The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-19
THADDEUS STEVENS.
The Old Residence at Lancaster and Some
of Its Interesting "Reminiscences.


as we sat to-day in the library-room of
Thaddeus Stevens's old Lancaster home No.
45 South Queen street. The appearance of
both house and housekeeper evince the
flight of time. and, while BARRIERS pole now
stands sentinel at the entrance of the old
Commoners law Office and a wooden Indian
dressed in war-paint and decorated with
tobacco leaves tells the story of the bachelor
statesmans parlor, advancing age has
wrinkled the face and whitened the hair of
the once handsome and yet prepossessing
quadroon woman who for twenty-four years
managed the domestic affairs of Thaddeus
Stevens. She now owns this place, as well
as two other dwelling-houses in this city and
some property in Washington, where she
lives and keeps clearinghouse, adjoining
the Ebbitt House. She pays frequent visits
to this city and has two rooms-the library
and the bedroom of Mr.. Stevens-reserved
for her own use.
st is stated, in a recently published book,
that Mr.. Stevens rescued me from slavery"
said Mrs. Smith, "but that is not true for [
was born in Adams county, in the very house
that Jimmy Buchanan's father first went
to when he landed in this country, the house
where lived the friend of his boyhood,
the search for a home and fortune in the
new world but Mr.. Stevens did have
housekeeper whom he rescued from slave
catcher, and I'll tell you about her. 1t seems
that a colored girl named Keziah ran off from
a Mr. Shannon, of Shippensburg made her
way to Gettysburg and there got work in the
hosiery kept by James McCleery, on Cham
bersburg street Presently Shannon put in
an appearance and claimed Kezah as his prop
erty. McCleery fastened to consult Thaddeus
Stevens, then rising young lawyer in
Gettysburg. When the case came to hear
ing Stevens arose in court and asked Shan
non, What is the age of this grip
'Thirty-one years. Don't you know that
having reached the age of twenty-eight years.
she is, under the law OF $780, free woman?
Shannon didn't know it. but the court did.
Keziah soon followed the McCleerys to West
minister, Md, where she married a mulatto
named Ephraim Wolrich whose father, get
ting into financial difficulty, put his son on
the auction block. Twice Kezah walked
from Westminster to Gettysburg and begged
Stevens to buy her husband. Her entreaties
prevailed, Ephraim indentured himself to
work for Stevens seven years, the considera-
ton being 800 per annum and clothing,
but within year he went 10 the bad.
Stevens was compelled to turn him away,
and this so distressed his faithful wife that
she hung herself in the chimney corner
on the last evening of their stay in the
house of their benefactor. Here Mrs Smiths
mother found and removed the warm body
and prompt measures revived the ebbing
vital forces. The very next night, i'll their
new home near Gettysburg poor-house, DR..
David HOrner was Instrumental in again
frustrating the miserable woman's designs
upon her own life. 'Ah,' remarked Mrs.
Smith, L have heard Mr.. Stevens say she was
the handSomeSt woman he had ever SEEM
She died a miserable DEATH Consumption
and brutal husband soon brought about
that which she had twice failed to accom-
plish In the first six months of 1887 Mrs.
Smith, then Miss Lydia O'Neill, standing at
the window of her Gettysburg home, saw car
ried to the Catholic churchyard near by wife,
husband and little boy-all but one of the
family of Stevens's first colored housekeeper
Long years after Bill, the only surviving off
spring of this unhappy alliance, sought aid
from Mr.. Stevens in Lancaster, and by him
was helped to New York city, whence he
sailed as a waiter on the great ship Central
America, that never reached port or was
heard of again."
"Mrs. Smith, it is both affirmed and de-
MED, that Stevens, just prior to his DEATH
was baptized in the Catholic faith. What
are the facts?
"Out of those very windows" was the en-
phatic reply, as she pointed to the Streets
"Mr Stevens once looked across to yonder
pump and said that he would rather 20 a
hundred miles to be administered to by one
of those pure, tender sisters whom he had
seen in Washington than to send across the
street there for all the clergymen in the
country. On the afternoon of tine day of his
death, 18th August 1868, 1 said to him.
Would you have any objections to being
baptizedP No. was his reply, and lust after
two colored men, many of whom from all
parts of the country came to the house to
pray for his recovery, had left Two hours
before his death, Sister Lauretta OReilly, of
Washington City, baptised him. And" con-
tinued Mrs. Smith, who it must be remem-
bered is a devout Catholic and herself claims
to have induced Stevens to this step, II be-
lieve he is safe in heaven to-day"
Mr.. Stevens removed to Lancaster in 1912
1t was some time after this that he heard of
the sad prostration of an old friend in York,
now lawyer, who, hard pressed by neces-
sity, diverted $500 due certain widow client
to his own uses, hoping soon to replenish his
finances. But disaster followed, and the poor
fellow was in the greatest mental distress
Stevens hunted up the woman, paid her the
$500, received her receipt and walked into
the Office of his friend. "Holloa, old boy,
you must waken up here! Don't you think
you paid that woman and have forgotten all
about it? Let me look through your papers"
disconsolate shake of the head was all the
reply vouchsafed TO this sally, but Stevens
began ransacking the pigeon-holes. Suddenly
he started up, exclaiming well, now, you're
the biggest old fool | ever heard of! Look
here, man, what's this?' and he produced
to the no less astonished than delighted law
yer the woman's receipt for $500. 1t wasn't
a great while before the York man had thrown
off his melancholy and resumed business at
the old stand. Long after his York friend
handed Mr.. Stevens a check for $500; "but,"
said he to his housekeeper when he told her
this story, 81 never could ascertain how Mr.
- found me out"
Stevens had purchased and paid for lots in
the Lancaster" cemetery before he knew that
its charter limited its tenants to those in
whose veins ran no African blood He then
negotiated for ground in woodward Hip
cemetery, but ascertaining that they, too,
didn't think black man good enough to
moulder to dust in their graveyard, he ex-
claimed; SIS it possible that they're set of