River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-05-27
FREDDOUGLAS ATHONIE.

AAOAo MUST llc ives III 4 FespeClaBto
mansion. Having been an industrious
and mcthodical man. aware of the val
ne of money, he has saved his earnings.
whether procured 10y authorship, or
lecturing or manual labor, or office
holding, and his residence at Anacos-
tia, or Unioatown, is the best house
there. 1t commands a beautiful view
of the city of Washington. and of the
broad rivers which form the bounda-
ries 81 Washington and meet at its Ar
seEdl Point. Under his eve lies the
whole city, the monument, the dome of
the Capitol, the Navy Yard, near aud
far buildings, and the rolling blue
heights Of Maryland and Virginia. In
the rear of the house is a good, large
stable. and the eltbuildingS show at
tention to comfort and even luxury. |
might suppose tina this property. as it
stands in no part oularlv stylish por-
ton of WaShingt on CITY, was worth
Sl2, 600 to SO, 001 The house itself is
rather of the Sou .horn character. built
think. of brick OF stone, with door
in the middle 81 q a porch III front, and
pediment ovel the middle % the edi-
fee. Ringing the door-bell, a woman
of brown tint came to the door and said
that Mr. Douglass was within. We
entered aud hung our hats and coats
upon the hat-rack and turned TO the
right. The house consists. perhaps, of
four rooms on this lower or main floor,
with no less number of rooms above.
To the left of the hail is the narlor
l1G q
lass library. To the right is the sit
ting-rOom; l suppose the dining-room
may be behind it.
The old gentleman, whose age.
think, is seventy-SiX. received us both
with mixture of Christian kindness
and pleasant dignity, which made me
think, as | sat near him for some time,
that he looked like the King of NADIA
gascar or some land we have dimly
heard of where the white mans inter
course has not propagated seliishness
and greed. He Is a large man. cast in
the mould Of a man of command and
affairs; his hair is now Of gravish
white and is carefully combed and
worn somewhat long. 1t falls back
upon his broad shoulders. His fore
head is not very high nor vet very
/ prominent, but rather subordinate to
! the general health in his face and
! body. He has long nose, Slightly re-
tTousse, but with nostrils open and
/ taking in things. His chin and Jaws
are rather firm aud rs he speaks he
rather inhaleS and smiles, aud thus
conveys something of an impression of
nervous earnestness. Although he is
L =. LIS /
/ him is probably the most vigorous
element. His eye is dark and gleam-
/ ing and bespeaks another and hotter
/ land.
When / entered the house with Mr.
/ GOrham he introduced US carefully To
+ the different persons therc-quite a
little party. We had gone to see him
/ without invitation, and therefore broke
/ in upon his ordinary sunday family
/ circle. There We're three white ladies
present, one OF when was Mrs
4 Douglass. The other ladies heard,
I the conversation smiled ailably. but
+ made few or no remarks Mrs.
Douglass is a lady of tail form, well
made, but neither stout nor thin.
! her complexion IS a little reddish She
/ gives YOU the idea somewhat of a
woman who had been the matron OF
superintendent of some philaathropic
institution in which charity PLAYS the
principal part. She dresses herself
/ plainly and modestly, land in the inter
course of the family shows the sub
ordination of a younger person TO her
/ husband. She speaks of him is MIR.
Douglass watches aud hears what he
J., nj haf 4
been talking to him, perhaps, fifteen
minutes before She made any remarks,
when. i'm some matter Of the
"reminiscences OF his slave life. She
called his attention To an interesting
matter he had omitted. Further ON
she said. "Gentlemcn as YOU are
friends of Mr.. Douglass, will YOU let
me have have your autograph and
/ led the way to his library. She has
/ nair of a dark brown tint, and there is
a mixture of the New England woman
and the Western woman about
her, which gives YOU the idea
of the wife of some man
whose purposes were above mere com
fort, but who had executed and nearly
finished his mission He did not say
much to her in the talk. The other
white ladies present were near the mid
die age, and, / suppose, might be rel
atives of Mrs. Douglass. A handsome
granddaughter of the ex-Marshal was
there, with soft eyes and soft, warmly
tinted face, very neatly dressed. After
we had been waiting half an hour, she
said that she had TO drive to Mount
Pleasant in her little phacton, and came
up and kissed her grandfather, her
daughter, as | supposed il was, also
came up and kissed him rev
erently. The old man aow has four
living generations about him.
His library would be quite
a creditable one for the editor of a
newspaper or ordinary literary man.
All over his louise are the indications
of gratitude to the white men who sup
ported the cause of the African race
Garrison and Lundy and Thaddeus
Stevens and Sumner and others occupy
places on the wall The house is as
carefully furnished and is fully as re-
spectacle as any white mans home.
II is a remarkable exhibition Of our
comparatively new times that right at
the city Of Washington, in the midst of
fine landscapes, should have come to
settle this man. who more than fifty
years ago. with his life in his hand,
undertook to establish himself and
procure some of the benefits of ciyiliza-
ton