Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-04-17

usual attractions the old lady was
served with summons to assist in
the onslaught Her appetite being
regular and exacting, she seldom
sent regrets. Only Il stones throw
from Kenmore there is still the same
overhangiag ledge of rocks, covering
miniature cave, where the old lady,
after bill of fare had been success
fully overcome, used to retire for a
summer nap. No more than forty
feet from the old cave, and on a
slight hillock. some two hundred
yards from Kenmore, is the Mother
Washington grave. In the center o.
it stands an unfinished base Of fun
ereal marble. With base and plinth
the monument rises about twenty
feet. Grass is growing from the top
of the structure, and rank Virginia
weeds are holding high carnival at its
feet. 1t is about twelve feet square at
its base. The marble blocks are
simply placed in position without
mortar to hold them together, and
remain in place only from specific
gravity. Not one line or letter of in
scription is there to indicate for whom
the decrepit-looking monument was
intended. And hereto hangs peculiar
tale.
Hard by, not two Feet away, and
surrounded by a substantial brick
wall five feet high, is the private
burial ground of the Gordons, who
were the commercial nabobs of this
region a century ago Outside of this
inclosure were two graves, one that
of Mrs. Washington and the other
that of an unknown colored woman.
When the people began to build
monument over Mrs. Washington
some years after her death her rest
ing place was pointed out by one of
the old citizens who attended the flu
neral After the base OF the monu-
meat, capped by pillars of rude design,
and when in fact, all but the slender
shaft had been erected, the aged citi
zen changed his mind or his memory,
and informed the managers that he
had made a mistake, and that the
monument, instead of standing, as
they supposed, over the grave of
the generals mothrr, was, in fact.
over the colorcd woman's remains.
When they went to work to remedy
this mistake by moving the monu-
meut, the able pioneer again changed
his mind or his memory, and finally
became so doubtful and dissatisfied
with himself that the managers gave
up the job IN disgust. and the .nonu-
ment has never yet been finished.
There it stands to-day, if not a
monument to the mother of Wash
ington, at least a monument to the
decay and sloth Of puolic spirit in
Virginia. Just at its feet lies a pros
trate shaft of undressed marble about
20 feet in length, meant for the capital
of the monument. The storms of
many years have swept over it, the
of many summers have rest
ed their hopeful rays upon its surface,
but no influence in Virginia has been
fund strong enough to raise it from
its degraded resting place and plapt it
on the orphaned base. The grounds
are still unkept, overrun with weeds
and thistes, surrounded with cheap
wire fencing, and furnished for the
benefit of visitors, witha tumble down
wooden stile. When inquired of as to
such backward state of affairs, the in
habitants will stiffen up and assure the
questioner that congress will finish off
the monument and keep the grounds
in repair, Congress again Unfail-
ing refuge of ingenious paupers. AS
Virginia is the sole possessor of the
remains of Mother Washington, the
state pride should be quoted low
in the market. The Old Dominion
rather likes to style herself the
mother of presidents. Any proper
feeling Of state pride would require
the bill now before congress to find
itself before the legislature Of Vir-
ginia.