Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-03-11
| "REMINISCENCES OF THE MARCH
TO THE SEA.
Ehe Old South CarOIinian and His
silver.


HE RECEIVERS 1T FROM THE TREASURY VAULTS
THE PICTURE OF HIS FATHER-OTHER FAMILY
RELICS. -'~
When General Sherman and his men were
marching through South Carolina, the peoples in
his path snatching up what valuables they could
md in their haste, fled in every direction.
Whenever body of soldiers are rading coun-
try, more or less pillaging and plundering take
place, no matter how strict the orders or
how well disciplined the troops. In such cir
cumstances soldier seems to think he has a
right to what he can get-and keep. General
Sherman's boys proved no exception to this
rule. While on the march one day the attention
OF an officer was attracted by a group of sol
ders disputing. Stopping to listen moment.
ne discovered that they were quarTelling over
the division of large box of captured property.
glance told him that the contents were val1l-
able and ought at once to be placed in the care
OF the government. Here men, this won't do!
This box must be sent to Washington at once"
Orders were given to that effect, and it was sent
to washington and stored away in the
DIVISION OF CAPTURED AND ABANDONED PROP
ERTY
in the War department. 1t remained there I'M
til 1865 when, with other valuables, it was
placed as special deposit in the vaults at the
posted there had no mark about them by which
they could be identified, while others were
plainly marked. Congress authorized that the
former be sold, but those that might by any
possibility be claimed by the owners were care
fully preserved. 1t is long time since that box
OF household valuables was ruthlessly snatcled
by rough soldiers from the fleeing South Caro-
hnlan. and he is now an old man. He had for
gotten all that the box contained. but remem-
bered that his family plate was there and that
1t was all marked. and that it must have been
placed in the governments care. If he could
only get the necessary authority to have his
goods returned to him he knew he could iden-
THY them After good deal of hard work and
worry on his part. private bill authorizing the
return OF such pieces of silver as cOudbe clearly
Identified as his property should be returned to
him. was at last passed by Congress. 1t was a
happy morning for him, only a few days ago,
when he made his way to the Treasury depart
ment armed with the necessary authority and
carrying a large Old-fashoned carpet-bag, in
which he intended to bring away the
LONG LOST FAMILY RELICS.
He was escorted to the vaults by officers of the
department and the articles placed before him
for identification. Yes. there they were all
plainly marked with the family name large old
fashioned silver g0blets. heavy ladies. spoons.
forks and various other articles of silver. His
eye frightened and his hand trembled as he
picked them up and carefully examined them
Turning to those who stood near ''Ah. tell
you. these were bought when money was more
plentiful than it is now" he said One by one
he dropped them into the old bag of gOOdly pro-
portions; but large as it was the sides soon be-
gan to bulge. Several hundred dollars worth
by weight was clearly identified as his property.
But what is this! 1t bears the same family
mark. but had been entirely forgotten. He
touched the spring and opened the ca e. ''Why
That is the portrait OF my father, dressed in the
uniform of a major in the British army; how
many years since looked upon his facet" stop
Old man, that must not go with the rest; it bears
your name, | know. but Congress authorized
the return Of articles of silver only" His eyes
filed with tears as he reluctantly laid the por-
trait down. A further search brought to light
numerous pieces of family jewelry some very
handsome. and all bearing the same mark, but
they had to be laid aside as they did not come
within the provisions of the act The vaults
were again locked and the old carpet bag closed
II wouldn't mind the jewery SO much if | could
only take away that portrait were the last
words OF the old nan as he took his departure.
Something About Eyattsys;le.
HOW TT GETS ITS NANE-THE IMPROVEMENT
BOOM-PARADIsE OF SPORTsMEN-TuE ANCIENT
BLADENSBURG-THE SPA.
Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR.
HYATTSyILI.E. Md. March, 1882
For the benefit of many of your host OF read
ers who may be unfamiliar with this suburban
retreat and its people, have deemed it proper
to jOt down few facts concerning the same
claiming the right of this village to be heard
through the columns of a paper so extensively
read within it's boundaries. Hyattsyille Il stu
ated on the Washington branch of the B. & O.
r. R.. about six miles from Washington and
was named after its oldest inhabitant c. c. Hy-
att, esq, most estimable gentleman. who re-
sides in large brick mansion, surrounded by
forest of shrubbery and beautiful shade trees
and situated on an emnence commanding fine
view of the country for miles around. In his
younger days Mr.. Hyatt traded extensively in
tobacco in the old village of Bladensburg a mile
or so distant; and no one visiting that ancient.
sleepy historic village, through which runs the
tail end of the Eastern Branch so shallow and
chOked up as to be scarcely nayigable at most
times for the lightest skiffs would ever dream
that wharyes and piers and warehouses once eX-
isted there and that large vessels sailed up from
the city and loaded with tobacco and other pro-
ducts OF the county, and sailed again for domes-
tic and even foreign ports; but such is really
the fact.
Like our seaside resorts and mountain re-
treats, Hyattsville has its seasons of influx and
departure of visitors. While the place as vet
beasts of no public house. there are several eX-
cellent boarding-houses here which are gener-
ally filled by the LIST of May and continue so till
the middle of October or the LIST of November
or even later, according to the opennesS of the
season. The regular summer bOarders gener-
ally arrange to be here the LIST Of May and stay
till the LIST of November. in that time using two
communication tickets. These tickets are issued
by the b. & o. Il. r. for three months at Sill SO.
emitting the holder to ride as many times as he
chooses to and from the city. This, the reader
will see. is very cheap travelling for supposing
you ride sixty times in the mOnth--and many
ride double that number of times the fare will
amount to less than seven cents trip.
MUCH CONFUSION TO TRAVELLERS
has arisen in consequence of the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad instructing their officials TO an
nOunce Bladensburg on arrival of stop trains at
this place, while their schedules speak OF the
place correctly as Hyattsyille. This place is no
more Bladensburg than it is Baltimore, and the
only excuse given by the road in answer to a |
letter Of prominent citizen of this place. pro-
testing against the practice. was that their |
books. stamps and accounts were SO arranged !
that they could not make the change at present !
This was over a month ago, and the matter has
not been corrected yet. As an illustration of |
the evil of this practice 1 may state that few |
years ago while travelling over to Baltimore on |
this road l was asked by modest young lady |
when " had arrived af no ReIav Houco how, /