Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-12-13
oRITIT AIRY.


family homestead, on the 9th of October, ult:,
in the 9Oth year of her age, Mrs. LOUISA
CUNNINGHAM, widow of Captain Robert
Cunningham. leaving two children -one of them
the lady known to the public rs the Regent Of
the Mount Vernon Association, and its creator.
There are circumstances connected with the
family, and birth, and acts of this aged lady
which make a few words in memoriam seem ap-
proprlate from paper IN this town. She WAS
not oDly born here, descended from an. Eng .sh-
family of position enligratng with some Others
with whom they interLlarred in the Garlic sat-
Element of the place; but to her, in fact, belongs
the honor Of having suggested the purchase Of
Mount Vernon, Of its being made public proper
~ and national SHRINE. All who honor the
memory Of the Father of his Country will feel
rs her daughter who carried out her suggestion)
Oh her couhtry's gratitude and remem brance,
and thAt in recording her decease that this fact
should be made public at the same time, that
her memory may receive what is due for the
patriotic deed which resulted in making his
home he property Of the people.
In ttis last age events retain such slight
hold upon the public mind that few of our read
ers are acquainted with those which excited IN
terest some twenty years slnce-for 1t Is twenty
.years Since this movement WAS made to rescue
Mount Vernon from the danger Of being sold
into the hands Of SPECTATORS Mrs Cs. ances-
tors being closely allied by marriage with that
branch of the Washington family which came
into possession immedlatey after the daat. Of
General Washington, some OF her nearest reia-
lives being even inferred in the Vault with him,
so denpened the reverence and ties TO tho place.
though she was but six years OF age when her
parents removed to the South, that the probable
ity of its being sold to spectators seemed like
sScrilege; lor the mere announcement VI the TACT,
suggested TO her earnest entlu ,lastlc, energetic
mind the probab iity of its rescue from this and
all future dangers by the Egg ncy; OF the women
e hn' Whp bU nurn ,d n
terestrd action, purchase it, and then turn 1t in
charge to the mother STATE, 10 be forever kept
sacred Tor public resort. She called on her
daughter to write such IN appeal to this tf ct.
She had been h bed-riddcn Invalid Tor many
years-a martyr to sutferlng-.and had only ut
that lime after ten years ofskiful at ention from
one of the most distinguished physicians, attain
ed to the hope that health might be possibi l.
ty in the distant future. She Was Warned against
the probability of fatal results to her self, for ell
thus lasm carried her entrnly beyond Ill thoughts
Oh self, especially in overestlma ing the I'M
pulsive patriotism of our people. She only anti.
ip,ted that slight effort on her part would
arouse the sy mpathetic interest and generosity
Fin olhers to attain slhe end The appeal sent
forth under the nom dc plume of Il Southern
| Matron" did startle the community, and Was the
cause.-the real cause-utter superhuman diff
| cuttles of organizing an association which be-
! came national in size and form, so that it re-
quired seven years Of untlrlng labor, the sacrlhce
of health, and, indirectly, the loss Of two thirds
OF her patrimonlal property before the end was
attained, which WAS finally secured with the de-
voted aid Of energetic coaborers in all sections.
| And the war came when funds for the purchase
only had been secured and not the anticipated
| endowment fund to maintain the charge as
surued by the association. When it WAS over
| the ASSOCIATION was impoverished and in debt,
and no resources which promised the probabili-
| ty disappearing it. In this extremity Miss G.
| was to toe helm once more. Against 1.-The
| urgent rem, n-Lrances OF those who felt that
| enough had b .rn done by her family, aim st
| ruined q, they were, and warned that III the
present state ut the country she would only meet
| with further sacrifices, sectional luminosity and
| Misrepresentation, yet, putting al. personal in
teresls to one Gside, she gave her heart and
soul to the work, and did saceeed III remov-
| ing debt and procuring its present property,
| which IS inadequate to the proper maintainance
of our national shrine, and secured to it safety
| for the future. In this good work, which should
| have met with gratitude from whole people,
| she has encountered pers, cution and misrepre-
sentation eliminating when her health utterly
| failed under labCrS and residence in that mala
rious atmosphere.
| 1t is sad to think that her mothers last days
were embitterad by the feeling that this was the
reward rneted out for the unscti:h patriotism of
her invalid daughter. However, time that cur tn
all things, may in the coming future acco-d All
that is due to her. 49, ..ai J., az
| Died, this morning, at d o'clock, of dipthe-
ria, NELLIE, daughter of <. Ii. and Laura
Delshay, in her tenth year. Gss- The funeral
will take place tomorrow afternoon, at four
O'clock from her parents residence, No. So
Prince street The friends of the family are re-
spectfuly invited to attend.