Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-12-12
HISTORICAL RELICS.
Some of Those on View 1T the State
Department.


Though visitors seldom enter it, the
library of the state department con-
tains some Of the most valuable his
toric relics IN the possession of the
government. Here is kept the origin
al draft of the declaration of indie
pendence, and there has been added
within the past few years the identical
desk upon which Jefferson wrote it.
Jefferson's desk is small mahogany
boxlik writing desk about eighteen
inches thick. One might easily take
it on his lap to use it, but it was prob
ably laid upon the table while the
declaration was penned upon IT. 1t
has series of small compartments on
one side for pens and writing material,
and when opened it's top is covered
with green baize. Pasted upon one of
its inner leaves is noe in Jeaersan's
own hand writing, dated at Monticello.
in which he says the desk was made
by q Philadelp hia carpenter, and that
it was the one on which be wrote the
declaration. This note closes with
the following sentence: Politics as
well as religion has its superstitions !;
these gaining strength with time,
may one day give imaginary value to
this relic for its associations WITH the
the birth of the great charter of our
independence"
In the same case containing this
desk, on the shelf above it, lie the
staff of Benjamin Franklin and the
swords of Washington and Jackson.
Benjamin Franklin'S cane is a thick
gold headed stick of knotted crab
tree. 1t is painted black, highly pol
ished, and on its end it has a brass
ferule. Its head is designed, as says
Jefferson's will, in the form of a cap
of liberty, and its gold is very yellow
and shows but little alloy. This cane
supported Franklin during his last
years upon all state occasions, and
when he died he willed it to Washing
ton, saying, eff it were scepter,
General Washington has merited it,
and would become it." Washington
priced it highly, and at his death he
willed it to his nephew, Charles
Washington, and the grandson of
Charles Washington gave it to the
United States.
George Washington sword. sho wn
here, is the one which he wore when
a Colonel, and the one which hung
at his side throughout the Revolution.
1t is not hashy article, and there is
no glitter of gold about it. but its
edge looks very sharp, and its blade,
slightly furnished, not over an inch
wide, was evidently made to do good
service. Its sheath and belt lie beside
it. This belt is of yellow buckskin,
the plain silver clasp of which is
marked with the letters &c. W." and
the sheath is of dark leather. Wash
ington mentions this sword in his
will, in which he gives one to each of
his nephews, with the request that
they he not unsheathed except for
self defense and the defense of their
country ana ITS rights" Andrew
Jackson's sword is very expensive
article. 1t will weigh twice that of
Washington, and it has a heavy gold
handle, and its sheath is of gold and
steel. Its wide blade, slightly curving,
shines like mirror, and at the mid
die it shows the evidences of having
been broken in two and welded to-
gether again. Its sheath is somewhat
scratched, and it has evidestly been
pretty well used.
Another curiosity in this room is
"a immense she'll or torpedo from six
to eight inches in diameter aud over a
fost long, which Elihu Washburne,,
our Minister at Paris, picked up dur
ing the bombardment of Paris and
sent to the State Department as a
relic. 1t is a murderous-lookin e
shell, and its description says it was
thrown into the city during the siege.
Just below this, in box about two
feet wide and three feet long, is a
plaster cast of one of the first treaties
on record. 1t is copy of the treaty
between the Athenian and the Chal-
cideans, made 44S years before Christ,
when Socrates was % years old and
Pericles was in his prime. The
original of this was engraved on a
slab of Pentalsc marble found in tae
south wall of the Acropolis at
Athens.