Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-08-17

l
rance
Rcsolniionsin menoram ofihanks, tributes Of respect
resolutions adopted by societies persons unless Of
public concern, ,cH only be printed in this paper as
advertisements.
Marriage and death notices must be paid for in ad-
rance.
Prrmns Irnrinq The city can hare the Ga-ette mailed
To them, 1'osipaid, for fifty cents month, and the
| address chamgrd as often desired.
TIE Gazette Grc is connected irith the Telephone Err
chdMge. advertisements, orders for the paper,
or any information or business can be sent bv tele-
phone
Entered al the Posioce at Alexandria, Virginia, as
| srcond class matter.
The Mason and McCariy Families.
A correspondent of the Mcdowell Bugle,
of Marion, n. c., writes as follows:
Ia 1876 Armistead T. Mason, of Loudoun
county, Va, entered the Senate of the
United States-young, handsome, gifted,
wealthy, with all his family prestige about
him. He was also quick to anger and rath-
or overbeariDg When in the Senate be-
lieve he was the youngest member of that
body. His father had been United States
Senator before him, and was nephew of
the illustrious George Mason.
The McCartys were related, remotely in
blood and closely in marriage, to the Ma
sons the sister OF this Armistead T. Mason
having married William McCarty, afterward
| Il member OF the House Of Representatives.
In 1920 when Mason had been about four
years in the Senate, there arose between
him and John NJ. McCarty, the brother Of
| William, some difficulty of political nature,
| which became more and more embittered
| Dy the influence of injudicious friends, until
the usual result of such difficulties" in
those days was reached.
Mason had young and devoted wife with
one child, pretty little bog but few
months old. Their home was called Selma,
in the county of Loudouu John M. Nc.
Carly was q brilliant young lawyer of the
same county, and he was soon to be married
to the lovely Lucinda Lee. When about to
start for the field of honor Meson persuaded
his unsuspectng wife to so on visit to his
| mother, who lived ut the old Mason home
stead, Raspberry Plain, q few miles distant.
All were in total ignorance of his intentions.
He left with his physician letter directed
| to my mother, asking her, in case of his
| death, to 90 to his wife and comfort her.
| They fought at Badensburg. Mason fell
at the first fire, and never spoke again. The
| old physician and my mother hastened to
his young widow and darling boy, and had
| the hard task of telling first the dreadful
| news and transforming world which held
nothing but beauty and happiness for them
| into dreary desert, scarce better than The
grave. Weeks passed, so overwhelmed was
| her grief, before it became certain that she
| would regain her senses. Scarcely less
| heartrendng was the sorrow that bowed
down the dead Senator's fond mother.
In ba pooptipoa No(Iorty ho6 yyrittan n
| Miss Lee, relating what he had done, giving
| her week for reflection and asking her to
| tell him at the end of that time whether she
would marry him after what had happened.
| She related to nae long afterWard the agony
of that week-how she knelt in despair at
her mothers feet and asked her to decide;
| how the old lady could only advise her to
| follow her own heart; how at last she sent a
| note to her lover inviting him to call.
Their meeting she did not describe, but it
| was said that, sitting at the Instrument as
| he entered, she sang the words
| "Come rest in this bosom, my own stricken dear;
Though the herd has flown from thee, thy homo is
| still here.
know not, ask not, if guile's in thy heart;
| | but know that love thee, whatever thou art !!
After their marriage they settled in Lees
burg, near Selma.
| Thcyoung widow of Mason at length asked
| to go back to Selma, the scene of her short
welded life. Not anticipating what was TO
follow her attendants carried her into the
wide hall. There, raising her eyes, they
| fell upon the coat and hat, hanging just as
4 he had left them, which her husband had
on when she saw him last She covered her
face, and with shrek, begged to be taken
| to the rear rooms of the house.
| There she remained. For twenty years
she did not enter the front part of the build
ing. The rooms there, opening from the
dreaded hall, were kept in perfect order.
and guests occupied them as usual; but OIL
| the day when her boy-the lsping infant
| when his father died-became twenty one
wears of age, she invited all his blood rea-
lions to dinner. / was one of the number.
We were all sitting in the library, toward
| the rear of the house, when the door was
thrown open and the gray old butler bowed
| his announcement Without any intlma-
| tion of breaking the habit OF twenty years,
| Mrs. Mason promptly arose-a trail, fair
woman of forty-and, taking the arm of her
son, walked directly into the front hall and
| thence to the dining.room, as of old. Our
surprise was great, but no word indicating
| that this was unusual escaped her or any OF
the party. The spell was broken, and she
Stunned the hall no more.
From the date of the duel, even on her
deathbed, she never mentioned the name of
her dead husband. Her boy grew up with
the knowledge and feeling that an unspeak'
able shadow rested on the house, concern
inc which, however heavily it might press
upon their souls, he must forbear to question
even his mother I was the first to tell him,
after he had reached manhood, all he wished
to know concerning his fathers death.
This SON, Stevens Mason, was true
hearted young man, with but little know!'
edge of the world. With private tutor,
with servants to anticipate every wish, with
stricken mother to idolize him, he missed
till too late certain necessary lessons in life
which these could never give him. He could
not refuse to endorse 3 NOE for friend,
and his mother could not refuse to join him
in whatever he put his name to. For one
moment the shadows on his pathway SEEM
ed to lift, but only to settle more heavily
about his way. He married young lady
who seemed worthy OF him, who was belle