Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-09-13
OLD CAPITOL PRISON.
vicissitudes OF One OF the Earliest of
Washington Buildings.

II
the Philadelph Press. l have known
something OF it through many vicissi-
tudes for nearl, thirty years. and dur
ing the war it was an object of mystic
rous interest to every body. for then
1t was n jail for distinguished 'rrai-
tors" copper aud prisoners
of State.
l recollcct humorous incident con-
nected with tin 1864 should think.
One day Prof ID Almeda appeared at
the house where l boarded, bring ng
letters of introduction from France to
w. ID. OConnor. the author, who nc
cupied the second floor and Walt
Whitman, the poet who lived in the
hall bedroom. He was u teacher in a
Paris college and Was awaiting himself
of short vacation to run over and see
our horrible war. He was nattv.
lively. witty. fascinating man. full of
fun and eager for the fray. Desiring
to go South across the lines. at once
he wrote to Secretary Seward. request
ing safe conduct and getting no early
the pass for the Ines.
We thought little more of our lively
acquaintance for couple of months
when his vacation had expired. One
day Mrs. OCOnnor remarked medita-
lively: Il wonder if ID Almeda isn't in
the Old Capitol Pr,son?" 1t was a
bright idea. Search was made in that
dreaded repository of spies, deserters
Z and traiio rs, and sure enough. there in
a wretched cell the poor fellow Ian =
guished, his volatility entirely gone
and twenty-five good pounds of flesh
with it. Wasn't he disgue'te and in
dignantp Did he not threaten that
the land of Lafa> cite would come over
and lombard New York and burn
Wash ngtun? At last he got back to
his classes. but the wound to his amour
prODre has never quite healed.
The building was erected just after
the capital was per manently located
bere-about lSO6--to serve rs a 'aav-
err" For year or two paid. Con-
gressmen came and boarded W tn him.
Then they sought other quarters. and
the proprietor became bankrupt and
closed the place when the war of 1912
broke out
The british came and drove Madison
off into the Virginia woods
and burned the new and I'M
tir shed capitol, but they spared the
adjacent tavern which now entere..
upon career of eminent usefulness.
Great was the CONSERVATION of
Washingtonians IN 1914 VIII en- they
looked upon the heap of smouldering
AZ l.
will Congress 90 nowP' For the
"capilal movers" assembled W tn
alacrity and insisted that the site was
far too exposed. and that the Federal
Government ought henceforth TO meet
at Pin ladelphia, at Germantown. at
Trenton. at Princeton. ut New York,
at Peekskill, or at Newport, in Rhode
Island. Germantown again offered its
hall and Princeton its college building.
Terror prevailed locally. 1t was as
serted that the 'capitol movers" were
glad of the Brit sh devastation as an
excuse for their own more malignant
attack. Then the people got together.
raised money, bought the old tavern.
remOdeled it into two halls with gall
leries, and formally offered it to the
committee representing the two Houses
of Congress. The offer was accepted
and the next Congress assem- bled at
the reconstructed tavern where the
members previously obtained their
convenient flip and stimulating cider
brandy.
Here for years, while the permanent
capitol was being reconstructed and
redecOrated, both houses of congress
sat, and here from small balcony
over the front door. Monroe was tw ce
inaugurated to be be president of the
United States. John Quincy Adams
was inaugurated rs his successor in
1925. Here. | believe. Lafay cite had
his grand reception in 1924. and the
ballroom must have been sadly over
crowded.
1t was most useful building. It's
walls re-echoed with the fervent orato.
~ of the statesmen of those exciting
years. There the quarrel over the
United States bank was waged. There
''the Monroe doctrine was first used
as a shibboleth. There the Missouri
compromise was adopted and two
states added to the Union. There
John Randolph uttered his phillipics
and Tristan Burgess. of Rhode Island,
made the brutal allusion to Randolph s
childishness:
"Sir. Providence takes care of its
own universe. Moral monsters cannot
propagate. Ii demon could beget demon
the universe might become a pande-
monium, but / thank God that the
father of lies can never become the
father of liars !"
There Clay presided over the house
as speaker for ten years, and there he
was thanked for negotiating the treaty
of Client There Benton matured She
presumption laws. There Daniel Web
ster sat as representative from Boston.
and there he met young Havne. of
South Carolina. There Calhoun
brought into shape his mastery
measures
In 1927 the present capitol had
reached state of forwarduess which
was called finished" and congress
transferred itself aud all its belong ings
tbither.
Then the abandoned building became
the place of session of the Spanish
ella ms commission for some years, and
when that commission dissolved II