy, lovely and loving
woman as wife, whose feelings, tastes, senti-
ments and habits should happen to be congeniaIl
with his own.
A CoNNUBIAL CANDIDATE"
Messrs. Fowler & Wells endorsed the adver-
tiser, and the consequence was that hundred
ard twenty unmarried ladies corresponded
with Mr. Goodrich, and their letters and dagner-
reotypes are now matters of amusements to the
Worcester people, Wonder how the girls like
the idea of that-the hundred and twenty-seven
who wrote those letters and sent those pictures2
LORD BAcoN's RECEIPT For WARrs.-The
following passage occurs in Bacon's Natural
History" sI
"The Taking away of Warts by Rubbing them
with somewhat that afterwards is put to waste
and consume is Common Experiment; and [
doe apprehend it rather because of mine own
experience. / had, from my Childhood, Wart
upon one of my fingers afterwards, when I
was about Sixteen years old, being then at Paris,
(at least one hundred, } iD months space. The
English Embassadoures Lady, who was Wo.
man fare from Superstition, told me one day.
Shee would helpe NEE away with my Warts:
Whereupon shee got Peece of Lard, with the
Skin on and rubbed the Warts all over. with
the Fat Side And among the rest, that Wart
which had from my Childhood; Then she
nailed the Peece of Lard, with the Fat towards
the Sunne, upon Poast of her Chamber Win
dow which was to the South. The Successe
was, that in Five weeks space, all the Warts
went quite away: And that Wart which had
SO long endured, for Company. But at the rest