Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-01-15
BLAINE IN WASHINGTON.
He WAS FOND or LIFE AND
HusTLE,
And Wanled 10 Live Who're No Could See che
Lie Of the City" Something About the
House Now Occupied BY ihe Family

""uso w" VSCuploe ny lne ramHI
Mr. Blaine has had many homes IN
! Washington. and they have with one
or two exceptions, been located In the
/ political and business centre of the city.
He was fond Of life and hustle Il has
hnpprued that his homes, most Of them
at least, hnyc interesting historic assuc-
atious attached. While be was speaker
of the house Of representatives he lived
&C S2l Fifteenth street. In the block ot
houses situated between the ShOreham
aud Normande and now occupied by
| John Chamberln ~ u hotal
10 WIS while living there TINT he ex-
| pcricn,vd the first illness which nttrncf-
| cd national notice. u occurred on tho
! Sunday before the meeting of the national
| Republican convention in Cincinnati "a
nominate its candidate TO succeed Gen-
cWl Grant IN the presidency. As was
their custoni Mr.. aud Mrs. Blaine
went 10 the First Congregational church
tn attend seryice While walking into
| The building he fen upon the stone steps.
from the cifccts Of what was then said
| 90 he n sunsirukc, Int which was really.
/ IL IL believed, the first manifestation of
| the disease front which he suffered iu
| these later DAVIS
He was carried 10 his home and for
| hours lay Va an apparently dying c0ndi-
| ton. The news of his ilmcgs created cx-
/ citcment Ia Washington and large crowds
gathered nhout the house Hourly hui.
| lcuns were hung ON the iron pickcis Ia
| front of the house to keep nnxiOus friends
from iuQuidng az the door nnd that an
| might knOw Of his condition He still
! resided there whcl made secretary OF
stnte 10y President Garfield
| The next winter, huwcvcr the family
| moved into the new house on Dupont
! Circle still known ns the Blaine house.
| although he leased II subsequently TO
| Mr. l.. Z. letter formerly of Chicago.
| who occupied V tlll " was badly damaged
! 10y fire. Then Mr. Blaine's eldest daurh-
ter married COLONEL C0ppinrer
Tho house never suited cithor Mr.. or
| Mrs. Blaine. the former decinng It too
| iar from the Me &c The city. After
! another winter IN the Window house ON
| Scott Oirrlo. now the home OF Mr. and
| Mrs Hum, the InineR moved 20 the
house ON the west side Of Lafayette
square, next 60 Gcueml Realr's. the
| winter home of Mr. Scott rownshend
Here ho enjoyed himself worry much
ana here he finished his Twenty Years
| Ia Congress"
II was after hs appointment az Sec
| rtnry Of state hv President Harrison
that Mr. Blaine took the horse az pre-
sent occupied 10y the family The FIRST
months Of the administration the score
| tury occupied rooms Vt the Normnndie
aud there Il was that he gave Inc dinner
| TO the delegates t0 tho international
mnrllimc conference, whom electric
| lights were first used for the table dccorn-
tons In Washington. The residence. II
| Madison place, Inns most varied history.
| interesting. probably. beyond that of
any house IN Washington.
Originally II wns the elite boarding
house Of Washington, aud had among
us occupants John 6, Calhoun, when he
was luckson'E secretary Of war and vice
| president, and Henry Clay, when he
wna Adamgs secretary of state. Ii also
sheltered President Folk. who occupied
| the third ilOor while some ropnirR were
being made In The White House. Pas
sing into possession Of the Washington
club It became The resort OF the fashion.
able Young men Of the capital Sicllles
aud Key were members, aud the tragedy
which associates their names was enacted
| u front of ita door
The tree arninst which Key fell nud
| died Inns bean removed but the root
siill remains During the war it was
the residence of w. H. Seward, Lincoln's
secretary Of state. aud the deadly assault
of the nHanesn was made upon him
while lying Ia the chamber which Mr.
Blaine Inns occupied Since the war and
before the Blaine family took pOssea-
sion the house was used for government
purposes, and afterwards long remained
| NNiAhAH NAlf lNANAlNi OF Inc nNNNts HnNH
ever was 80 convenient aud the uppOr-
tunitieH 10 view whit Mr. Bnine was
| fond OF calling 'fhc life of the city,
were 30 excellent that all other consiti
craions were overlooked, aud ten-year
lease OF The property ulken, with the
privilege of purchaser
II WAS transformed Into cOmfOr-
table mansion. Upon the return of the
family from their summer vacation Ia
1852 they took Possession Of the rcInod-
cled house one Of the rhunges made
was ihe cutting of the south wall aud
addition of four windows 20 let light
aud sunshine into the interior While
not lncking the supomiii0ns To augnr
trouble and Sadness for The household,
because OF them, Put IN a new win.
dow and let ont an old friend WIS "a
saying often quoted aud remembered
! afterwards. IN view OF tho nathefioally
sad history of the family,
In the holiday week that followed.
Mrs, Banes sister, Miss Stnn,ynol
died at her h0nie In Augusta. Me.
! While she was returning Ia Washington
after the funeral, Mr.. Blaine's brother.
Alaiog Blaine, died Ia ihe WEST The
Grst breakfast 10 the diplomatic corps.
and The accompanying Now Years re-
ccptiOn were held under the depressing
conditions attendant upon this double
bereavement
But these were only q beginning nf
the troubles the family were to pass
through. Within the succeeding two
months, Mr. Copplneer, the eldest tnnglI-
ter and Walker, the eldest son, died
The Lass death occurred almost stimuli.
taneOusly with the tragedy which de-
pnyed Secretary Tracy Of his wife and
daughtcr, and the combination of sor-
rows produced an impression throughout
the cOuntry that MAS not llghtoncd for
months.
Then followed flie death az Emmons
Blaine, his second son, ID Chicago. The
one oOnApiou0uHy cheerful event In tho
experience Of the family IN the house
was the wedding of Miss Margaret
Blaine TO Mr. Walter DamrosclL after
romantic c0urtslin on coaching tour
through the Scottish Highlands as tho
quests Of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Carnegie,
which marriage took place on the 18th
Of May. 1880