Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-06-05
OIDLANDMARK GONE
. eope,s PINE" N PoWHA'AN
KILLED BY LITTLE INSECTS
Tho sfost Prominent Tree !" INC
80 O,.r . Ceutury-Au Historic
and Hospitsbie Mansion
.,,,.,,. ., m. g,cbnond Dlspascb.l


powHArAN COURTHOUSE. june
"Pope's Pine" standing on an eie'a,ou
nos;t;on. and so tall, that for twenty m'ies
or more. from the high places IN 'nis h"o
adiournine counties. is lofty so,'a', VIZ
might be seen towering above the no''s
zon.-a prom,nent landmark for upwnrusoi
aIcentury-has been killed by the ,"Seos
which is now destroying a large poi',on "
the plne forests Of this region. IL naS
history. perhaps interesting 10 those wnS
like TO read OF tho times ana eus'on'
the people of the past. xos;dance
Colonel william Pope built DIS resiuss.h ~
called Montpelier. near the centre "a ,u
county of Powhatan. In the year 100. a.
in a abort distance from the forest IN wn'cn
he builr il there was a small fieid: ciea,eu up
and worn out by some colonial settisi, ~
t sn middle of which grew tall and Wig
orous pine OF the secondary growth
TIE CAP OF LIBERTY.
II was the custom Of those days. espe-
cialiv among the Surviving soldiers o, ,ne
Eeyolution. among whom was to,opo.
Pope. to celebrate the Fourth Oh Jm'y ~
ercct;no in front Of the house TAN poie
surmounted nv the cap of liberty Ike thhi
sfamped on the old-fashioned copper cent.
10 save the trouble of erecting me poise
every year Colonel Pope had the hln4s VI
this nine trimmed M nearly 70 lne 10Y. ~
winch he affixed his cap OF Liberty tnus
celahrating the day with big barbecue
given AT his springs 10 his TRENDS ana
neicbbors. A tradition is preseryeh mat
the pine-tree was trimmed mp by pieasaht
Farley. then youth, IN consideration Vi
nair OF corduroy brooches. then mucn
worn and which had succeeded the leather
breeches once so much in use.
NEEDED THE BRKEcHEs.
Forlev was afterwards n soldier in the
war of 1912. and he died on the night OF the
day be had rode to Powhatan Courthouse
10 vote the Democratic ticket IN the eIeat
contest of 1855. without consideration he
commenced 20 trim the tree from the Dot
tom, and when he had gotten 70 the Top.
and finding no limbs 10 rest on nc maze
perceptible slide TO the bottom, where
stood Mr.. Pope and the servants, whom ne
lad aroused by his affrishted cries when
he saw such immense distance spread
around him and below him from the top OF
the pine. and who had nut all the. BEES
that could be raised on the place 10 break
lis fall. Unfortuna civ for HIM the
bounds unobseryed were behind the group,
thinking that some yarnlnt was en-
freed" and when Farley reached Doll lin
they fell upon him. and surely he did need
a mir of brooches when they were driven
of.
puAPIDATroS AND DECAY.
7. vas time for the old pine to die when
the old plantation of 1000 acres around us
foot was deserted and uncutlvated. Inc
hills the old tobacco lots, are scanned with
guIies and Scared with Rauls. The low
grounds. now turned 10 boys. where once
crew the finest. corn, wheat. and oats. oniv
support the bullfrogs. who with Their
doiorous cries break the silence OF the
night. feebly illuminated by the flare
of the Jack o. lantern" floating
down the stream. This old Virginia
mansion il tumbling in decay, Inc
porches have fallen. the early ana the
latter rains fall through the roof INTO the
halls and chambers, where died the fathers
of three generations. But it has had Its
dav. All the old Virginians visited there
when the old Colonel dispensed a generous
and lavish hospitality. John Randolph OF
Roanoke spent under its roof the night
after the day he had for the first time
spoken at the court house against Powha-
tan Boiling, his Federalist opponent for
Congress- William Writ, the lifelong
friend of Colonel Pope. whose correspond,
ence is preserved III hennedy LIE Oh
Writ (Which would have been written by
Washington Irving If he had not been sent
as Ambassador to SPAIN. Daoney Cav,
Judge Bouldn. Judge Clopton. the lawyers
from every superior court, Samuel Taylor.
Philip n. Nicholas. Judge j. w. Nash,
Holden Rhodes, with many other celeDri-
ties OF the day, were his friends ana en-
loved the hospitality OF Montpelier.
soNoGENARIAN.
Colonel Pope lived to be 80 years old and
knew personally every President from
Washington 10 Polk. He was Common
wealth's attorney of the superior courts OF
Goochland and Powhatan for nearly half a
century. The land upon. which he lived
had been in the family for five genera,
tons. some of it held under the original
patent. II descended TO his grandson,
Judge william Pope Dabney, who sold 1t
about ten years ago. 1t Is now owned by
a nonresident OF the State, and, like most
| of the old plantations in this region, when
are so large and SO poor that they cannot
be sold. is worked upon the " Metayer sys,,
| TEN. - which Adam Smith in his Wealth OF
Nations so much condemns as the most
ruinous system OF agriculture then ~
| vogue in some parts of Europe. we call
il part of the crop" II ought to be
called rack rent"