Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-17
WASHINGTON RELICS.
Great Interest Attached Just at Pres
ent to Anything That
THE IMMORTAL GEORGE OWNED.
Large Photographs Of Many Things Being
Taken to Send in April to
THE CENTENNIAL IN NEW FORK CIT.

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATcH.l
WAsHIHGToN, March 16-Photograpns arc
being taken of the Washington relics IN the
National Museum to send to tho inaugural
centennial celebration in New York, April ~.
They are of immense size, some Of them Deing
six feet in height One will show the tenD
which Washington used in the Revolutlonafy
war, set up on the lawn outside of the museum
building with their flaps carelessly thrown
aside, as If Washington had just left them.
Their time-stained, weather-beaten leather
cases still bear the letters of white print which
tell Of the heights of Dorchester in 171o
and the surrender of yorktown in 11dL
In another picture is grouped the Ian
| tern which once illuminated the darkness OF
| the halls at Mt Vernon, Martha WashingtonS
| iron'treasurer chest. and the Generals anciens
| camp chest, knife boxes, andirons and bellows.
| Still another photograph shows the pottery
presented to Washington by the Society of the
| Cincinnatus and the set of china given to MrA
! Washington by General Lafayette, each piece
decorated with chain, the links of which
represent the 13 original States. In another
group is the old furniture, including the chairs
and bedsteads, which Washington once owned,
| Mr.. A. Clarke, who has charge of these relics,
said to-day:
"Most of the relics are asso oeiated with Wash
ington's military career and his home life az
Mount Vernon. We have certificate signed
by him while President 1t grants patent to
to Thomas Passmore, of Pennsylvania, and is
signed by the Secretary of State and the At
torney General on December %, 1876. Grant
ing patent was evidently very important
thing in those days and had to be formally at
tested by the President and two Cabinet
officers"
How did these relics come into the posses
sion Of the Government
1.-THE nucleus of the collection was formed
in 1852 by the purchase of few articles, which
were placed in the Patent Office and which re-
mained there until they were transferred to
the Sm1thonian Institution. and finally were
sent here The bulk of the relics were pur-
| chased when Carl Sehurz was Secretary OF the
! Interior from G. w. Lewis for $4,000. A
great many of the separate pieces are Of
course gifts to the Government, the latest being
| Washington's shaving table, presented by Mrs
| Thomas Q. Cox, of this city. This table, with
| its brass key holes and glass knobs was men
toned in Washington's will, and only passed
through two or three hands before 1t came
| into Mrs, Coxs possession. We have not. as
| you well know, all of the Washington relies
| here. The State Department has his sword,
his ledger, the cane which Franklin gave him,
| and believe his original commission as Com
mander-in-C Chief of the Armies. The Treasury
| Department has his original accounts, while
Mt. Vernon is full of articles either owned dl-
rectly by him or associated with his name Be-
side these, few of his descendants treasure
| relics which belonged to their great ancestor,
| and have no doubt that pieces OF the SeYres
| ware owned by the Washingtons can be found
in many households. Indeed, nowadays we
have to be pretty careful OF the relics Wnieh
are offered to us. We could NIL hotel with
| stuff that is brought here as genuine relics Of
| Washington. Everything that we exhibit is
authenticated, and we shall accept nothing un-
less it is demonstrated TO be genuine"
"HaVe any of these relics ever been stolenr'
PRECAUTIONS AGAINST THIEVES.
ST believe not, but we have guarded against
such a contingency by having each article mi
| nutely described. Each scratch and break in
a chair Is recorded, and every crack in piece
of furniture has been carefully noted. The
Identification of every article could be made
so completely that no doubt az all would ex'
ist"
The relics of which Mr.. Clarke spoke thus
interestingly occupy half dozen cases, placed
immediately to the left of the entrance TO the
museum. Nothing less than an act Of Congress
| could secure their removal, and it is very
| doubtful whether the museum authorities
would recommend their shipment under any
circumstances They are guarded with especial
care, and Just at present Thomas Donaldson,
| of Philadelphia, whom everybody in Pennsyl-
vania knows and whose house on North Forty
| eighth street is museum in itself, is writing
| history of each relic. These reports see the
| light of day very slowly. however, and II may
| be two or three years before the little pamphlet
| is published. In the meantime quite lot OF
| information is being gathered which has not
| been hitherto printed. IL Is very detailed,
| number of letters, for instance, being devoted
| exclusively to the history and authenticity OF
the compass which Washington used in laying
| out the grounds at Honnt Vernon:
Among the relics, the suit which Washing.
ton wore when he resigned his commission az
Annapolis always attracts large share or at.
tention. It,eonsists of moth-eaten blue flannel
coat and pants with vest and facings OF light
yellow chamois skin and several rows OF big
brass buttons. perfect fat and plain. and now
tarnished with age. His old dress suit IS IN the
same case Equally interesting is the great
easy chair, the last one in which he sat before
he died. The tall brass candlestck which held
the candles by which, as Mr.. g. w. Lewis says,
my grandmother actually saw him write his
farewell address" is
AN oLD-TIME AFFAIB,
with dingy holders for candles and bit Of
brass for q reflector. In the same case are
couple of portraits of General and Mrs. Wash
ington on wood. painted by Trumbull, which
are of priceless value and which still retain
their brightness and eoloring Nearby is the
long twine-wrapped spyglass which Washing
ton used when at Mount Vernon. at was his
favorite amusement" says the label. ITO sit
out on the porch and look up and down the
river with it,"
tiny christening robe Is another object Of
interest. In it Georges baby form was wrapped
when he received the name which was to be-
come famous. 1t looks like an ordinary robe,
with all the frills and fanoies with which baby
hood is encumbered and has its history. Some
years ago, when Mr.. Custis, of Arlington, made
q speech at celebration of Washington'S
Birthday, at Fredericksburg, Va, he handed
the christening robe to the crowd for inspec-
ton Before the robe was returned to Mr..
Gusts someone nipped out a bit of the GRIM
son lining. The place was never meHded, and
is still a piece of mute evidence against the
man--it could hardly have been a woman
whose patriotism was greater than his honesty.
All the articles purchased in the Lewis col
! lection had been in the possession of that fam
iIy continuously since General Washiagton's
death. They were receivedFby Mrs. Lewis, who
was Washington's adopted daughter, and the
wife of Major Lawrence Washington and they
were owned by her until 1852, when they came
into the possession of the family who sold
them to the Government. Some0f these relics
are of especial interest. The half length por-
trait of General Washington, life-size, is ex-
ceIlently preserved, and it was a matter of tra-
dition in Mrs. Lewis family that 1t was the
best likeness of Washington ever painted. The
record of Washington's private business trans.
actions. covering a period of more than q
! years, is exceedingly minute, and the largest
part of it is in his own handwriting. Every
item Of receipts and expenditures, including
even his losses and gains at cards, is set down
with the most scrupulous exactness-