Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1876-02-26

The executive mansion is situated close
by and in full view of the capitol. 1t is
large ard spacious three story brick house
surmountel b.: mans ,r,l roof, and hand
somcy furnished. The surrounding
grounds are enclosed by an iron fence and
are set with young trees and shrubbery.
The cost to the State of this edifice and its
out buildings, was $l35 10000, the stable
itself costing $15,000.00. 1t was finished in
1869, and first occupied by Gov. Bowie, af-
Carroll, successfully.
And, now, begins to cluster aroung it,
assoc ations of Il melancholy nature. AT
ter enjoying the festivities of a party dinner,
given by Gov. Groome, the Hon. Revcrdy
johnson, repairs to the parlor, to take his
accustomed nap in quietness, whilst the
rest of the party smoke their cigars. At 8
o'clock, on that evening, the 9th inst.-a
servant brings the news to the Governor,
that Mr.. Johnson was lying in the yard.
At once, all rush to see, an find him lying
at the n. f. corner of the house, upon the
cobbled-stone Garage way, with his head
in pool of blood, that had run therefrom,
lifeless and cold; lying, there, the konored
and the great an octogenarian and blind,
the first man in the state and one of the
first in the nation. He had died unseen,
and without, cen,
The pious drops the closing eyes requires"
The cause of his death is a mystery, new
er, in all probability, to be penetrated; the
lesson, however, is plain. He lay, like
Cesar, of whom it might quite as appropri-
ately be said,
But yester 'ay, the word of johnson
might have stood against the world; now
lies he there"
| 1t seems that the mansions of the great,
in republic, as well as the castles of kings,
must, sooner or later, be baptized with the
blood of those who frequent them. And
| right well has the mansion of our govern
ors begun to Irvine arouno it the wreathe
of accidents and of tragedies.
The present occupant of this house, the
Hon. John Lee Carroll so we'll known to
the people of this country, as dcscendent
of Charles Carroll Of Carroton one of the
signers of the declaration of 1nde;, erdonce,
is a person whose qualifications, in every
respect, eminentIy fit him for the high pc
sition he fills. Certainly, the name of Car
roll has suffered no degeneration in the
hundred years that have elapsed, since the
patriotic days of the Revolution, if we may
take our present Governor as the tyical rep
resen,ative of his line and lineage. And,
in credit to our state, it may be said, that
she stands out as a conspicuous exception
to the rule, THAT Republics are ingratcful.'
Indeed especially conspicuous among the
states even of this Union as within
none of them, desceNdeEt of any one
of those great men, who signed that instru-
ment, occupies a high political position
to-day. Governor Carroll besides, a man of
commanding personal appearance, unim-
peachable character aud courteous--onc
indeed, whom the humblcst citizen of the
state can approach, without fear of that
freezing hauteur characteristic of the of
cial generally.
My next letter will embrace something of
incident, relating to our judiciary and Leg
isativc Departments. CIvIs.
Annapolis, Feb. 14th, 1876.