The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-08-12
The Home of Jefferson.

CONSTANCE FENIMoRE WooLsoN writes
to the Cleveland Herald;
Monticello, the once beautiful home O
Jefferson, is situated on the top of ,
mountain, few miles from Charlottes
vile, Va, and commands the most exten
sive view have ever seen from private
| house-On one side $50 miles of the Blue
Ridge, on the other a landscape so broad
and far-stretching that the eye can scarce
| ly take it in. The old mansion is large
with wings, piazzas, dome and somt
singular, half underground passages anG
Offices on each side. 1t is empty and de
serted now, save by squatters, Who "shov
the house tor quarter | shall never
forget the horrible old man who came tc
meet us in the hall-squalid, ragged, with
rolling, half-sightless eyes and reeling
steps, he thrust out his dirty hand, nut
tering: 1.-TWO Of yer! two of yer! Iel
can't come in till yer pay" and curled his
crooked yellow fingers in and out like the
claws of some wild animal We paid
hastily and then retreated to call in the
| driver as a protector; when we returned
however, we found that the creature had
disappeared, leaving only bright little
negro boy to act as guide. Nothing is
left in the poor, lonely old mansion
save mirror, the top of the horse chair
or gig in which Jefferson drove around
the grounds during the last years
of his life, the old antique plaster mold
ings over the doors, and the large square
clock In the hall whose balls swung down
and marked the days of the week set in
panels in the wall. There is light lad
der in the hall which Jefferson made with
his own hands, and used for the purpose
of winding this clock, which is placed
high up over the front door, with dial on
the outside of the house as well as within.
The bedrooms are all made with recesses
in the old French style, where the frame
of the bed is built into the wall, and forms
part of the woodwork of the house. To
Monticello, during the owners lifetime,
came distinguished visitors from all lands,
among them Lafayette. Jefferson was
then old and intirm, unable to walk, but
he was driven to the edge of the plateau
where the road begins to descend, and
there he waited for Lafayette's carriage,
which was coming up the mountain. A
number of people had assembled to wit
ness the meeting The two old men were
assisted from their carriages and went to
meet each other. With the single word,
Jeffersonw Lafayette" they clasped
hands, and all saw the tears in their eyes
The view from Monticello resembles in
many respects that from Lookout Mount
ain A short distance below the house is
the burial ground here the author of the
Declaration of Independence lies at rest
surrounded by his family. But the gates
have been broken down, the horizontal
slabs over the graves of his wife and
daughter are gone, and the small obelisk
to Jefferson himself is so defaced and
broken that it is but shapeless block,
where even the name can no longer be
traced. Originally the inscription was as
follows: Here lies buried Thomas JEFF.
ferson, Author of the Declaration of Inde.
pendence, of the Statute of Virginia for
Religious Freedom, and Father of the
University of Virginia" This family
burial ground had its origin in boyish
promise. Jefferson and his friend Dabney
Carr, who atterward married Jefferson's
sister, were in the habit as boys of climb
ing up a particular tree on the side
hill and sitting there together for hours
They agreed to be buried under that tree
and exchanged promise that in case OF
death the survivor should carry out the
wish. While Jefferson was in France
Dabney Carr died, but on his return, find
ing that his friend had been inferred in
another place, he ordered the body ex
humed and buried it under the hillside
tree, near which his own tomb also was
afterward made. In these centennial
days would it not be well for the nation tc
put in order this little mountain burial
place of Thomas Jefferson?