Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-02-03

ily. On the night o. April Ia. 1865. while Mr..
Seward lay sick in bed in one of the upper
rooms. big, oak complexioned, broad
sboul,iered man rang the door bell and
told the servant who admitted him that
be had package of medicine which the Sec
retary's physician had ordered to be delv-
cred to him personally. The servant re
fused to allow him to go upstairs and the
Secretary's SOD, Frederick w. Seward. also
opposed him; but the stranger, making a
feint of departure, suddenly sprang at
Frederick and felled him to the floor with
the butt of q revolver, almost on the same
instant slashing the servant with knife.
He then darted forward and reached the
sick chamber where Secretary Seward was
sitting up in bed. The knife cleaned again
and Mr.. Seward, weak and helpless, was
stabbed in the face and neck, but thu band
ages that swathed his neck saved him
from mortal wound. As the murderous
intruder retreated he was again intercepted,
this time by Major Augustus H. Seward
and an attendant, but he shook them off,
and running down stairs, leaped on his
horse and rode Off. He was captured a
few days later. and being fully identified
as Lewis Payne, one Of the men
implicated in President Lincoll's
death. was tried, condemned and ex-
ecuted with his fellow-conspirators.
Secretary Of War Belknap was the next
tenant of tne house of misfortune. and for
time the sober old ediice became gay with
the life of the Grant regime. Before twelve
month its evil genius had again asserted it.
self and Mrs. Belknap lay dead under its
roof after a brief illness. Then, after the
Belknaps vacated, it again did duty, as in
the earlier days, as a boarding house, but
Washington hal somehow got the impress
sion that the place was uncanny and that its
tenants were dogge by an evil fate. For
time the Commissary Generals staff
held possession, then when they had
moved to the War Departments new build
ing it was again tenantless. 1t was about
this time that Mr.. Blaine, shortly after his
appointment as Secretary of State by Presl-
dent Harrison, astoaished his friends by
renting the ill-omened house for ten years
at $1,000 year. He decorated and reno
waited it throughout, tearing down the walls
of the room in which the attempt on Mr..
Stewards life took place, and by generous
expenditures transformed the dingy old
wIde.roomed house into a magnificent mod
ern residence. Yet all the changes failed to
eradicate the characteristic attributed to the
mansion by the superstitious Washington
ians. Becoming its tenant, MIR. Blaine has
encountered the greatest reverses to his am'
billions. and experienced the keenest sorrows
of his life
MR.. BLAINEs HOUSEHOLD.
OF Mr.. Blaine's six children. three-two
sons and adaughter--were suddenly stricken
down by death after reaching maturity. His
eldest son, Walker, young man OF
fine parts. who had given evidence
of rare abilities AMI was apparently
destined to brilliant future, died two years
ago. Eumons, his second son, bright
business man, in manner and character
closely resembling his father. also died sud-
denly in tho heyday of youth and prosperity.
A third and crushing bereav ement was
the death of the eldest daugh ter, Alice,
who was married to Lieutenant Colonel
John J. Coppinger. 1t followed closely
on the death of her brother, Walker
Blaine, whose funeral she was at
tending when seizei by the fatal lii
ness. OF the three surviving children
the son, James G., made an unfortunate
marriage, the results of which EN-
bittered the latter years Of his fathers
life. One of the daughters. Miss Margaret,
is married to Mr.. Walter Damr osch, the IA
nous New York musical director, and the
other, Miss Harriet, is unmarried. Mrs