davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18
THE LITTLE HATcHET MYTH
Its Origin and Evolved by
a Highly Moral Liar.

Its Origin and Develepment---Evolvsd BY
Highly Moral Liar.
"Father, cannot tell ie-I did it
with my little hatchetr' Who can think
Of the Father of his Country without re-
calling this affecting story? And yet,
like so many other cherished anecdotes
of great men, it is absolutely. without
foundation.
His name was n. L. Weems.! He was
a clergyman or preacher by profession,
an adventurer by nature, and loved no
toriety, money and wandering Lite.
So he wrote books which he correctly
believed would meet with popular favor,
and pedd1ed them himself as he trav-
eled through the country. 7 Chance
brought him to Mount Vernon in the
closing days of Washington's life, and
his commercial instinct at once told him
here was o chance for distinction and
dollars such as he had never met be-
fore. So he produced his famous biog-
raphy, and being the first on the ground
he had things his own way and ran riot
in language and alleged "reminiscences.
The best known Of his myths are those
concerning the little hatchet, the refusal
to fight or permit fighting among the
boys at school, and the initials in the
garden. The last is to the effect that
little Georges father planted seeds in
such manner that when they sprouted
they formed the initials of the boys
name, and he being much delighted,
the elder Washington explained that it
was the work of the Creator, and thus
inculcatsd a profound belief in God.
This tale is stolen bodily from DR.. Beat
ties biographical sketch of his son, pub
lished in England in 1899. There is not
scintilla of evidence to support the
others.
But let us examine the little hatchet
story. The father of the young hero,
we are told, took great pains to inspire
his son with an early love of truth. Af-
ter describing the downward course Of
the prevaricator he is made to exclaim:
Rather than see you come to this pass,
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18
RELICS OF WASHINGTON.
AN OBSCURE BUNDLE OF ANTIQUI-
TIES FROM THE LAST CENTURY.

Our Correspondent Pays q Visit to Maj.
George d. Clitherall, Of Mobile, and
the Discoveries He Made Will Be of
Interest to All of Uncle Sans People.
Not far from Government, on st.
Emanuel street, in Mobile, Ala, there
stands an unpretentious brick house.
The curious stranger will be family re-
minded as he enters the arcade Of this
homely dwelling, with its solitary occu-
pant, of those houses which are common
to some quarters of New Orleans. Of
this, however, there is perhaps more
about the air of the place than any real
resemblance to those antiquated creole
quarters. AS he enters the parlor, with
its central bay window that juts out to
the sidewalk, he will involuntarily pause
before an ancient and venerable book
case, and if be be of a literary turn of
mind will note with more than pass
ing interest the heterogeneous mass OF
books that with all their variety Of
bindings crowd close to each other upon
its time honored shelves.
It was before this musty piece of fur
niture that stood just about year ago
when 1 was in Mobile. Upon the top
shelf was a chaotic piece of accumulated
bric-a-brac such as you may see clus-
tered together on the top shelf Of any
old bookcase, and among other things
there was brown paper parcel tied
with piece of old string, and of such
an unassuming appearance that if it
were lying in the street it would attract
scarcely glance from the passer by;
and yet it would be difficult to find
cluster of objects of such unusual inter-
est as this faded brown paper contained.
It contained, among other colonial rel
les, George Washington's slipper, part
of his vest, his Masonic apron and two
silver spoons from his camp chest.
There were also copies of some old news
papers-The New York Morning Post of
Nov. 7, 1888, The Boston Gazette and
Country Journal of March 10, ITO, The
New England Weekly Journal publish
ed in BOSTON, of April 8, 1928, The New
bern IN. C.)Spectator, Dec. 10, 1929. and
The Federal Republican (Newbern, N. c.
July 81, 1918. There was also package
of colonial money and an old time pock-
etbook. To the right of the bookcase,
with its mahogany back leaning against
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18

