National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-11-10
A MEMORABLE MANSE
AND ITS MELANCHOLY HISTORY.
How II Looks al the Present Time-Its Brilliant
Scenes In Former Days-The Provost Para
dol Tragedy-Deaths or Former Oe-
cupanls - The Clnb.

Scenes In Former Days-The Provost Para
dol Tragedy-Deaihs OF Former DC.
cupanis - The Club.
There is something akin TO melancholy
in tho sight Of crstwhile ringing walls now tenant
less Itneeds not only morbid minds to contemplate
with sadness the picture Of deserted house within
whose threshold life once presented the sunlight
and the shadow OF varied scenes Aud the feel
ings thus born Into the soul arc stronger In pro-
portion TO the fame which attaches to the vacant
domicil. Washington being the seat of Govern.
mcnt, and so cosmOpolite In It's population, should
in large degree boast such interesting social relies
In brick and stone and mortar, though the present
is not the precise time to look for them.
Dog days perhaps, when representative society
has hied away to mountain, shore, and sylvan
haunts, and but the cchoes-if even that-of its
revelrcs remain, arc best wherein to find and
properly appreciate the silent walls which knew
OF noted days. There be one now. however, of as
sociations more than ordinary. glance at which
by lHE REPUBLICANS leisure reader may instruct,
aud in some degree edify. On the southeast corner
Of Fifteenth aud II streets, facing with vacant
stare WOrmleys protenious precincts, there stands
An OLD MANSION
of brick, painted brown Its tout ensemble Is dis.
ucssinRly depressing. The glass paues in Its
windows-where the industrious small boy has
not SHE'D stone or two--look hleared aud cloudy;
again for the touch Of some active domestic hand
now vanished cObwebs have long attested across
stills aud door jams the. absence of invaders, and
over all and everything very dirty color denotes
what the cord In n front window does not say that
the house is going to tho very "demnition bow
vows" for want OF tenant. An inviting annex
at the renr, for livery purposes once upon time,
whispers Of worse things Substantial enough I'm
outward build, the unsecured doors and windows
years past to the storms wild work.
Tie flooring and other wood work Is
sadly worm brick partition has fallen, in a
measure, away; an acute Odor, not by any means
that of eau dc cologne, rervades the atmosphere,
while, to crown all, colony of wnrhliug felncs
have long made of this disnnntled stabling.p place
all elegant abode. The acres which in large dc.
gree surround the mausc whose memories will
presently be noted are not smiling acres. Not Ivy
amy means. mad and matted growth of brinrs,
weeds and thugs make up It's smaller foliage /;
while paper Leaf, pear, persimmvn, and other trees
of several heights-whercof few have nyailed
EN- Of elements on a tare to lie suddenly down,
from time to time. and die--cOmplete the sylvan
beauty Of the scene. Followers of the immortal
Guppy will not here find a salubIiuus c.-yard-
mos &C "a sons dire. TIC old house has seen
SOME BRILLIANT SCENES
and sheltered some brilliant people, us well MS
those with whom quiet worth had precedence.
The Grahams and the Buells were foremost ten.
obi sDe regime ihey S'e" SeTe Sc secl ~"
sivo yet hospi,ablc IN rare degree, IL the
terms may here be merged. nclce Of the
aged Mrs. Graham Is the wife of Major Lee,
whose spacious residence ndJOins the corner prop.
ery ON II street. Ira T. Harris, Senator from New
York; portly, bland Looking soll9n. whose face
next tenanted the premises. His mntronly wife
aud daughters were the plnks Of Episcopal pro-
priety.. One of the latter married Colonel Rlth
bun. Of the army, who was with. President Lin,
coin IN his box at Fords. Theatre OH that fatal
Good Friday night NJ Bcrthcmy, the French
Minister,
AFTEGwARD OCCUPIED THE MANSION.
lie was n batchclor OF cold, fOrbidd!ng cDun,c.
nance, but whom his few intimntcs declared to be
most pleasant ~ social iuterc3urac. More than
find the minds construction in the fRcc"--therC
was kindliness, humanity III the depth Of thi,
gcntlcman's heart which surgcd upward at sight OIL
suffering aud revealed the true man. When Pre-.
vost Paradol, his predecessor, who committed sui.
eide, was buried the writer remembers seeing
Berhcmy-to his youthful eyes II very king
among mon-
STANDING IN THE CHURCH AISLE.
