Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-05-13

| 1ft
raj Gfo, together With nj one half inch, 49,.
iqrPtuGs, 1 Pas pjSnGss ;Ss and rSv Bn1ossa
"Oa the death of my laught.nI1oSne stres;' strest
dolph Lee, all tho property forty fset
the term OF her natural life, |
to my eldest grandson, G.Y BRICK
GUSTS Lee, to him aud h. ;outh Union
my said eldest grandson, ia ta,d tKnam a;nata q 20;
arms.
"My daughter, Mary .RY BRICK
privilege by this will cf doy late roof. at the
among my grandchildren; Royal street.
non altogether and every artt feet to q six
inr to Washington, and that cd BY M.
Vernon, is to remain with my q. AND
lipgton House during said daughtc vsat
at her death to my eldest grandson, y
Washington Custis Leo, and to descend from
him entire and unchanged to my latest pos
terity.
| Col, Leo, afterwards the Confederate gene.
raj. remained in the Union service till alter
Virginia passed the ordinance OF SECESSION,
when he went south, with his wife and tho rest
of his family. Under tho act ef Congress OF
June 7th, 1862 for tho collection OF direct tax.
es, and in accordance with the proclamation ct
| President Lincoln, dated January 9th, 1864,
the Arlington property was sold to tho Unltel
States for the sum of $26, 500 BY Jno. HaTx.
hurst. Giet L. Watson and A. Lawrence Fog
ter, u. S. direct tax commissioners for Virginia,
The amount of tax was but $92.Ol.
In February. 1872, Mrs. Lee, BY her coun::
sc Mr.. L. l.. Smith, of Alexandria, presented
memorial to the Senate through Senator
Johnston, ooncludlng:-
"Your petitioner, and her SOD, G. w. Custi4
| Lee, (thc owner Of the revcrsion,l ere willing
to avoid. however, all litigation on the suhIeo!,
and to have an amicablc settlement OF this mat
ter, With this in view, they now offer to tho
government CT the United States, through your
honorable bodies that upon tho receipt OF
$300,0 900 they will execute and deliver suoh ne
| cesssry releases and conycyanccs as may be ad-
judged sufficient to sanction and quiet any claim
which the government may DOW have by max
ing legal and valid title to the property.
No report was ever made on this memorial.
Mrs. Lee died in November, 1878, and George
Washington Gusts Leo took an estate in ro
maindcr in Arlington. On April 9Th, 1874.
the latter presented through Senator ohnston,
memorial making the samo proposal his
mother had submitted, and it vas referred to
the Judiciary Committee, with bill for tha
purpose, whcro it has slept since.
The former owner of the estate, Mr. Gusts
is we'll remembered by old Washin gtonlans. and
in anto. bcllum days Arlington Springs was the
resort of pleasure seekers generally. What are
now open fields, from tho river shore to the
mansion, was twenty years ago covered Will
noble old forest trees, and at the waters edge
was a beautiful grove; and spring OF line wa.
ter, always abundant, burst forth at the roota
of an old oak of large dimensions rcckoncd to
havo bocn over two hundred years Old. 50
fond was Mr.. Custis OF company, and partlou.
1~.Ix - ala ot oh
ho erected here spacious pavilion, where par.
ties were wont ito trip tho light fantastic toe."
Ec. So popular vas the place, that at tlmss,
during the summer months, there was scarcely
an ntcrmission in the occupancy These parties
usually made their wey TO Arlington by long
boats, and at one time little steamer called
tho "Ariugton Belle" did a good business in
running from near l4sh street bridge, on the
old canal to the Springs; but this was before
kidweIs meadows had been developed.
1t was seldom that party was at the
Springs that MI. Custls was not there also.
particularly about tho closo Of tho day, and
boing somewhat CT Violinist. he sometimes
gave tho young people a sample OF old timo
dancing music. MIR. Gusts never allowed
these parties to interfere with the work OF the
plantation, aud was careful no! to allow his
hands to approach the pavilion until tho days
work was done. The same wharf used as the
landing place by tho picnic parties was the
point of departure Of his market boat-a large
four cared batcau, in which market truck vas
sent to the Center market. MIR. Custls besides
managing his Arlington estate, had also Gu
his hand the responsibilities oil the Smiths
Island property but ut times at least hc Waa
not we'll satisfied with tho crops made theTs'
and often said that the hands mado hardly
thn,nsnlvnG
being his place Of abode, ho could soc daily
that it was properly worked, aud it paid much
better than the far away plantation. Ia tho
latter part Of his lif, he wrote some tor tho
press, and his "Rccollcctions OF Washington,
published from time TO timo in the old loletii'
eerccr, were quite interesting. After the deati'
or General Lngan (killcd by mob IN Bal!l
moro in lSl3), no delivered an oratIon, WhIclt
was fine effort. lie also Wroto play called
"Pocahoutas" which vas PERFORMED at the
National Theatre in 1885. Ila also cssaycd
painting, and on the walls OF Arlington were
several large paintings Of revolutionary scenes
aud portraits of Washington, but they have
disappeared, nobody knows when, where or
how carried away They were not very meri
torious ag works of art. On one OF the doors
in o panel there is yet existing some OF h'S
york-a hunting scene. As president OF tue
Society for the Promotion OF Liberty IN lreIana'
he for many years presided at It's banquets:
1t is interesting in this connection to no.lco
the fsct that the present claimant for the eststo;
q. w. Gusts Leo, is tho grandson Of Light
Horse Harry Lee, Of tho Revolution, whose
deeds in those trying days arc known to every
reader Of h.tory Light Horse Hasry yons was 1no
| Washington, First in war, frat in peace and
the hearts of his e0HG,rym9nh ans s
istic part he took during tho War Of l9l2 IN sup,
ne moi Sd5 il KnSSs n1t and 191r9yS as;y
| ihe house of the publisher, William Rind, who
had short time previously moved his paper
from Georgetown tothat city. Lee. who was \
frisnd of Kinds rushed TO his defence with suei,
reckless mpetuosity that hc rescued him, ana
two Of the mob were killed and seyors
and he for safety was taken 10 tho jail, when the
attacked that badng n Gso2sandn s0 sna ked ned
S.ther ~ If the willow Of the late Col. w. B. Ran
dolph, for many years inspector general Of tha
District militia In tho attack on the Baltimore
| ;,yi,o Of I'D wOnndau