served. The onein Maj. Chtheralrs pos
session is exactly eleven and one-half
inches in length, and across its widest
part, where the bali of the foot lies, it
measures four and one-haf inches.
while the Father Of his Country un-
deniably had substantial foundation it
will be seen from this that his foot was
not too large for a man of his stature.)
The slipper is Of red morocco leather,
but time has covered it with dusty
brown color, and careless observer
would place it in the rank of those cheap
brown leather foot coverings which,
however much Of comfort they may pos
sess, cannot be allowed to have that styl-
ish appearance which marks the slipper
of the man of fashion. Originally the
slippers are said to have been lined with
white silk. When the imagination goes
back to the time that these now faded
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18

pieces of antiquity were new, and plct-
ures them in their original colors, the
rich and elegant red of the morocco con-
trasted with the white silk, the flaps,
which somehow remind US of those old
fashioned curled up skates that the Hol-
landers used of yore, and the deep
wrinkles which lent to them their easy
and comfortable air, we must readily
believe that these slippers presented a
simple, rich and elegant appearance.
They serve in a great measure to show
that the taste of this great man tended
toward simplicity, at the same time
uniting with that refinement which al
ways selects the best. We have as an
other example of this the story of Wash
ington's watch-familiar to every school
boy-which he desired should come to
him from France, of pure gold, but per-
fectly plain, so that its smooth and pol
ished sides, had the Father of his Coun-
try been vain man, might have served
the uses of looking glass.
Nothing remains of the waistcoat
which has already been alluded to but
the huge hip flap and pocket laps which
were such an important part of this gar
ment during the colonial days. From
this flap it is impossible to obtain COM
plete idea of the whole. 1t may be said,
however, that it is sea green in color,
richly embroidered in silk with figures,
and when new must have presented a
very handsome appearance.
Only one thing more remains to be
said. Maj. Clitherall was, from time
to time, in receipt of various letters
of inquiry from different parts of the
country bearing upon these unique and
valuable possessions, and have endeav-
ored in the present. article to cover the
entire ground, however briefly, and it is
to be hoped that it will be copied widely
enough to fall into the hands of all those
who have been more especially interested
in the matters touched upon.
1t was not without a feeling of venera~
ton that I said good-by to these ancient
relics, whose authenticity cannot be
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18

the wall, stood an old fashioned chair
looking very much like those stiff kitch-
en- chairs of the present day, albeit more
elegant in appearance. This piece of an
tiquated mahogany is a bedroom chair
which was the property of Martha Wash
ington, or, as she was lovingly called by
Maj. Clitherall's family, "Mistress Wash
ington."
Maj. George 3. Clitherall, whose death
has occurred since my visit to Mobile,
was the devoted possessor of these relics,
and the last survivor of a family which
stands among the first in republic that
gained its independence through the i'm
mortal name of George Washington.
The history of the Clitberall family in
America on the maternal side dates
back to the Rev. Richard Marsden, who
was chaplain to the Duke of Portland,
and Who received from the original lords
proprietors the ownership of the two
plantations known as "The Hermitage"
and Castle Haynes" lying on opposite
sides of the old country road, eight miles
north of Wilmington, N. @.
Mai. Clitherall's father, DR.. George
B. Clitherall, was relative and init
mate friend of Gen. Ben Smith, of
North Carolina, who died at Fort john
ston in 1926. Gen. Smith was a man
of high social position and great wealth,
and married Sarah, daughter of COL
William Dry, who was colonial gov
ernor of North Carolina. During the
Revolution Gen. Smith was Il volunteer
member of Washington's staff and mill
tary family, and there always existed
between them the war1nest friendship
When Gen. Smith learned of the illness
of Washington he Immediately left his
home in North Carolina and FASTENED to
the bedside of his chief, where he re-
mained until Washington died. Many
of the personal belongings of Washing
ton were presented by his family to Gen
Smith, who cherished them rs long as
he lived, and ut lis death they were be-
queathed to DR.. Clithcrall.
Mai. Clit!lcrall had but one of the slip
pers (the lefD in his possession, The mate
having been given by his mother to the
British Museum in 1850. In 1876 the
major presented one of WashinSton's
Masonic aprons (of which there ;irc two)
to IL lodge in Philadelphia, AMI on the
day Of my visit lie sent WashinStOn's
library chair to The Minnesota Historical
society. With the exception Of this
chair, the right slipper and one Of the
Masonic aprons, the rest Of the articles
were in Maj. Ciithcrall's possession.
! The now famous slippers did not reach
Gen. Smith III the same way that the
other relics did. Gen. Washington, after
his farewell address, went TO pay Gen.
Smith a visit at the residence Of the
latter in North Carolina, and it was
here that he brought them. On re-
turning home he left them behind him,
and they were carelessly put away i'll
an old closet, and laid there in neglect
until their value came to be recognized.
Since then they have been carefully pre-
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18
Other Wasllingtons.

