Litchfield enquirer., 1868-05-07
WHOLE NO. 22O0
A CHAPTER OF BIOGRAPHICAL cos s.tam SIP, ba ag1as giof
AN INCIDENT IN THE n1FE OF MRS. MADISON

It was during her husbands second term
 that the interesting event of her life occur
 red. In August, 1914, the news came to
 Washington that British army had land
 ed on the coast, within hundred miles of
 the capital. A few days later, the Presi-
 dent and his cabinet were flying toward Virginia, while Mrs. Madison sat at win l dow of the presidential mansion, listening
 to the distant thunder of cannon on the 1 disastrous field of Bladensburg. She held
 telescope in her hands with which she
 looked anxiously down the road by which her husband WAS expected to return: but
 she could see nothing but squads of militia
 wandering about without purpose or com
 mand. At the door of the house carriage
 stood, filled with plate and papers, ready
 to leave at an instant's warning. The May tor of Washington visited her in the course ot that terrible afternoon, and advised her
 to leave the city; but she calmly refused.
 and said she would not leave her abode
 without the Presidents orders A messen- ger from him at length arrived, bearing
 note, written hurriedly with lead pencil, telling her to fly. ....,... -9.---'- '-
 Among the precious articles in the White House was the fine portrait of Washington, taken by Stewart from life. She seized carving knife from the table, cut the pic- ture out of it's frame, rolled it up, hurried with 1t into the carriage, anl drove away. At deorgetown; two miles from the city she met the President and cabinet who were assembled on the banks of the Poto. mac, about to cross. There was but one little boat on the shore, in which only three persons at time could trust themselves. The President assigned to Mrs. Madison nine cavalrymen and directed her to meet him on the following day at certain tavern sixteen miles from Georgetown. In , the dusk of the evening, she began her march accompanied by two or three ladies while the President and his companions were rowed across the river. Y J|a.- ,s
 When the British officers entered the Presidents house that evening, they found the dinner table spread for forty guests, the President having invited large din- for that day. The wine was cool ing on the side-board; the plates were warming by the fire; the knives, forks, and spoons were arranged upon the snowy ta- ble-cloth. In the kitchen, joints of meat were roasting on the spits before the fire; sauce-pans full of vegetables were steaming upon the range, and every thing was in 8 state of forwardness for substantial ban quet The officers sat down to the table, devoured the dinner, and concluded the entertainment by setting fire to the house. It was terrible night. The capitol was burned, the treasury building, the Presi- dents house, all the principal public build ings, and the navy yard.
 It was not until the evening of the fol- lowing day that Mrs. Madison, in the midst or q vIoIent storm of thunder, wind and rain, approached the tavern to which the President had directed her. He had not yet arrived, and the landlady terrified by the events around her, had barred the doors, and refused to admit the drenched and exhausted ladies. The troopers were obliged to force an entrance Two hours later, the President of the United States reached the house, wet. hungry, and fa- tigued. The landlady could provide them with nothing but some bread and cold meat; after partaking of which they retir- ed to 9 miserable bed, not without fears that the next morning would find them prisoners of the British general. It hap pened, however, that the English troops retired even more rapidly than they had advanced. and in few days the President and his wife returned to Washington, which was still smoking from the recent confa- grafton, They found the best lodgings they could, and the government was soon performing its accustomed duties.-Par- .ton's Peoples Book of Biography. VI