Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-10

ton-being on the ridge that divides the waters
OF the Potomac and Eastern branch and nearly
equi-distant between them. He had given the
matter careful thought in his many rides dur
ing number of years and finally selected this
spot as high, at least 800 feet above the tide,
yet not overhanging any large body Of water
or low lands, and only six miles, as q crow flies
from the White House. youth spent al
Frankfort, on the Kentucky river, and the loss
there OF two children had given him lively
dread of the unhealthy effect Of bodies OF
fresh water and marshy land in this latitude,
so he avoided the ague-stricken plains between
Washington and Baltimore, as we'll as the rich
hills that overhang Georgetown and the river,
choosing instead the poor soil, but pure air and
water he found in the healthy pines due north
Of the city.
NOTABLE VISITORS TO SILVER SPRING.
Naturally Mr.. Blair had but little to do with
President Polk, but during this administration
Mr.. Buchanan was frequently at Silver Spring.
When he became President however, be had
succeeded in every sense to Mr.. Folks position
and was no longer friendly to Mr.. Blair, who
by that time had lashed him with many a
savage article. President Pierce was, however,
very friendly and often rode out to Silver
Spring on a handsome black horse, Of which he
was exceedingly fond. This relation was main
tanned until the repeal Of the Missouri compro-
mise became the question of the day. Gen.
jackson and Mr.. Clay antipodes ever in politics
Out DOtn true lovers OF THEIR country, regarded
the Missouri compromise as the only means of
preserving peace between the north and south
on the slavery question. Mr.. Blair, though
ever a delicate man, survived them, but was
always as intent as they could have been in OPP
posing the rash tendency to overthrow this
great barrier between the fanatics Of the two
sections.
WHAT MR.. BLAIR SAID TO FRANK PIERCE.
A conversation that took place between him
Il NJ OF ba 10
membered. .sMr. President" he said '.if YOU
do not cease from this game Of leapfrog with
Douglas you will plunge the whole nation into
the deep waters of tribulation, and if you sign
this repeal of the Missouri compromise you
will not have the following of a corporals
guard in the next convention" But Mr.. Pierce
did sign the repeal, and the very spot where
they then stood was used not many years later
as sheltered place to put the confederate
wounded at the time of Early's raid so the old
spring literally blood, and one soldier, it ia
said, was killed there by shell from Fort
Stevens as he stood waiting for a drink.
1t is unnecessary to say that Mr.. Pierce and
his fine black horse were never seen again at
Silver Spring after the talk, Of which this was
apart.
The clouds of civil war then gathered fast,
and the old house became in turn the rallying
place of the leaders Of
THE YOUNG REPUBLICAN PARTY.
In the words of Senator Trumbull, 'Tt was
the only private house Of any note in or near
Washington where We were then sure of q
welcome"
The call for the Pittsburg convention was
written there by Mr.. Blair, as well as the ad-
dress to the country issued by that convention.
Sumner was carried there after he was struck
in the Senate chamber, and it is said that the
unwillingness of his old friend, Mrs. Blair, to
speak to him after the war cut him not little
She explained it by saying that she had nursed
him when stricken down because Of his friend
ship for the Union, but that his oppressive
measures after the war, notably such an idle
one as the civil rights act, showed him to be
more OF a politician and less of patriot;
that he was fOmenting bad feeling and had
himself, in effect, become the leader OF dis
union.
BLAIR AND RIvEs WITH THE RIFLE.
Mr.. Blair and his partner in the Globe, Mr..
Rives, were both fine rifle shots, the former
being also much devoted to deer hunting. A
fine pair of horns are now at Silver Spring,
once borne by noble buck, doubtless the last
of his tribe, killed by Mr.. Blair at Mt. Vernon
In his seventy-eighth year he shot two out
OF three deer seen IN one hunt in the Allegha-
mics, on the ground once familiar to his old
friend, Meshach Browning, the famous hunter
of western Maryland.
SILVER SPRING ''UNcLE REMus."
There was fine collection of rifles at Silver
Spring, kept in excellent order by cold Dick"
little old black man and sort of Uncle Remus,
whose main occupations were working his own
garden by day and mending shoes at night vet
who was $50 pressed for time" that he never
ate his meals with the other servants, but
dropped into the kitchen whenever convenient
and doubtless at such Opportune moments as
ATTY contributed to his own satisfaction. 1t
being announced to him by his master shortly
after the bred Scott decision, ''Dick, Judge
Tawney decided the other day that you are not
man." the old fellow took it in perfect good
faith as judgment of the court personal to
himself. and after some cogitation exclaimed:
"Well, den, in de name of Cord, what is I?"
question that Dick became noted on the
strength of it.
Nancy Jones, famous for loyalty of nature
and rice cakes; Henry Lemon, an able dis
courser on politics and religion, who always
disagreed with his master, yet drove the car
riage faithfully over roads none of the best for
forty-tive years-these two, with old Dick,
stood out as
THREE REMARKABLE coLoRED PEOPLE,
different in every respect from the ordinary
slaves, and by no means the least interesting
features of the establishment. It was gen
orally conceded, however, that "old man
Blair's' niggers were q dreadfully spoiled set
and that he had to hire other servants to wait
on them.
MR. BLAIR AS A PEAcE-MAKHR.
During the formation of the republican party
there was q sort Of preliminary civil war
among the politicians, Of which the attack on
Sumner in the Senate was but one of the in
cidents. At this time two duels were avoided
and peace made at Silver Spring by Mr.. Blair
between would-be combatants. The late Gen.
Dunn being challenged by Mr.. Rust of Virginia
immediately repaired thither to practice pistol
shooting, for which, happily, there was no
need. as their differences WERE though with no
small effort. amicably settled. When Mr..
Curtis of New York and Gen. John @. Breckin-
ridge concluded to fight, strangely enough they
both started for Silver Spring, the former
being q party friend and the latter . kinsman
OF Mr.. Blair. Breckenridge passed Curtis on
the road and hurried on, feeling sure Of well
come, because, as he said, .'blood is SO much
thicker than water" Mr.. Blair was again happy
in making peace between the parties, q service
Gen. Breckenridge more than repaid when, a
second in command during Early's raid, he
placed o guard over the old house, where he
had spent many happy hour, and thus pro-
tected it from being burnt, ~ was Judge Blair's
Tine residence on the hill near by. The story
OF Silver Spring during the war would make .
history in itself full of pathos and interest
Mr.. Blair died in 1876, happy In the belief
that Mr.. Tilden was elected and that his admin
istration would blot out the wal record Of the