Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-08

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| for the delays in making the needed improve
ments for which the citizens of Washington
were blamed and held responsible.
When the war ended and the last grand DIS
| play was made here Of the review of the armies
| of the west and the Potomac, a sight never to
| be forgotten. and the vast armies had melted
| into the various avocations of life almost as
rapidly and as noiselessly snow beneath the
| sun. Washington presented a very remarkable
| appearance. The streets, with some few ex-
| ceptions. we're wiped out. The artillery. cav
| airy and supply trains had but little respect
for embryo sidewalks, squares. circles and tri-
| angles. They became indisting uishable in the
general and universal mud and mre, and the ruts
and hollows many of them vast ravines which
| had been left detied repair. The city did all it
could to restore the more important streets to
something like what they were intended to be.
| but in view, however. of the magnitude of the
Improvement and repairs demanded. the mu-
nicipality was almost helpless. Congress did
something. believe. but il was not until Alex
| ander T. Shepherd had been made governor. with
| almost absolute power, that any attempt was
made to lift the city out of the condition in
which it had been left at the close of the war.
GOV. SHEPHERDS GREAT WORK.
Exhuming the plans of Washington, COM
pretending the magnitude of the under taking,
but inspired by the beauty and grandeur of the
conception which had its birth in the brain
and foresight OF the immortal founder. he de-
| termlned to carry them out to completion
| He obtained the means 20 do so By
! gaining a recognition by Congress of the
! justice OF the claim that the govern
| ment should share with the city the ex-
| pense of this vast undertaking. and he brought
to Its accomplishment all IndomitIble will and
a courage which overCame every obstacle.
| The men whom he made rich by the i'm
| provements he carried out were his bit
tercst opponents. Abuse, Islander. charges
| OF all kinds were heaped upon him, but
undlstnrDed by the opposition waged unrelent-
| inSly against him, he continued his labor
| until he had successfully realized the beauty
and stately designs of Washington. His success
| did not silence his enemies, FOR they pursued
ann until nc was almost driven into exile from
the city he had boautitied, and by the men who
! were indebted to HIM for the wealth his action
secured. Charges made against him were in
! Yestgated by Congress, and rs Judge Thurman,
who was chairman of the Senate committee of
| investigation. told me. not iota of evidence
duplicating Gov. Shepherd in one single act of
| personal dishonesty had been produced. and
ne left here comparatively without a dollar.
| The millions he had isbursoG were accounted
| for to the last cent. and with clean hands and
| empty pocket he sought in foreign land to
| rebuild the fortune he had left here.
THE GOVERNORS MEDICATION.
| The years of absence of Gov. Shepherd from
the scene of his labors were indicating his
| honor and his wonderful energy and determi-
| nation to make the city what Washington had
| designed it. Every year added to the debt due
/ to the exile. and every tree and flower and
| grass plot as they grew in beauty and in fra
GRANGE were indications of the man vino had
planted them. Nearly ten years had passed
] when he returned to meet an ovatiou-an ova-
| ton that came from grateful hearts to a public
| benefactor. IL he had needed a vindication he
| had it now. The tide in his favor had grown
| IN these long years into flood, which over
whelmed the few, the very few. who held back
! from this testimonial of esteem, the recogni-
ton of a debt due to the founder of second
Washington.
At the meeting called to tender this recep-
ton Col James G. Berret presided, and
| in touching address welcomed Gov.
| shepherd to the city he had SO beautlfied,
| so transformed. The Commissioners of the
| District. in accordance with "A wel-defned pub
| lie sentiment, voted him the freedom of the
| city the first time in its annals it had con-
| ferred that honor on any individual. If there
| Is man III Washington who does not recognize
| in this lovely city the debt of gratitude due to
Alexander X Shepherd, do not know him,
| thank God
There is talk of exhibiting that gratitude in
| bronze. He needs no monument other than
! the daily growing beauty OF the squares, the
reservations, the streets, the stately vistas
which refresh the eye at every corner These
| growing and expanding with each succeeding
year will keep alive his memory as long az
| Washington has an existence.
| RACE FOR DINNER
! In the fall of 1843 another distinguished WIS.,
| itor landed on our shores. Gen. Bertrand one
| of Napoleon's generals and his companion in
! exile, and Mr.. Willis says, in noticing his ar
| rival: 1T is curious to note how the memory
| of our burnt fingers with Dickens makes us
| hold back from the fire of enthusiastic recep-
| ton. II the general had been anti instead of
| post Dickens. he would have been overwhelm cd
with popular reclamation; it il, two bri-
nj Il,
ner at the Aston have been given him."
And later on he says: The en-
thusiasm over Gen. Bertrand increases
A year or two after the return of the general
his son, Count Bertrand. spent some time here
staying at the French legation, and l am re-
minded OF race made up for a dinner, where
Count Bertrand rode for France. One of the
| British legation. whose name l cannot remem-
Der. rode tor England. and Dick Young, who
lived on Capitol Hill, rode for America The race
took place after the regular OF the day at the
Holmead course and only those Interested and
| the members of the jockey club remain ed to
see It. Dick Young won the race. How the
mention of name awakes a memory long
| buried and the name of Bertrand recalls that
event, which was the talk OF the day forty-five
years ago. When Gen. Bertrand visited Wash
| lngton he was most warmly received.
L met an old friend who remembers those
days when the SPIRIT Of the Times Office in Bar
! clay street was the daily resort of those choice
| spirits mentioned in my article of last week
| and he reminds me of another friend, long
gone. and whose name is enrolled on the tablet
| OF fame as one OF the great portrait painters of
the world. Henry Inman, one of the most
genial and "loveable men," as Albert Pike said
OF him the other day. My old friend remem-
| bered, too, that characte named. Lord George
| Gordon. gentleman. an Oxford graduate, who
probably LEFT his country for his country's
good. and enjoyed an annuity from his family
| which, whether great or small, only lasted Lord
| George few days, and in the intervening time
his contributions to the SPIRIT Of the Times sup
piled him with means
| My friend relates a characteristic anecdote of
him. He met a friend one day. and, with
beaming face, said: Il have found what have
| sought heretofore in vain on both sides of the
| Atlantic" what is it!' asked his friend "A
| washerwoman with capital. NV clothes were
brought home this morning and left without
! payment being demanded A washerwoman
! with capital, what blessing.'
At that time Ole Bull creating furore in
New York. Neux-Temps and Artot had ap-
peared with great success and they, Willis saws.
looked down upon Mr.. Bull. Artot had been
kings page and Vieux-Temps was a'chevaler
decore and Ole Bull was simply Mr.. Bull His
style, too, was SO different, SO unlike anything
they had heard. but his houses were crowded
VIM. Vincent Wallace was also giving concerts.
playing on the piano and violin, and subse-
quently joined Ole Bull What a genius Wal
lace was. His songs will live while music