There were two Washingtons in Revo-
luton days who would doubtless have
filled bigger places in history if they had
borne some other name. Bushrod,
nephew of George Washington, served
with distinction in the cavalry and in
the Virginia convention, and was ap-
pointed justice of the United States su-
preme court. Col. William Washington
won honor in several battles, especially
ut Cowpens.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18

Mount Vernon has 50 long been public
property u!at few remember what Il
tedious negotiation was required to OBJ
tain it and how one Of the Washingtons
speculatcd on the nations love. In 1853
the Ladies' Mount Vernon association
paid John A. Washington 100000 for
the mansion and 200 acres of land. Tho
country has therefore consented to for
get John. ...--...
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18

That never, during the war or at any
other time, did he wish to be made mon
arch.
That on occasions, especially in the
heat of battle, he used the big, big D.
That at Monmouth he restrained the
boiling over passions of a New Jersey
volunteer by getting off this grim joke,
"Put up your reeking sword, my good
man, and don't be making a slaughter
house right here on the battle field"
That he had an old Cremona of 1875,
which he discovered in negro cabin,
and that he played for the girls and boys
on many festive occasions; that the old
Cremona is in the hands of violin
maker in Astoria, N. Y; that it is not
a Cremona, but a Tyrolean instrument,
but Washington owned it, anyhow.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18

From the death of Washington till the
civil war it was an almost inrarlabie
rule that each new state should have Il
Washington county, and many counties
in each a Washington township. So, OF
the thirteen states without u Washing
ton county, six were too old ana i've are
appareutly too new.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18

That he was simply an ''EngEsE gen.
tle,uaH IN America" and by 40 means a
type Of the Revolutionary patriot.
flat l:c WAS not III "Engliah gentle
man IN AInc,ic;l,' but Il plain, practical,
pioneer worker, simple i'll manners and
habits, and as far rs possible removed
from the affected style Of European
co;;r;icrs and ;uistucrlts.
GEORGE 7. KlLMER.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18
WASHINGTON.

Written upon contemplating Stuart's portrait in
the Boston Athenaum.
The autumn sun caresses Vernonts tomb,
Whose presence doth the country's honor leaven;
Two suns they are that dissipate mans gloom,
For ones the index to Earth's freeborn bloom,
The other to our burning hope in Heaven!
Thy dust may noder in the hollow rock,
But every day thy soul makes some new capt
ure!
Nations unborn will swell thy thankful flock,
And Fancy tremble that she cannot mock
Thy history Truth that will enchant with rapt-
ure
How vain the daring to compute in words
The height Of homage that the heart would
render.
And yet how proud-to feel no speech affords
Harmonious measure to the subtle chords
That fill the soul beneath thy placid splendor!
The steady fire that battled in thy breast
Lit up our gloom with radiance, good though
CORY;
Like some red sun which the dull earth caressed
Into q wealthy alteration, bleSt
To be its glory's great reelected glory.
Thou, when the earthly heaven of mans soul
The heaven of home, Of liberty, Of honor
Shuddered with darkness, didst the clouds uproll
And burst such light upon the nations dole
That every state still feels thy breath upon her
John Savage (1S60).
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18

