National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-03-12
AN oLpEN-TIME INCIDENT.
| Bringing Cattle TO NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
i'm the Smithsonian Grounds.

Bringing Cattle TO yvashington-Feedins
in the Smithsonian Grounds.
That grand old country in the Shenan-
doah Valley, drained OH one side by the waters OF
the Potomac and on the other by those of the
James, boasts of the tallest mountain within the
limits of the Old Dominion, on whose east and
west sides the tiny rvuets run into each OF those
streams. Its name might be found graved on
large block of limestone lying at the corner OF one
of the streets offs county town. on its face, turned
toward wall, and bearing, besides, the memorable
language of the Father of His Country in the dark
est hours of the Revolution at Valley Forge, when
he said, " Leave me but a standard, give me but
the means of planting it on the mountains OF"
&c. Well Mr.. Editor, that block, in ante-war
times, was gotten ont of one of its quarres by the
patriotism of its people donation TO the wash
ington Monument of this city. This inscription
they feigned to hope would be read by coming
generations as they assembled on the inside to the
top of the Monument. Alas for their expectations
like others, we doubt not, INDUCED in, 1t may De-
in other sections of the Union to this moment, and
we will not speculate as to how far in the future,
ere they are realized.
But to our story. A few years-three or four-be-
fore the erection of the noble monument to sci
ence that is the boast ofyourciy the Smithsonian,
three young men from the county referred to met
in the city of Richmond. Each of them had
driven there the cattle of the summers grazing
that had been fed to mid-winter. The market was
found in crowded condition, and prices de-
pressed. As much with a view to a frolic and see
ing the world one of them, the writer, suggested
the purchase of additional cattle and TO seek the
city of Baltimore as their mart. 1t was cheerfuny
acquiesced in. They had encountered a singular
specimen of the geaus homo in dwarf from an adj
i0i fba
of stout man, had legs of half the ordinary
length. Being good natured, he served as butt
for their fun, and having reached Richmond as q
drover Ofone of the parcels of cattle they bought,
he cheerfully entered their service in the same ca
pacity. Their route from Richmond lay
Immediately through that section of coun-
try every foot of which was made classic by
the events of the war. They crossed the Chicka-
hominy very near if not at the exact spot rendered
memorabilia very many of Jackson's corps by this
incident. He wanted bridge thrown across in
the shortest imaginable space of time and directed
his engineers TO prepare specifications Major Clai-
borne r. Mason who shoveled the first spade of
earth on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, at
Hanover Junction, wheni was begun as the Louisa
Court House Railroad and drove the last spike al
Huntington, and who now, over eighty, is a large
contractor on the Richmond and Allegheny Rail
road, asked the detail of a thousand men, went
into neighboring thieket of old-eld pine, and in
two hours finished the bridge. Being summoned
10 General Jacksons headquarters, the General,
who had great fondness for him, asked about the
bridge. General says the Major, " the pictcrS"
meaning the specifications" are not done, but
the bridge is finished
Many "a time on the drive through Caroline,
Spottsylvania, &C., would an old hare jump up
and frighten and sometimes stampede the cattle,
bringing to mind by the momentary excitement
the same scene often produced III camp; so that
the accustomed shout was at once always attrib
uted TO one of two cause.-the sight of Old Stone
wall or q rabbit
They passed many points memorable in the
carly history of the Old Dominion, but we will
only refer to one, when the writer left his COM
paniOns and the drove and rode near mile out of
his way 10 visit that venerable pile Pohick
Church, four miles from Mt. Vernon, in which
General Washington wOrshiped. He drove
flock of sheep out that were shetering in the cool
shade Oh the tessellated floor. The door of Gen
eral Washington's pew also those of the pews of
several others of its distinguished occupants, had
been carried of. The roof was falling in; but we
are happy to say the church has since been
repaired. We presently reached your city, cross
ing the Long Bridge. The weather had been soft,
and with much rain there was much mud. The
then extensive and beautiful grounds, now COW
cred by the Smithsonian Institute and Agricul-
tural Department buildings, with its fine, clean,
grassy sod, made a tempting spot on which to feed
our tired drove, insuring their getting full benefit
ofth husked contour only feed-and as eX-
perience had taught us, greatly wasted because of
the muddy ground OH which to feed. There was
no enclosure but, trusting to their fatigue and,
might say, instinct, in having clean, nice bed,
we left them for the night, sought neighbor-
ing hostelrie, and made ourselves and tired
equines comfortable. Supper over, Booth or
Macready tempted us to enter the theatre
The play over, between eleven and twelve
p. m. the writer, who was the Judas of the
party carried the bag and settled the bills
was jostled Intentionally by pickpoeket in de-
seending the steps, and, throwing out his hands
to the wall to prevent fall the thief got not his
purse, but his memorandum book, containing the
the bills, &c. with few dollars. This was indis-
pensable to us in a settlement Returning to the
hotel, we found wide semi circle of twenty to
thirty around the blazing fire. Presently trav-
eler came in, and, taking his seat got into CONVEX
sation with his nearest neighbor. when in few
minutes we heard him say that in crossing the
Long Bridge he met string of cattle, one behind
another, the front file near the toll gate some dis
lance from the bridge the west side and the last
of the drove on this side, so that it was more than
a mile in length. We nudged each other, but said
nothing. Presently, on retiring, it was arranged
writer should advertise his memorandum book
no questions asked. The other trio were to pursue
the cattle The book was recovered, and luckily
Baltimore. THE SURVIVOR.