Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-02-04
Traditions Of washIngtos.

A tourist recently said | have spent
much time recently in the graSS-g grown
streets of Alexandria, Va, chatting
with the Old citizens about George
Washington, and gathering together
such Traditions of him Us have come
down to them from their fathers. Mr.
William Carne, the youngest man
talked with, was perhaps 30 years old.
lie Is newspaper correspondent and
literateur, and he has for years been
Interested III gathering traditions OF
Washington.
Mr.. Carne said: ''the last of the old
men who knew Washington personally
passed away about twenty years ago,
and 1t Is very late To attempt 10 get au-
thentic Information about him. | was
born In Alexandria, and | have been
engaged all my life i'll studying Wash
ington's character, and have talked
with all the old citizens of Alexandria
for the past thirty years and more in re-
gard TO him. L knew George Washing
ton Custis, and remember him as
coming here every 22d of February and
on the Fourth of July. He would take
his stand on the steps of the City hotel
and would begin to address the crowd
on the greatness of Washington and
to tell them anecdotes and gossip con-
corning him. have made an especial
study of Warrington rs young man.
The traditions of Alexandria represent
him as very proper young fellow, six
feet tall, rather stately in carriage and
very fond of horses. He liked to try
hn. "a Ea Aatrfpfr
single day he rode ten different horses
into Alexandria. Every one tells me
that he made a 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 great deal as i
young man, and to have been very foEd
of balls. have 10 doubt that he danced
somewhat, but | do not think he ever
unbent himself to any extent.
1.-The dance of ante-revOlution days
MAS far different from the yOluptuOus
waltz and the fantastic german of the
present The minuet, for instance, Is
more like funeral tread than ball
room skip, and Washington could easily
move through this without appearing
anything but emlnently respectable.
have no doubt that he drank glass of
wine or whisky now and then, as was
the custom in those days, but | don't
think he ever fTequented the tavernS or
gOSsiped at the grOggerieS. As TO his
relations with women, III all my talks
with those who have known him | have
never found reason to believe that he
did anything improper.
''As to his circumstances as young
man, they were rather poor, and he
learned habits of business which stood
him well in later years. He did not be
gin TO make money until he became a
surveyor, and then he made 1t very fast,
earning So a day. He had plenty
of chances for speculation, and among
other things he bought two lots IN AL
exandria. On one of these he built an
office and to this he came every day
during part of his life to do his busi-
ness here. lie never lived at AleXaIi-
dria, but rode up from Mount Vernon
An old gentleman whom | met above
the BraddOck hotel, told me he had for
years heard George Washington Custis
talk of his adopted father. said he:
"CusIis looked uD TO Washington as a
god. He described him rs straight as
AN American Indian, and as free in his
walk as the savage. From the stories
| have heard of Washington, | have
tried to picture him in my minds eye.
He was tall man, padded with muscle,
He was six feet two inches in shoes,
and he weighed 2l0 pounds III his prime.
He wore about No. IL shoes, AMI had
gloves three times as large as the aver
age. His hands were so large they were
a curiosity and his whole frame WAS
bOny and large jOinted. lie had broad
chest, but not full one. IL WAS rather
hollow, and he WAS troubled in his last
days with cough. His mouth was
firm, and his lower jaw gripped the
other with determined grip. In later
years he lost his teeth, and the false
ones he got did not lit well, and pushed
out his lower lip. He had eyes of cold,
light gray, which could look stern and
angry upon occasion, and which seldom
smiled. He was as wide at the hips as
at the shoulders, and kept his straight
ness of statue to the last. He had large
legs and was a good rider and runner.
Il Oll lllC StNAA VI Llo Nbll-
derful strength of arm, and how he
threw stones wide distances. His nose
WAS rather thick and coarse. | have
never heard that it had blossom on it,
"He was rather faStidiouS Is to his
dress, though he wore plain clothes
when not on military duty. He always
shaved himself. but had a servant To
comb and tie his hair every morning.
| have heard Mr.. Custis,say that he rOSe
very early at Mount Vernon, often be-
fore daybreak, and as early as a. III.
He would. at sunrise, go to the stables
and look at his bloOded horses. When
he came back he had light breakfast
of corn cakes, honey, and tea, or some
thing of that sort, and then he ate moth
ing more until dinner. | am speaking
of his later years. After breakfast he
rode over his estate, and at 5 had re-
turned and was dressed for dinner.
Dinner was big meal at Mount Yer
non, and Washington ate nothing after
it. lie usually drank tive glasses of
Madeira wine at desert, but | have
never heard of his being drunk. He
was not opposed to the moderate use of
liquor, aud when he was first elected to
the house of burgeSseS of Virginia,
among the items of his election eXpen-
ses were a hOgshead and t barrel of
whisky, thirty-tiye gallons of wine, and
forty-three gallons of beer. In the Nir-
ginia house he did not cut great figure.
He was not much of speaker. but he
was popular, OF he could not have held
his place for fifteen years as he did.
have understood that he treated his
slaves very well, but that he made them
work and would allow no fOolishness
among them. Washington liked the
theatre, and he was fond of dancing in
early life."
Cure for TattIers.