Tommy Bingo-My brother and my
self wanted to be like Washington, so
we got up this morning, took hatchet
and went down in the yard and hacked
away at fathers cherry tree But my
brother was too sharp, cause when pa
called he sneaked away and left me with
the hatchct. He got ahead of me.
Miss Summit (sympathetically)-Dear
me, Tommy! What did you get?
Tommy got licked.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18

Tramp-Madam. rs I was passing by 1
picked up in your front yard this little
hatcllct, left there by some thoughtlcss
one.
Kind Lady-Such honesty shall not
60 unrewarded. Step inside and l will
get you Il piece Of my Washington pic.
Tramp-In that case, madam, have
but one request to make.
Kind Laly-Ccrtainly. What is it?
Tramp-Let me keep the hatchet.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18

'7I7II 111s'
questioned, and paid sorrowful cdieu
to the courteous and scholarly owner of
so much that is Of historical value.
TOM MASON.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18
ut COWpens
moor dear fatlcr knew

She-My poor, dear father lnc"
Washington 50 intimately, itnl l, my
self, was born on the 22d of February
so Of course l feel likc-lillc--
He Ihclping her out)-Likc il relic:
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18

THAT LIE WENT OUT WITH TIE BOYS.
own up, bat that lying was habit he
had not cultivated.
That he ran with the machine to
Alexandria fires, and the old hand fire
engine is now q relic III the hands Of the
same old Friendship Fire company, and
rests from It's labors in the engine house
at Alexandria.
That he went out with the boys on
various occasions, loved fast horses and
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18

That it was a current saying in Revo-
lutionary times, "Whom Washington
kisses marry young" and all the girls
focked to him to be kissed, and then
event off like hot cakes"
That he got off this biting sarcasm on
the ubiquitous generation which is ever
Oh hand to tell president, congress and
all just how to run the government:
"The affairs of this country cannot go
amiss There are so many watchful
guardians of them and such infallible
guides that one is at no loss for a direct
or at any turn"
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18

WHOM WASHINGTON Kisses.
bet upon them, made long trips with
good fellows aud entertained them roy
ally.
That once, during the WAL, he wished
to be made monarch.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-18

THAT BE RAN WITH THE MACHINE.
That had he led Braddock's army there
would be no "Braddock's Defeat" in
colonial annals.
That he gave up his commission in the
kings army because American officers
were snubbed by the British war office
and by the epauleted redcoats from over
the sea.
That he did not say he could not tell
that particular cherry tree lie and must
St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-21
CONFEssEs HIS CRIME.
James NJ. Mccarthy Relieves til

James NJ. Mccarthy Relieves the
Park Theater of Copper.
Officer Mcmahon, of the central sta
ton. did a good piece of work yester-
day in nabbing James NJ. Mccarthy,
who stole about $50 worth of copper
from the burned Park theater. He and
a chum had been acting suspiciouslg
about the place for some time, and
Manager TraSk determined to keep his
eyes on them. Saturday he missed the
copper boxes that were fastened to the
backs of the chairs to hold the opera
glasses, and he Immediately sus-
pected Mccarthy and his chum of
the crime. He communicated with
the police and gave description of the
fellows. McMa hon was sent to find
them, and yesterday afternoon he saw
one of the men delicately handling a
cue in the Temperance pool room. Nc
Carthy was unwilling to leave his
friends when summoned by the officer,
but few wise words administered by
the latter induced him to accompany the
officer. He at first denied all knowledge
of the theft, but when taken before
Philip Marks, of West Tenth street. to
whom he had sold the copper, ne con-
fesSed, and was taken to the central
station.
St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-21
TOO LATE TO INTERFERE.

