Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-09-04
The True story.

more News of yesterday
, Editors News-Looking over the Dali!
News OF Monday last, the 2G!h ult., perceive
, that you havo transferred to its columns com
, muucalion written by New York correspond
l cnt for the Now York Sun 10 relation to Bar
: bars Frtchc, thu heroine, whose exp otis in
. our lato civil conflict commanded the admlra
, ton and applause Of the country and which tho
genius of Whittier has embalmed 10 the rich
folds of his IMMORTAL and impassloned versa
undcr tho impression that that somewhat cX
traOrdnary story connected with the war was
not only true, but true to the letter, whereas
there is not ono word Of truth in ii or about It.
it being fabrication out Of whole CLOTH from
its noiuiency to ita elimination, as your oGIreS
pondent positively knows from his own pcrsoua
knowledge.
The writer was the nephew of Dame Bar
bara" aud the administrator appointed bv the
court to settle up the affairs of his uncle s cs
tate, Of whirh csLalc ha venerable aunt wasthe
life egaiec which fact, by necessity, brought
the nephew into frequent communication with
tho aunt. 40 that this nophoW knew every point
connected With hcr hlh and death; and he Is
both proud and happy to say that ho never
know anything to her disadvantage. She wa
an exceedingly plain old lady, and to my certain
knowledge never uttered word of politics 10
her whole life. Sho was lady Of the highest
respectahiy herself and respectfully connected,
| but she had DO part or lot in our late war be
tween the States.
! But what dora this New York correspondent
say in tho communication published by the
New York Sun, and which you havo copied
| into your 3urnnl of the 18th currcut? IhIa
correspondent says q: Flint Barbara Fiitchln
was not "A old lady, hut q beautiful maiden ct
| 30 sumincra; that ahN dnnartcd this lille Sep
| tcmbcr. 1856: that the Union lnvalids at The
| hospital in Frederick City wore ordered to at
| tend her funeral in n body that Union soldiers
| carried hDr tn til. grave that she passed. from
| ono Ct the lower rooms OF her residence up 10
tho attic window. hosting it, and from thcrn
waved UGOn lag in the taco OF "Stonewal
Jackson Al lie WAS passing by her resldenus;
| that she made defiant speech to that pr!at
Confederate hero that Aunt Frichln reslde!
with three old maids, her aunts. 10 suia!l
| brick house Gppuste the gates which led into
10 h"arital that shc IL woman Of -. al this
| herd In attending !" t.t~ -u""aa worked 4,
wounded Union soldiers in tho h0Hpltal that Sd"
l (;arbura frltchic) fell I. martyr to htrueV0tlon
| TO tie Union cauno." Ii l." bar frntu to add
here that Aunt Fritchia Was never inside OF inc
| Federal hospital. =, ~
| Those aro tho statements OF this New 1olH
cotresnondent, broad, full and oEpllct-anL
they sound like the truth untll the real truth
| ne statc,l--lnh who represents herself as beng
| in Frederick CIV AZ the time Of Dsmo Bsrts
ra's death, ocms.g here from New York
| to nurse her wounded husband, then lying
| III At the Union hospital. word DOW az
| to tic truth Of this correspondent state
mnnta of taUlA as regards our Vtnerahlc
aunt. It Is but truth TO add hero that every
one Of these facts, so called are not faod, but !"
eorH iot With the taus known to the Whole neigh
horhood, as we'll as to yonr cnrreapondont, cX
ceDtinp indeed, what this Now ork coIrcs
pOndent says ~ to her coMiug to Frederick 10
nurse her wounded husband. That portion OF
the statement have no doubt Is true, but
everything cso stated in this connection IL at
war with truth, as your correspondent Knows
! ID tho first place, Aunt Frltchlu Waa Lot
miss Of twenty two summers, but o venerable
and ycDeratod dame Of more than ninety SIX
winters. In the next place, she departed this
life December IS, l6G2-not in September,
1861 ns this yeraciOus correspondent OF the
New York Sun alleges. Nor did this venerable
dame, with the buoyanoy and elasticity OF
twcuty.twO summers, mount up to the atuc
wiudow from her sitting room below and wave
small Union flag dcisnlly in tho face 1l
"Htopcwslp Jackson Nor did this rcnowncd
Confederate hero pase by her residence at all,
but he passed out OF the city through the
"hlill" alley, so called, about three hundred
Yards above Aunt lritchic' y residence. Farther
3 more, she WAS lying 80 very Ill st the tune
Jackson with his army passed through the cltY
that she he'd lost the power ol loeomotioD; aoh
was really so helpless wthaI, that she requ'fnd
| the cid oil her attendants to raise hcr up 10
bed. -
tb;s atntcucpt Of facts, chow lily qualified thlH
ono;nnt dame yaa to pass up to the attic win
, do,2 and wave the Federal flag and to make
thc snccch put into her mouth by tho poet.
a Knt ,he most shocking misrepresentation
of lbc Now York Suns corrcspondtn ut
is founded in the fact represented hT
that corrc.pondent viz: that Aunt Fntcnlc
y Srrsidod with bevy Of old maids opposite tn;
ILosnital, when, ia point Of fact, she lived ana
We'd At No. 81 West Patrick street, nearly
mile distant from tho hCsral, and that bh
n and Miss Harriet Toner lived together III IN
Of Tritchie hoyncsttaJ, tho latter in the carach
rs tafEousnkorper and companion to the old lazy
III r 10 nrnper to conclude this article by saYin
IN ,b.t the Eritchic lioint stead 80 csed IS
lancer standiog. The great flood OF 1910 n' Q
4 ancs;tated its removal. As measure Of sHiet
.ho rity Authorities passed an ordinance
- ;dcn the stream. Your cerreapohueht W.
,har,, the mayor OF the city anu Inc "rucu.n WI u,
.Geh,t r,ha ,t"s Stream and the construction OF thos
= OF o tns iron bridges were tho most promlner
eesaht at his ,i1' mnnoipal administration. BY NJ
ao.s os;tv os therefore. the Friohic homestead ha
oesaI!ty' ,n,r ,' Your correspondent will ooi
to d.StT, hs article by stating that ho was born
9u'v shn samc n roop in tho said homestead tso r.
,Jr which This his axei aud venerable aunt depsF'e
'''s FIaying a,,i1 Published Mrs. Burnhsms article
,nattcr Of local interest and which by Il
now ~ tuII Of errors and Representations.
ha1 hana YOU will give NY article, which deh
1onta,iou nypt az to ita facts and which embIae
~. 'Le snliro truth, tho whole truth ard moth,
ns IN" n"t the truth, pIace 10 your journal, SO II
~ tho truth aud the error may DO placed 10 leS
w LIT nna nav nnutrnQlOt tho ON