Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-01

AS Hpubllc buildings, official records and
| liza vtreasures of money, was wholly unpro-
NM1sAtected. There not fort, mounted
gun or armed sentinel standing for its defense.
1t is doubtful if any other nation ever per-
mitted its capital to remain SO exposed, even
III time Of profound peace, much less with
the dark clouds of war hanging over it. A few
days before the seating of President Lincoln 1
! saw the Capitol for the first time. 1t was then
unfinished and tall derricks stood ut the north
| ana south ends for hosting stone into place
| Inc dome resembled the frame of an umbrella
| without covering, except that its bare iron
ribs extended only half way to the top. There
| was man III charge of the grounds to whom
expressed my admiration for the building and
was considerably surprised to hear him say,
he didn't suppose it would over be fnished;
| tnat II stood on southern soil and in the di-
VISION OF states it would naturally belong to the
| south and would be taken down and removed
| TO a more central location" His remarks were
| siRnlncant AS rejecting the ideas of men in
higher positions, for he would never have
thought of such things ii he lad not heard them
| from others. Other southern men asked: DO
you believe the north will fsht2" They seemed
70 think that tho republic could be rent asun-
| DER and the south take the lions share of the
spolls even without the splitting of blood.
| ANXIETY AFTER THE SUMTER BoMBARDMENT.
| The bombardment of Sumter brought mat
tiers to sudden crisis-and the war was already
begun Much anxiety was felt by Union men
in Washington regarding the national capital
| should 1t fall into the hands of the seceders
| then secession would become an ACCOMPLISHED
| fact from the beginning Congress- had inst
| adjourned. but some Of the members still re-
| manned in Washington to transact businesses at
| TIE departments. aud there were visitors and
| office seekers from the north tn the number of
| several hundred An article appeared in Tar
| EVENING STAR suggesting the ORGANIZATION of
volunteers for the defense of the capital, cali
| ing meeting for that purpose at the armory
! IN Armory square. l went at the hour in
| dicated, and gave them my name and place of
| residence. but nothing came OF il. Two or
| three days afterward April II or l3). two man
| arrived from Richmond and stopped nt the Ma
| tlonal Hotel. They were northern men who
| had been dong business in the south, but had
hastily closed up and were on their way home
! They described the south as being i'll "a perfect
| blaze OF excitement" and said that ..nen of
| ali ages, old and young. were meeting together
| IN every village and hamlet and crossroads
| and were forming companies and drilling with
mu 'hets, and where muskets were not TO be
| nau tiey used pilchforks or other implements
thi'I n's' came 10 hahd' ana they declared that
sbonIJ soot oyer th. Ta.;o we soG.nrn s, I8
| WIS more likely O the 18th of Anil virg;nio
| Iassed the Ordnance of secession on the I7,l
and 1t must have been that act which created
| the "blaze of excitement and embroidered
| men to say that the southern flag should float
| over the capital. don't remember that they
| SAID anything about the passing of the ordi-
| nance OF secession. although they nay have
mentioned it. But their great object seemed
to be to impress their hearers with the fact tina,
| II was necessary to do something immediately
| Tor the defense of the capital
| Such, in brief, was their story, which was
| listened to III husEed silence by 200 persons
i rnCp IN ,nStc
| the house (aud Il was then wei! iilel) a grea,
| many went there daily to meet friends and get
the news OF the hour and there was always "A
| crowd there. l have heard eloquent orators
| on what was regarded as 'mOmentous occa-
Sions. who swayed the minds Of men ana
| gained their applause, but l never heard any
| Grafton that was listened to SO eagerly and IN
tenty as were the simple words of these two
| men, or that carried deeper convictions Of the
| necessity of immediate action. The popula-
| ton Of Washington largely in synnathy
| with the secession movement. and the cit; was
| absolutely without Defense The President
| lssueda cali for 1900 men but 1t might be
several days before any Of them would reach
| Washington.
ORGANIZING vorrxrrrns
| Tvo o-oa,izatio,s % ar.
| "a uh'ecls wore now
| enocted' Composed principally OF the northern
| and western men who were transiently in
| Washington, with a few from the Distric, of
| Columbia and the southern states One was
| commanded by Hon. Jas H. Lane of Kansaa
| and took the name of Frontier Guards ond
| were chartered at the White Housa az tba;r
| services know nothing Tho other WA co,,-
| manded by Col Cagsius NJ CLAW and w.. ooI;ad
the Clay battalion and had quarters in n iarge
| hall adjoining Wizards Hote! formerly Graco
! Church.) In effocting the organization CLAW
| IoiScu blea' cautioushess, with almost
mani or get a!cess 70 h;S hood iu JON nls com
he Was Known 10 him or Wa rnmcbd5 s ei,.I L'
some one with whom he was ocona;'tai
| He had rooms at the hoteI near - 81
| trance to the hail where bo ronis,ordI
| the names and then condnctoi 80
| into the hall. The procoss yyos tbio. E;l,ht
| or ten men would form in limo mon tbo a.
| when, each being youched for tho coInnnI az
| tered their names on the com,,anv Iii ~
| hail One incident only needs TO no 80 ~ ~
! Illustrate his cautIon and saver;,r s'.m ~
VINO was tall and fine iooE,ng TO- T. a uti -,
a souad that was being forfnaJ ,rhn L. ~
| known 10 Mr. CLAW and baino VIZ "a "a' ~.
| youched for him answered chs VIZ
| Conoress " giving his name Ciav .,,'ni DSI VI
| into the corner IF the rnn,, ani III nui
| stond tbora tiII eomahoJu 49, .oiu nini 10
| iderrirv him Tbo nnI1nO,r,, ,',''D't. Ionio u
hn, at,in 49,, til 30 stanii' iuti, $1,000 awhlle
mo ..ba 1onfJ ~, his Ss., .eu 70 60 say
rro & r:ut With q iarao 49, Vi Con
his braost md b;aaer "a th hyrro against
60 ,hnst b,, hes;r 80 IL aou az LIS mead,
hin, bo ,vonld shont hin, Jon., -; noi anu tolo
ba moved a,,in w;,hont 1oana ~ uiS tracks II
Ior . Ion'' 80 ,h;S saan'"I .. nv nrs1, ana
| nacos.oriiv rnngh pr, ,nho. W hie 10 DC I'M
c,rcnmsta1ccs this vs. raaiiv "" &c cohsiHer the