Saint Mary's beacon., 1870-07-28
THREE TRAGIeHoUsEs IN WASH.
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T. a Washington correspondent Of In,
New York World gives tile following in
| teressing reminesccnces in q recent les
tr: rN ~ - 80 81 nsas. Fr-
IAfaystte Square is disincsly connee.
It'd With three tragedies. two occurring
and one terminating on its boundaries
The last mentioned Is the FIRST IN chruncl.
ogical order the duel q Decatur concl,.
ding in his death af, his hoase on : thu
norte-west corner Of the Square. Thi,
house Il very little changed BY the lapst
OF years. Il has an air Of the past abou,
il which is oldfashicned but not pict,r.
esque. 1t is double house, three stories
in height, built Of brick. unpainted. /,
fronts on the square and runs quite f:u
back on II street: low building coycy-
ed with yellow plaster connects with &c,
in which were the kitchen and servants
rooms. A door in this building is point
ed. ont as The one through which Decatur
left the house on the fatal morning. The
story ofthe duel is very sad one. De.
catur was universally beloved, and his
great services to his country were 50 sin
cerely appreciated that losing him in such
way produced feelings Of the most in
tense horror ard distress 1t is useless
F., to give details of the quarrel between De-
catur and Barron. Ii related to naval
affairs, and it is generally conceded that
Barron was mainly responsible for the
duel. which Decatur avoided as long as
possible. He expressly declared many
times that he had no desire to take hu-
man life, and should be careful in case he
fought not to woand his enemy in vital
point. To this resolution he adhered. -
There are those still Eting who remember
attending party at his house either the
night before or very short time previous
to the day the duel was fought. The pre-
else date is not remembered, but the i'm
preston remains with lady who tells
the story that it was the evening before.
The same lady, who knew him and his
wife intimately, speaks with vivid recol-
lections of both of them as they appeared
on that last evening of his life. know
ing all the while of the appointment he was
to keep ON the following morning, Com
modore Decatur was still able to entertain
his guests with his usual cordial hospitali-
ty. and remained in the parlors. conversinc
in his ordinary manner, until the last ol
the company had left the house. Mrs.
Decatur, who had no suspicion Of what
anguish was in store for her, was particu-
larly animated during the evening, and
at the urgent request of some of her friends
played on the harp. for she was a skillful
performer on that instrument. The next
morning, March the %, 1922, Decatur
rose early, crossed the square, and walk
ed to Capitol Hill to Beale's Tavern.
which house stood on the diagonal corner
from the present Senate wing Of the Cap
itol. From there he and his friends went
to Bladensburg, where the duel was tough,
about 3 o'clock. Decatur was mortally
wounded. and, was brought back to die
in few hours He was buried at Ka-
lerama. q country place near Washing.
ton. Mrs. Decatur occupied her house
for very few years after the death of her
husband, whom she most deeply mourn
ed. Since that time many persons have
lived there. among whom were the faith
er and uncle of Mrs Bancroft Davis, the
two brothers King, who we're both men,
bers Of Congress. Mrs. Davis there pas.
sed portion Of her girlhood The house
is now and for some time has been used
as Government Office. The remainder
Of the block Is well built up. some of the
handsomest dwellings in Washington hav.
ing been erected there within two years
Mr.. Colfax occupies what is variously
known as the Sickles and the Stockton
house. 1t is this house which old resi-
dents mention as having been always in
habited by the aristocracy. and only cnct
has Congressman occupied it--which i,
meant to imply that only once has il des.
cended 80 l,w As that. Members of tn,
!, Cabinet, as rule, were the dwellers il
the house. Mr. Woodbury.. the fathe
of Mrs. Montgomery Blair, lived thcr,
when Secretary, first Of the Treasury an,
afterwards Of the Navy.
The father Of Mrs. Ogden Hoffman. d
New York (Mr. Southard, of Georyia)
also lived there. The name Of Stocktol
house is given because Purser Stockton
who married relative Of Commodore De
catur, owned and lived in it for some time
When Sickles had il. the trees in Lafay
ette Square were young and the wayin,
J 1t handkerchief from one Of the window
could be distinctly seen across the par
at the clubhouse. nearly opposite; an
, thus il is said, was the intercourse carrie,
on between the false wife and the hand
some man of the world which terminate
in the second TRAGEDY, at tie corner
] Madison place and Pcrnsylvsnis avenue
! Gear shis coxner may still h seca. IL On
sesrches dhikently, the remains Of q
trunk OF the tree against which Key n
: On that Sunday morning whea the churc
: services were just concluding and the b
dies were passing 20 their homes. and
some instances were horri6ed witnesses
! the encounter. Many of those ladies' le
, the city at once 10 avoid appesring in con,
TO give testimony in such . case. II
stump IN the street Is indicated By d,
in he diagram. Ith mere po:as , IN
is almost concealed by grasszand STONE:
The club house stands near. the middle
the block. Il u = very large house. shr,
! stories in height. and composed Of n
; brick Commodore Rogers, cf tkes nas
.built Il md lived IN h. After he die.
thnss. - now . fashionable zbazfain,
ihoass and .lsssEs sshe scLubsaase. dsssi
9 gulshed IS ssfh becau.e Of Barton X
: being 4 member of the cfub. and bscsn
. Of his being removed thisker asssr Mw
tskre,E Euf rhi< s3fses n~e;.dyr,r h.~ A.