Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-02-21

handsome men for other purposes than heroic
| endeavor. But in military costume he was a
| splendid figure, such as would impress the men,
DRY ever afterwards The first time was ever
brought In contact with the great hero was
| as have related to you before. 1t was under
| the most unfayorabie circumstances, as the wea-
ther was bitterly cold, and fierce s wind IVA, was
nose, and IL was very red that day, giving me
the impression that he was not SO moderate in
his use of liquors as he was supposed to be: /
| found afterwards that this was popularity.
His nose was apt to turn scarlet in cold wind
He was standing near small camp fire,
no effort To keep warm. He seemed
six feet and a-half in height, and was as erect as
| an Indian. and did not for moment relax from
| a military attitude. Washington's exact height
| was six feet two inches in his boots. He was
a tree. His eye was 50 gray that it looked
almost white, and he had troubled look on
| his colorless face: He had piece of wooden
tied around his throat, and was: quite hoarse;
| Perhaps the throat trouble from which he died
had its origin about that timer
SIZE AND STRENGTH.
| "Washingtops boots were enormous They
were No. 13. His ordinary walking shoes were
No. IL. His hands were large in proportion,
| and he could not buy glove to fit him, and had
| to have his gloves made to order. His mouth
| was his strong feature, the lips being always
tightly. compressed. That day they We're COM
pressed so tightly as TO be painful to look at. At
| that time he weighed 200 pounds, and there
| was no surplus flesh about him. He was ire
| mendously muscied. and the fame of his great
| strength was everywhere His huge tent when
| wrapped up with the poles was so heavy that it
| required two men to place it in the camp
| wagon. Washington could lift it with one
| hand. and throw it in the wagon as easily as If
| 1t were a pair of saddle-bagS. He could hold a
musket with one hand and shoot with precision
as easily as other men did with a horse-pistol.
| His lungs We're his weak point and there he was
| never strong. He was at that time III the prime
OF life. His hair was Il chestnut brown, his
| cheeks were prominent and his head was not
| large, in contrast to every other part Of his
| body, which seemed large and bony at all
points. His finger joints and wrists were SO
| large as to be genuine curiosities. As to his
| habits at that period found out much that
| might be interesting.
APPETITE AND HABITS.
| "Ie was an enormous eater, but was content
| with bread and butter, If he could get plenty of
it. But hunger seemed to put him in rage. 1t
| was his custom to take a drink of rum or
| whisky on awaking in the morning. OF course
all this was changed when he grew old. saw
| him at Alexandria a year before he died. His
| hair was very gray, and his form was slightly
bent. His chest was very thin. He had false
| lip outward. believe he drank much more in
old age. He had whisky in the morning, and
at dinner two bottles of Madeira wine. He was
| a great lover Of fine wines and fine horses"
AS sLAvE-owNER.
| In these days of universal freedom it may be
| Interesting to know how Washington treated
his slaves. Some valuable Information on this
point is given by Josiah Quincy. an old man of
| &,
Maryland side of the Potomac While youth
| Quincy lived many years with the Gusts fam
| lily, and personally knew a number OF slaves
| that had belonged to Washington.
| "Washington did not own slaves for pleasure"
said Mr.. Quincy. HE made them work, tell
morning they must have a good reason for it.
! Mr.. Gusts often said that Cen Washington
could get more work out of a negro than any
| man. He would not overwork them, and he
| would not let them be punished if they did not
himself, but he would knock one down with his
| fist. One of his slaves, named Sam, whom l
knew, had a cut on his check which he said his
| master put there. The general caught sam
riding one of his fine horses one day, and he
gave him a blow which sam never forgot
| Washington taught his slaves to be religious
and would not separate families. He often Wis
| tied the sick at their cabins. All his slaves
loved him. Though strict he was kind-heart-
Mr.. Quincy says that as late as few years
ago q colored man known as Jim Washington,
who was born the slave of Washington, in 1g1
| was living near Culpepper Court House, and he
| thinks the old man may be still alive.
| WASHINGTON IN ALEXANDRIA.
| Alexandria was Washingtons business place
| for years. He lived at Mount Vernon, only
nine miles away, and his marketing, buying
| and general business was done at Alexandria,
| He voted there. He had little office built on
| a lot which he bought when he was a young
| was torn down. Alexandria was, in fact, his
nearest town, and here he came to dance at the
| hotel parties, trade at the stores, and to tax
politics on the street corners.
| A correspondent of the Cleveland Leader re-
Gently published an interview with Mr.. William
| Carne, of Alexandria, who said The last { ! .
| old men who remembered Washington pc son
| ally passed away about 20 years ago He w"ul-
| take his stand on the steps at the City II, tel
and would begin to address the crowd on ne
| greatness of Washington and tell them aney-
| dotes and gossip concerning him. have made
| a special study of Washington as q young man.
The traditions of Alexandra represent him as
| very proper young fellow, six feet TALL rather
stately in carriage, and exceedingly fond of Of
| said that during single day he rode ten differ
ent horses into Alexandria. Every one tells
me he made fine-looking figure on horseback.
He sat straight and had thorough command of
| his steed. This straightness he kept until the
! last He is said to have danced good deal
| balls.
AS to his circumstances as young man, they
were rather poor, and he learned habits of bust
ness which stood him well in later years. He
| did not begin to make money until he became
a surveyor, and then he made it very fast, earn
| ing twenty-five dollars q day. AS to his busi-
ness contracts, believe he was very liberal in
| making a contract, but he was very rigid in ex-
acting its fulfillment. He wanted everything
| set down in the agreement, and have seen a
| contract of his employing an Overseer in which
| he stipulates that the overSeer shall have the
probably knew the man well enough to know
that he would get drunk anyhow, and not wish
| stipulation in his contract"
"Have you heard anything of his relations
| with his wife?''
Nothing, save that they were of the most
amicable nature. His marriage, you know,
was case of love at first sight, and in Of the
few love letters which now exists of those he
wrote her after his marriage, he speaks very
| tenderly of her, and addresses her as My Dear
| Patsy Mr.. Gusts said Washington wore his
| wife's picture in a locket tied around his neck
| to the day of his DEATH He managed most OF
| the details of the house himself, and during his
| life took most of the care off Mrs. Washington
| shoulders. Martha Washington was however,
| thoroughly domestic. She prided herself on
| her knitting and spinning, and when her hus-
| band was inaugurated as the first President,
the suit he wore had been made by his own SER
wants at Mount Vernon. Mrs. Washington
wove many of her own dresses, and there are
| two spoken of which were made Of cotton, with
silk stripes of red and brown, The silk came
from the ravelings of brown silk stockings and
WORKOUT chair covers of red silk. 1t is said by
some that Mrs. Washington became insane be-
fore she did, but do not think this is SO. 1t is
| true she shut herself up alone in room, and
| remained there until her death, but you must
! remember she was an old woman, and there is
| a wide difference between the crankiness of age
| and insanity. 1t is possible she may have been
| parsimonious, as is charged, but there are no
| traditions to that effect"
| The Old COntlnentals.
| The following lines, published anonymously
many years ago and included in the volume OF
| "Poems of New England" edited by H. w.
| Longfellow, are printed as appropriate to this