The Portland daily press., 1881-12-06

I
| During the past week have been securing
| Old Virginia, starting in at the mouth of the
| Rsppahannock River and ascending it, and
then going by Fredericksburg to Washington,
thence to Harper's Ferry, and up the Shenan-
doah Valley to Staunton, next to the White
| Sulphur Springs and the Natural Bridge, and
here at Richmond sit down to relate my visit
last Thursday, October 13, to Garrett's farm,
where Wilkes Booth died in 1865 60
| left Baltimore at five o'clock in the even
| ing, entered the mouth of the Rappahannock
at daylight, and, after making about twenty
five landings at different wharves on the river,
stepped ashore at Port Royal, Caroline County
where found the wharf broken, and complet'
ed the landing with boat
A young Virginian who was also belated in
the night, informed me that although there
was no hotel in Port Royal he could show me a
house to lodge. We passed up ravine, in
which was lane between some old houses, to
| a plateau some thirty or forty feet above the
water, perfectly fat and there lay the old town
| of Port Royal on dead level; they say it was
started the same year as Philadelphia, which
makes it about two hundred years old In the
bright moonlight I discovered several broad
streets, almost like green pastures and abund-
ant shade trees in the numerous gardens, which
extended in the rear of the old decrepid Chin
ney braced residences. Not dog barked in
the night. We walked on the soft grass
through two or three streets until we came to a
gate, beyond which was door, and there my
guide raped with "Hallo Mr.. Bowiel'
| A man was heard moving inside; he eau
| tiously came to the door and asked who was
there? "a friend, - calculated the outsider, add
| ing sits me, Moody!' The bolts were then
withdrawn, a thin man of no warlike appear
| ance stuck out his head and then his hand, and
| led us up the stairs to a large room with bare
floor and long wainscot line running around
| about four feet from the floor. Not piece of
| carpet or oilcloth was jim the whole venerable
house. The furniture was old, but the room
was well pointed and squared, as If the masons
OF more than one hundred years ago had done
very honest days work.
Preferring to have separate cha mber was
| taken into another part of the old house, to q
room lighted from without by one very small
window, near the ceiling, and another half
way up from the floor. Both had numerous lit
tie window panes, so carefully puttied in that
the panes hardly looked as thick as the solder
ing. There was left with an oil lamp and
feather bed and soon dropped asleep.
At daylight, or little after six o'clock, l
started out into Port Royal, and bent my way
to the river bank, that might see the famous
ferry over which Booth and Harold crossed
week after the murder of President Lincoln
Tue Reppahannock at this point is much more
of a river than I had expected, being short
half mile wide, and man could not be recog-
nized on the opposite shore.
A strip of sand, almost wide enough to be
beach, goes along the water side, ane the grass
meets it half way from the foot OF the clay
bluffs These bluffs are carpeted with very
green grass and present an agreeable DUN
promenade along most Of the front OF Fort
Royal.
Below me, working at the lumber and YES
sells nthe river were group OF negroes, VINO
seemed startled to see q strange man apparent
ly making pictures on the top OF the pluH. L
sent one of these mile from the ferry 10 get
me a carriage to drive toward Bowling Green
later In the day.
The next thing observed was ferryboat al
most identical in size and appearance with cnat
which brought over the two conspirators and a
group of Confederates with their horses, VINO
All these ferryboats on the Virginia rivers
were perfectly fat at the bottom, having gun
vale not more than one foot hign, Wnlie the
ends of the scow slope up at very low angle
They generally scull these boats, though some
times they pull them with oars. They look
little dangerous but occasions are rare when
they are upset.
The Rappahannock has slightly discolored,
grayish blue color, and is a tidal river at Port
Royal, though the tide rises and falls with con-
siderable current.
Port Conway, on the opposit shore, is nothing
but a group of five or six white washed houses
on each side OF road descending the hill to the
wharf and ferry.
the ferry cluster is a considerable house stand
ing out in upland fields and lawns, surrounded
by shade trees, fruits and garden. Inc es-
tate on the right is called Walsingham and
belongs to George Turner; that on the left is
Bell Grove, and belongs to Mrs. Carrie Turner
Considerably further to the rights WoodlaWn,
the property of Richard Turner.
If these river banks were not very hot IN
Summer and often malarious In the Fall.
estates like the above would make delightful
residences. They were the paradise OF Virgin
ia Shareholders and planters thirty years ago:
Almost adj lning the town to the east lived
the celebrated ''John Taylor OF Caroline. as
he was called to distinguish him from John
Taylor of Mount Airy, in Richmond County,
thirty miles lower down the river. John lay
lor had nothing to recommend him but MS
wealth, and he left his son, who was on WASH
ington's staff at Yorktown, the richest planter
in Virginia, and sent him to Cambridge, Eng
land.
John Taylor of Caroline, as he called him.
self, though he might have been called John
Taylor, of Port Royal was publisher OF many
books on partisan politics still to be fouud, and
statesman of the Jeffersonian ideas and is so
mentioned in one OF the eally chapters IN
Colonel Benton's "Thirty Years."
He is the only public man OF much dlstlnc-
ton who lived between the Rappahannock and
the York rivers, except Judge Edward Fen
dleton.
went down to the ferry, which is rented by
its owners to professional ferryman, named
Rollins, who is a cripple from hard work and
exposure in the war, and his son, little fellow
about ten years old, rowed me to Port Conway
Two boys, ten to twelve years old apiece, op-
crate this ferry. One OF them Sufhces to ia ke
passengers across in the boat and the twain will
scull across against the tide carriage or wagon
and horses Rollins has brought up these
little boys TO work; they take to 1t with cheer
fulness.
When Booth and Harold crossed here, the
ferry was owned by man named Champ
Thornton, still living and storekeeper, who
rented it out to two negroes named Bill Scar
les and Jim Thornton. Searles is still living
at Port Royal, and is an old man and a
cripple. Thornton has gone to Baltimore TO
live.
A quantity of wood, railroad ties and heavy
lumber is piled around the other landing at
Port Conway. The inhabited houses and q
long, ancient store house of brick and timber
make a cluster at the edge Of the river, and
there is one shop in the center and another
| dwelling house just behind. All these houses
| show signs of former style in building. Going
| up the road another house is passed on the
| left and two more beyond it, substantial dwell
ings perhaps 100 years old, in one of which lives
| DR.. Jett, a relative of the Confederate soldier
who assisted Booth and Harold across the river,
and afterwards lent Booth his horse to ride, all
| crippled as he was, to the Garrett farm. Be-
| yond these houses is a brick church with large
| cross on the top of it. The church was here in
Booths time, but since then has been newly
| encased in brick.
Just above it, the gate turns into Bell Grove
| to the west, and there the road runs east,
| little way parallel to the river, until at the
gate of Walsingham it again bends by right
angle to the north and goes straight across the
country At the short turn of the road once
stood the mansion in which James Madison,
| President of the United States, was born. Not
| a brick or stone remains of it now, bat there
seems to be depression or cellar in the field
which may have been under that or some sub
sequent house. 1t is surprising how human
memory or attention fails on subjects coming
Immediately under it, If there has been no