The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-09-11
THE STORY OF MONTICELLO.
How the Home of jefferson Is Said to Have
Come to It's Present Owners.

which you will not hear elsewhere. My
narrator had it of his father, and his
father of his father, who was the son of
that Martha Randolph, Jefferson's only
surviving daughter, who was left at his
death, when her father had paid every
dollar he owed, even to the uttermost
farthing, without home or means OF sup
port 1t happened in this wise, and we
must go back to the second war with
Great Britain.
When that difficulty was over the
Z. S. government gave brevet rank to
most of the creditable army and naval
men who had served through the struggle.
Young Levy was breveted first lieutenant
and went over to France, where he took
high rank in Jewish social circles-so high
rank that one OF the maiden ladies of the
Rothschild family declared her passion for
the handsome, commandiDg-lookin young
American, and swore that she would be-
come his bride. The elder Rothschilds
were a shrewd lot. They sent Tor the
handsome black-eyed officer and asked on
what terms he would instantly return
home. He Indignantly assured them that
he was IAN officer and a gentleman" They
accepted this fact and increased their
bride, but not until he had obtained some
thing like Sl50,000-a large sum in those
days-did the gallant American feel that
his honor would be unstained and his
purse at the same time replenished.
He remained in our service till about
1926 or 1927, short time after Mr.. Jeffer-
sons death, when Mrs. Randolph was
about to quit Monticello, being destitute
- ,1aS, Il 10
family was in Philadelphia on business,
and in his hotel he mentioned that on
certain day, Just time for him to get to
Charlottesville, Monticello would be sold.
Five gentlemen who happened to hear
this speech had a consultation, came to
the Virginian, and asked what figures the
house and grounds would probably bring.
ct will be sold," said the relative, ''for
| S, 600 to satisfy creditor who will gladly
| let il 90 for that on account OF his cOnsid
Grafton for the family, for we hopeto buy
it in" The five Philadelphians at once
handed the Virginian $1,000. "Give it,
they said, Anonymous to Jeferson's
daughter 1t is from five men who honor
his memory too highly to permit his home
to go out of the family"
The Virginian was a kind-hearted but
! loquacious fellow. His whole nature was
stirred with this good news. In the stage
coach that night, between Philadelphia
and Washington, the housekeeping youth
betrayed his homely wits. He told every
| body of how his cousin Martha" was TO
have Monticello for the rest of her days;
! that he had the check for the amount in a
! Philadelphia bank. He treated everybody
to old rye whiskey on the strength of it
when he reached his stopping place. But
there he fingered. like other mightier men,
| too heavy with slumber to 60 on when the
| bugle sounded. His rotations cost him a
| days delay. But the other passengers
were not belated. Among them was a
| handsome, stalwart, youngish man with
| Hebrew features.
When the Virginia relative arrived In
| Charlottesville a week later he went in
| haste to the pressing creditor. Here, q"
he said, ''is your $1,000, old man, and
| Cousin Martha and the children have got
Monticello" Monticello" said the cred
itor, was bought yesterday at u o'clock by
a northern gentleman, who had seen the
advertisement of the sale In a Washington
paper. 1t was not my fault. I'd have
gone under to-day if | hadn't let him have
| it at my advertised price" The Nirginian
went out dazed-he went to the hotel, he
found the Jew, and asked him what he
|
zone hundred thousand dollars, said he
who had outwitted the Rothschilds.
"Mein fren, you are a CLEVER feller, but
you talk too much"
Well. as Jefferson himself had said,
| there is nothing so foolish as impotent
rage. The beloved Monticello passed into
| the hands of Commodore Levy, and Mar
| tina Randolph and her children entered it
once more only in all their lifetime. The
/ old rogue was a good-natured creature.
| He kept the house and grounds lmmacu-
| late. Jefferson's belongings were sacred
/ from profane touch. As each year the
| graveyard gate was opened to receive some
member of the fast-decaying race his sable
| coach and driver followed the last of all
mourners in the rear. His rejected
wreaths he would return to the humble
mounds when the family had driven down
the winding mountain road. The year OF
! his death he wrote a note to Martha Ran
| dolph, and said to her that in her declin-
ing years she might feel, perhaps less bit
terly. "Would she and her remaining
| daughters come to the house and spend
| the day on Jefferson's birthday-that he
himself would not intrude upon them ?'
81 must see it before / de-" said the old
| woman, and at o'clock that spring morn
ing they entered the grounds. All was
unchanged as they drove to the terraced
box walk in front of the house. They en-
tered, and every chair, every table was in
| its place. All the rooms were opened, all
| the books were on their accustomed
shelves on the walls At the dinner hour
respectful servants announced that that
meal would now be served. They ate in
peace, and not till they had seen the sun
| set from Jefferson's own window in his
office. did they depart Then for the first
time they saw their host, who, with barred
head, handed them into their carriage.
After that Mrs. Randolph's family let by
cones be by-gones. and the old commo-
dore was accepted at gentlemen's dinners
and clubs, not, however, freely among the
women of the upper class.
But there came day when he received
a letter that sent him frightened and with
out stopping for wind or weather, a
brighter sky, or more propitious auspices.
| Ii was signed by about five hundred citi-
zens, and it informed "Abram Tor Isaac,
forget which, Levy that if he did not quit
Albermarle within twelve hours they
would tar and feather him." 1t was all
on account of Eliza, his own pretty, dark
eyed niece, who had come with her
mother his widowed sister, to live with
him, and with whom he fell in love- went
with her over the border and married her,
for all the world as did the duke of Aosta,
records of whose splendid wedding we re-
yelled in last spring, with his sister Clotil-