The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-11-22
.aaesapa G9tatteiiiiselater. G9tat
a HISTORIC MYSTERY.
Ila,..ngton Cerrespondence Cafcu0o Time,
The Nationall Hotel Poisoning Twenty
Years ago.

I'a'..ngton Cbrrespondence Chicago Times.
Among the more prominent of the Ma
tiOnaPs late arrivals are Senator Ben.
Fill and wife, Of Georgia. They occu-
ny the suit of rooms known as the pres-
dental parlors If the walls had tongues
they might discourse of people prominent
in the past, and, perchance, tell tales of
private life never suspicioned. But the
tall mantel looks blank under its modern
ornament, the brass mountings Of the
fender reflect new faces, the heavy cur
tains shut in the secrets never voiced,
and in the room sits little, dark-eyed,
prim woman, and blue-eyed man "from
away down South in Georgia." man
mild IS May, yelvety, and unassuming
rs field dandelion. These rooms where
Senator Hill now lives, on that fatal
fourth Of March, which witnessed Buch-
anan's Inauguration, we.e occupied by
the new President Twelve hundred
guests were crowded in the house. In
the evening nearly all were seized by
similar symptoms Of poisoning, and
thirty or more died. The dead bodies
lay in rows in the parlors, the sick and
dying were moaning in the halls; n
gloom hung over the city, and extended
to distant homes, from whence had come
guests to witness the inauguration. TIE
house had just previous to this been en-
tircly refurnishcd 1t was the grand
hotc! of the capital, and built in style
of magniiicence rare in those times. .he
hotel poisoning is remembered with
horror by old people, but many of tn"
younger ones have never heard Of it..
The affair was investigated and the house
examined. No positive clue has ever
Il
age, some roisoned rats in the wells,
the business of the hotel. 1t is generally,
mineral poison, and was in the sugar
for the reason that persons not stopping
ut the house, who took fancy drinks at
the bar, were also seized by cramps.
Doubtless the liew Presidents death was
mcdituted, but Mr. Buchanan never
touched sugar, nor ntc it in anything, NJ,
that he almost alone escape! the peril.
Some of those beside his Exccllency, who
escaped, have been intcrrogatcd, and all
those whose address could be found after
the lapse Of years replied that they did
not partakc Of sugar, even i'll coffee.
The house was c' sed, the splendid fur
niiure was sold nj auction. For years the
hotel WAS uninhabited. People Looked
ut the barred windows something as via.
itors now pulisc befnle Forl's theatre,
where President Lincoln WAS ussassin-
ated. Strangers stood in front Of it and
related To each other sad incidents of the
inexplic:blc death which had ovcrtnkcn
thirty persons in night. Twenty years
ago, gentleman from Now Hampshire
visiting in Washington, naked to &c
through the house. People had been
afraid to enter the walls after the panic
The gentlemen, upon examination, i'm.
medately leased the building, threw ope'
the windows, hal the house cleansed, one
hundred and fifty loads of dirt taken from
the cellar, put one hundred Thousand
dollars worth of furniture in the hotel
and WAS called crazy by hs friends. II
December every corner was filled b,
guests, and the quaint, low rooms, where
had danced the bellies of a quarter of +,
century before, were again filled with life
and beauty