Mayor Smith Pertinently Eek
presses His Opinion of the Fight.
City hall officials seem to find no end
of pleasure IN 'jOshing" one another
about the Fitzsimmons-Hall fight. 1t is
a great source of JOY TO them, and many
would think that the most prominent in
dividuals at the fight would be the city
hall boys.
Are you going to interfere with the
fight?" asked a reporter of Mayor
Smith.
mo. sir, replied the mayor. Il shall
do nothing, but just let them fight it
out. We have an athletic club; it is an
athletic club event, and | do not propose
to trouble myself about it, The aglta-
ton against the fight was begun too
late to become effective"
Other persons WHO were asked opin-
ions about the fight gave the same
answer. Some. who are opposed to
fighting. and, who would have openly
antagOnized the FitZsimmOns-Hall fight,
had the agitation been begun when the
fight was first talked of, will now oppose
the anti-fght movement, on the ground
that many have their money into the
thing, and it IS now too late to ask them
10 withdraw. In fact, it would be deed
of injustice to ask the men to lose
their money, when, by early action on
the part of the ministers, they would
have no chance to lose 1t.
St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-21
CERTIFICATES VOID.
City of Saltwater Issues Bonds
Without Legal Authority.

City of Saltwater Issues Bonds
Without Legal Authority.
Judge Thayer has filed an opinion in
the case of The Bangor Savings Bank
against The City of Saltwater, Tnding
that the certificates of Indebtedness or
negotiable bonds issued by the city to
F. A. Lemon 81 Co., for municipal i'm
prOvementS. were issued without the
authority of the law under the city
charter now in existence. The sole
point for determination in the present
case was whether or not the city of
Saltwater had any authority under its
charter to issue negotiable bonds to
Lemon IL Co. for the land to be pro-
cured and services rendered in the con-
templated street Improvements, and
this question the court answers in the
negative. The city issued three GER
tifcates OF Indebtedness aggregating
S21. 250, to be delivered to the plaintiff to
whom Lemon 81 Co. had contracted
to sell the same The court
holds that the city had undoubted
power to contract for the performance
of the work, but not to pay for it in the
manner proposed; as there is an essen
tial difference between borrowing
money to pay for Improvements, and
issuing negotiable bonds for that pur-
pose. All that is now determined is
that the certificates are void, and that
no recovery can be had thereon.
St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-21
COMPARISON OF CONTESTS.
The Difference Between Exhibit
tiOnS and SO-Ca1IPd RrUtaIitY

The Difference Between Exhibit
tions and So-CalIed Brutality.
In speaking Of the much discussed
and all-absorbing topic of the day-the
coming prize Highland athletic sports
in general, prominent citizen yester-
day scored some good points from the
stand point of the athletic club and the
lovers of sporting events. He compared
the late Needham-Ryan contest with
some that have been said to have taken
place in the Y. NJ. c. A. club rooms.
Numerous boxing matches have oc-
CURED there when blood flowed quite
freely and it has taken one or both of
the contestants weeks to recover FROM
the drubbing they received. owing
mainly to their lack of condition. while
Dannie Needham, after standing in the
ring tor over five hours facing an expert
so-called prize fighter and being finally
knocked out, showed up the next day
lust as well as the day before the fight,
barring a slight swelling of the lip and
a little discoloration, and two days after,
in public hall, before thousands OF
peOple, he refereed a long sporting pro-
gramme. On the other hand, take for
instance the tug-ot-War out of the many
even more dangerous athletic eXer-
cises' that are practiced in these rooms
and under their auspices, and in case a
man should break his arm Or leg, would
this be considered a brutal exhibition"
And cases of this kind have occurred
and will continue to occur. In the two
cases cited one man was MANNED for
life while engaged in athletic sports, J"
while in the other, which is character
lied as "a brutal prize night" the victim
was in Just as good condition the next
day. and probably better, owing TO his
training, than any man that walked the
streets of Minneapolis. At any rate,
he remarked, those things are
bound TO take place, and he
thought it much better that they should
take place within the pale of the law
than have them take place in the woods
or in a sequestered spot on the banks of
the river, where there would be liability
of the entire audience becoming en-
gagged in general fight. As evidence
of this he called attention to the entire
order and absence of even the slightest
attempt at rowdyism that prevailed at
the Needham-Ryan fight, and also TO
the respectable class of people that were
in attendance, who, when the fight was
over, remarked that these contests were
not One-tWentieth as bad as they had
been pictured to them, and agreed with
the managers that they were simply an
exhibition of skill and endurance.