at the head of the fog be-shroudcd caskct, hi,
face toward the altar, his eyes cast down, his fpa
lures set his arms stcrnly folded across his chest
and one end of the grey shawl or pluid which h,
wore thrown over his left shoulder. The impress
siyeness Of the scene was heightened by a knowl-
edge that IN so standing the Minister obeyed O
The disnsushed dead aSn the 't tears rs's sowS
gathered in his eyes and one by one stole down
his face, but he moved not an inch, remaining In
this NapoleOnic pose until the last pries,y echuc
had died away. The lonely representation of q
gay nation was doomed to one more trial of his
Intense sympathetic nature. During his residence
within these same walls, minstered 10 only by a
select body of servants the Two among them whom
he most valued died coincidently aud under cir.
cunstances at once
DISTRESSING AND MYSTERIOUS
They were found one morning. after an earl,
home coming the previous night, lying in theft
beds In The basement OF this old house, cold IN
death. There had been no sickness with them
nor symptoms of IL. The one, "a butler, was tall
gracious In manner, and black the ace of spades
the other short, dnmpy, young mulatto, was
clcverncss and vivacity combined. IL was whis
pered ut the time that middle.egcd French cook
whose face IN sober earnest would not belle the
intmation, had long had an eye on the Minister,
wine cellar; that Lewis, the butler held the key
aud that-nnyhow, an autopsy revealed poison II
the dead mems slomnchs. coroner's Jury rcn'
dercd one of those verdcts which only add to The
terrible mystery of such an event. The bodies Of
these two pleasant hammered colored men were
given proper scpultilre and there, until this dis
tant day, the matter has remained. No ghosts
whatever have since availed 'em of such grieyou,
tLkings- of to eniven with solemn tread the vigil
OF the nights.
AFTER BERrHEMY's RECALL
came the Peruvian Minister, Don Manuel Freyre
and his family. The Colonel, as he was called
made up In breadth what he somewhat lacked II
height. He was short, aud carried corporation
which told of good living and probable npOplcXy
His wife and one daughter were built on the SAINT
Fundamentally the latter, who was alsI
quite tall Both these ladies wore most klndl,
faces, and were Of winning address Anothe
daughter was as small, trim, and select u little
body as one could inaginc-the physical antipOde
Of her big sister; There was also y sol-tnll slen
der, dark, the Hamlet of the house-and young
spry attdche with l-black, curly hair. velyceCi
suit, aud jaunly hat without the feather. Thes,
Peruvian fragments of the corps dp'omdtique livet
lavishly,
GAVE CHARMING ENTERTAINMENTS,
and exercised daily In conpe or landau behind
pair OF blooded horses Well Colonel Freyre die,
suddenly In the mll of lS7S-whether of govt o
apnplexy or both combined, were not SAFE 10 say.
aud his good natured feminine type soon fullowe,
| him. Their remains lie In the vault at Noun
olivet Cemetery, awaiting transportation acros
the seattle late conflict between Chilli and PERI
lorbidding IT, This war, en- pdssaHt, has all blu
beggared the gentle widow. who Is now in Soutl
America with her surviving daughter. The for
tunes or misiortuncs or perhaps one Ind best sa
fatalities, of the big house next fell TO the custod
ofthe Metropolitan Club, a select gathering, ii
main part, ofaristocratc scions, who as yet hay
lodged the moose matrimonial and its string o
woes. These gave place after IL
MOST REFINED AND QUIET TENURE
TO our great and only National Board OF Health
TO which In times Of epidemics and things we lool
up with the confidence OF we'll worked children
An art loan exhibition, for one Of the big Episco
for awhile and nm art sale or two, manipulated b.
the genial Latimcr has also lured the lucrc from
the pockets OF covetous connossieuTs Here endetl
the first lesson. Stone peed, storm ha rrassed
even by the erstwhile janitor, Randolph, who's
| bright son Robert went down TO death within II
murky basement, the old mansc in moody, ramb
ling grandeur, survives forgelfuness, survives for
saking but still, save for these poor chronicle,
can nothing tell Of the pleasures and pains, th
doings aud deaths within its tired walis.-J b. i
| for The Republican.
European Gossip.
The gossips Of Europe are now putting
their headstogether over the whispered announce
| ment that the Princess Beatrice-Lhc Youngest q