Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1875-04-16
TIL: kaLsaaiOia EoTATE.
HjW THE GOVERNMENT GoTPuS.
SESSION OF IT.
The Claim Of the lee Family
Valid One.
Communication TO The n. Y. World.

n. Y.
In 1857 Mr.. George Washington
Park CIstis died at Arlington. Mr.
Cuatis was the favorite grandchild OF
Mrs. Martha Washington, u scion OF
what is strictly entitled 40 be called
me of the hcsa families OF Virginia,
Ala himself an e!eve of the fasnar OF
.ils :our:Ty, who, never the father OF
a family, was remarkably fond OF
cl;i ;drcn, perhaps because 1T was per-
united hrn 20 unbend sometimes
from his awful dignity lii tht1r pres
ence. Thee various bnnors were
somewhat an REMEMBRANCE to Mr..
Gusts, 1t Is probable. At any rate,
he did no more IN life than attempt.
with more or l. s. success, to sustain
them, Keeping up "a laboriols AID gar
rulOus hoepitailt: at Arlington, and
pal.itIDg some immense historical pic
lures, Walch not even the asi-fmbrac
'ug charity Of MIR. Benson i Tossing
can redeem from the suspicion of
nIde0uSness. Ii Is probable that MIR.
Custls never sought greatness, buf II
ue had done SO he would have been
d; barred oy str,lke of fortune SINH
lar to that OF the Insignificant but
| witty Mendeissohn, who vas the sou
| Of one great Mepdelssohu, end the
| father of q still greater Mendeissohn.
| Mr.. G W. L. Cuetis was sandwiched
! between George Washington and
Robert Edmund Lee, and his position
| in history is necessarily that OF a very
| small c, NJ JUNCTION between two very
| large ub-taurives.
| B. th:s as 1t may, Dir. Custis had
| quite. 1, frm 5. nse OF his own import
/ auI.A, and :, 1afIle.1 .i..ui "a. r, ~
| he memory Of 1t to future ages. A! the
end az his hiam~l,s8 life ne bequeati.
| .-d ms Arlington state, in the c,s!ln
~ ri 81, XII: ,lriH containing 1.l04
acres, TO ms clearly beloved fau2lI
ter and GA! child. Mary Aun K.n-
! dp.p:. lie. iuring tie trrIn OF her
! n,,Gsa! nj : Mary Ann !tan,!ol. IA
Lee was I'll" .if' o. Robert Edmuud
: lie. 4 ;>t.s viii tnctirer provided
| U!n,t, o.. Iii" hesth o. my daughter,
+, My Ann klHh ip!l Lee, ali tie
property left t. her during the term
OF hel n.:'s2r..i If give aud beqne ain
! 10 MY eldest grandson, George WASH
IngtoI, tuatis LIE, 10 him and his
! helrs forever, ht. my said eldest graud
| son, taking my aame ard arms No
! MATER whether this gave Mrs. Lees
son a vested or contingent night It Is
quite apparent that the intention Of
his venerable aud estlmable grand
| father was to transmit, as far as he
| could, 10 his descendants for several
| generations the possession of AN estate
| winch was much moro vaiuab!e ii the
| eyes of its historical associations than
tor Its rtturnS IN money. As Mr..
Custls died III 1857, it is scarcely pos
sihie that even a member of the Pbila-
delpbla Union League would endeavor
20 attach the suspician Of "disloy atty
20 his skirts.
Mrs. NJ. A. Il Lee, femme cocert,
thus had life estate in this property
in August, 1861, when Congress passed.
the bill imposing a direct tax upon IN
surrectiopary districts. Uuher that
act Virginia was taxed $937, spa ana
the tax levied upon the Arlington as
tate WAS set ut S92 or Further acts
IF Congress aud regulations Of the tax
commissioners under these ec:s were
promulgated. AID finally, i'll 1864, the
Arlington estate, long since in posses
sion of the government, was sold In
this tax bin Of 392 o7, by order OF
President Lincoln. bought ia for t;,c
government for war, military, char
table, aud educational purposes, an
der tue act Of February 9Th, 1868
whIc;', however, was never paid uoI
even rendered 70 any person.
| Mrs. Lee 1T the time of sale, a.
also at the time OF advertisements, wa
Inside the Confedera'e lines, where
her duty as famine cOUert constrained
her 10 he. Nevertheless, when the
| arlington property was offered fOl
sale IN default of taxes, a tender u
the amount due WAS made by Mrs
Lees connections III Baltimore ard
Washington. This tender the com
missiOners refused to accept, having
ruled that no taxes, under tho act OF
August 5. 1864, conid be paid unless
the tender Was made by the lmmedi
ate "wner Of the property in person.
s.. that, under this preposterouS Ini-
ng, If property belonging to an in
f>nt three weeks oid was taxed, ne
could not appear bv guardian, but
must be fetched up mewling aud puk
ing in his nurses arms, with the tax
hill and the money grasped III ltis
cuna5y list
- this way the government GIT pos
session of this estate, worth $500, zoo.
/ has held possession Of it ever since.
About two hundred acres of the estate
has been converted into national
cemetery; the remainder has be ct
leased to freedmen or otherwise used
10y tie government.