South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1891-06-05


f,rciesniiness; aud moro particnI.r.
ly Is 1t looked upon In honor because
oil number OF battles fought iu and
outside lite borders. A place held
more dear. especially by . Uonfsde.
rate soldier Is tho Confederate GENE.
:ery outside this beloved CITY, in which
i>spent . few hours There Iffound
every southern state reprcsen ,eo.
Each states dead are buried In lota
separate, and each one having q suit.
soie monument erected TO their mem.
DRY. Also . monument in memory
OF The unknowu dead which lie there.
Lett ibis pom. a, six O'Clock on the
morning OF Feb. Gath for Washing.
ton, arriving there at 8 80. The 6rst
place OF any note on this roa leading
from Winchester to Washington ia
the city OF Chsrlestown, which place
10 noted more psrticu iariy than anv
o,her on account OF its being the place
where John Brown and his gang we're
executed. As tho train moved along
soon was heard Harper's Ferry csllsi
out, which place i, also noted for tho
capture OF the above named outlaws.
VINO. 30 you are aware, took possess
ION OK the armory and arsenal at this
pom. During this raid made upou
innocent farmers in the Old Domir.
ION was my first attempt at soldiery,
Joining company OF volunteers while
L was but boy. and expecting TO be
ordered at any time L. the seat of
danger. Lucky for me did not have
to leave the county. For fear of tir.
ing your patience. and as you have
been very kind in publishing some
facts concerning my trip to the Capt.
tai. will but glance over some of the
Sights Witnessed during my stay in
the city.
| I..arriyed in Washington on the
morning OF Feb. gath stopped at
The ArdmOre, sic & SIS Thirteenth
ST.. hoding every accommodation
good, with every coave nienc, at b and.
My first visit was to both houses OF
congress-. seeing no one in either
house | knew. however, except Mr..
Cockrell Of the Senate and MIR. Hatch
OF the House. There was a gentle.
man stopping at tbs same hotel with
me who was kind enough to point out
all the leading lights of both houses.
L would have known Reed without
any information on the subject. be-
cause OF bis usurping authority over
the minority portion of that BODY.
which l presume will never coma to
him agaiu. l then went over in the
ena,e chamber and took q look at
tllat,assemblage OF distinguished per.
sopages, the president OF which failed
to strike me very favorably. He is q
very common looking man, notwith.
standing he occupies the second pl ace
in the gift of the people. aud is a mil.
lionaire. While | was in the Senate
Mr.. Morgan of Alabama made a
speech which think kept the presi-
dents head at very low stage.
then went 10 the Supreme Court
chamber, visiting the highest tribun al
In the land, there finding quite a rs-
spectacle looking set Of judges, the
chief Of which being by far my favorite.
then visited the White House. The
next place Of great fame Is the Wash
ington Monument, commenced in
l849 and built one hundred and fifty
feet, and for want Of funds was set
aside until after the civil war, when il
was commenced again and built TO the
enormous height Of i've hundred and
fifty five feet. II was on the 24:h OF
Feb. l made this ascent. The scene
~ was grand beyond description. IL
vas between the hours of IL aud
o'clock that assembled this vast heap
OF granite, towering. I fsncied, almost
above the clouds. The visions that
most forcibly presented themselves
TO my view while up there were the
overlooking r. K. Lees old home on
Arlington Heights, Mount Vernon,
Washingtou's old home, and the city
With every street plain 10 be seen.
There are l79 memorial stones runs
ming up to $50 feet on east and west
walls. Cost Of monument. 81. 300,-
600; IL takes 8 minutes to ascend
and 8 minutes to descend.
The next place that interested my
curiosity most was the Bureau OF Eus
CRAVING, where all the paper currency
and bonds are made. 1 saw from
one dollar up to ave hundred and
even one thousand dollar notes, that
being the highest in national money
titty and one thousand dollar bonds.
Also the manner in which ell muiila.
ted notes and bonds that have ma,
tured are destroyed. They are cut
up by a machine run By steam, car
ried of in q la-ge sOoiIer and boiled
into a pulp, and then dried and soli
at forty dollars per ton. Also ali
counterieits that have been gathered
10 by The government, and the cOuu-
terieiter's photograph directly under
bis work hanging in a large frame,
there TO be seen in the Treasury de.
paTtment by the passing public.
The next is the Smithsonian InsH-
tute, National Museum, Plato. War.
Navy and Treasury departments,
which visited.
In The Treasury vaults saw oceans
Of money piled up; boxes much re-
sembling axe boxes, With two thous.
and dollars IN a box, and the guide
told rs that the silver dollars alone 10
u