Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-03-12

SkETcH AND HISTORY or THE
CONFEDERATE WHITE HOUSE.
torie Buildings and Cemeteries OF
Old Virginia.

tRichmcnd Correspondence St. Louis Rcpubic.l
! Miss Cara Reese contributed TO the Pitts
burg Commercial CARTE an interesting and
glowing account of the Confederate White
House. which you have republished. i feel
very much indicted 10 her and 70 you for
having directed public attention so well
and so widely 10 the matters about which
abe wrote. and especially for spreading a
knowledge of tho laudable work of Rich
mond's noble
In supplementing and partly correcting
come of the information which she has lad
before her readers the most courteous and
friendly spirit is intended.
Miss Reese said that those marble man.
tells which excited her enthusiasm were
executed on q special orde. 60 Rome prloT
70 the war, and st les close. when the Con.
fedcrate White House was abdlcated. teii
into the hands OF a purchaser at a general
sale of the PUNISHMENT Of the mansion.
The mansion was extensively d.stur-
nished before Il was abdicated and before
any such sale. Ind the mautols were not
included in that sale. because. as the law
has II, they were attached 10 the iree-
hold" and went with the house itself. II
they could have boon readily detached
they might nave been taken on. as mostot
the furniture wss. She saws: The ori-
gInal price Of tho mantels was several
thousand dollars. Thelast purchase prlca
is not known The latter y now known
and will be stated. The former Is very
probably overes,imatcd.
Miss Reese says the manson IS OF
smooth. gray stone, and no douot Sn9
thought so. though an c~XaTinalon would
have shown her that II l. bot. for II Is
OF brick, succeed. and there IS no stone
nbout u. except for steps. silis. and rows
of betting separating It's different stories.
BY sirct analogy II ought 10 have been
STYLED the Confederate-Gray or DTaD
House.
the ladies are 10 have II restored ana per
petuated. perhaps you would Ike 10 have
an accurate account Of II without renew
ing. however. a DESCRIPTION Of ia interior.
or OF those lovely manteis whlch once
adorned It, as that has already been 30
graphically gwen.
HISTORY or THE MANSION.
II was erected for DIR. John Broken
Trough. who was for many years the presi-
dent OF The State Bank of Virginia and a
conspicuous figure not only IN Richmond
but throughout the Commonwealth. Inc
writer had the 0ifrcc there and rcmem-
hers attending in IL the wedding Of one or
Mrs. Brockennrough's granddaUghters 10
The Hon. Albert :. White. VINO was then "a
senator Of the United States for Indiana.
When lr. H~rockeDbrough retired to tle
Warm pfluCs. OF which he was theprOprle-
,or. he old u TO HIr. James NJ. MOrson, q
Young LAWYER of kichmOnd aud then re-
Gently married. This new owner was n
man Of taste. ambition, and hboTality and
had the wnercwithal 10 crafty them.
lilo had tire third story added. the house
reatuccoeI without and refrescOcd within
and generally reuticd; and he introduced
those beautiful Carrara-marble mantels.
HIS architect. Mr.. Henry EXall. told ne not
long before his death that he found them
IN phllRdelphla. already executed; but
ifthey could not have stood criticism they
would not have been approved. The IN
ouiry was made Of Mr.. EXall because Mrs.
DAVIS had directed attention TO them III
her memoirs of her husband. MIR. Morson
took the writer up 70 the house Whilst the
improvements were going on, and aiter,
he thinks, the mantels had been set. and
welcomed him 40 the generous hopitaltY
for which be was so layishly preparing.
When he concluded TO retire to a
fine country seat no disposed OF
his residence here TO hIs wealthy
sister-inlaw, wno became the wife
OF his first cousin and l~aW-pattner, the
Hon. James 4. Seldom. Thus 1t was
owned and occupied by a gentleman VINO
was destined 10 become one Of Preudent
Davis 5 Secretaries ofNar but p~reylouSto
that honor he had been a member of Con
press and one OF the representatives OF
Virginia IN the Peace Congress held at tho
beginning of the s~tupcndous struggle.
MIR. seldom. Mr.. Morson, and the writer
were friends al school III fredericksburg,
az the university, and at the bar III Rich
mOnd.
MIR. Seldom also determined 10 remove
10 the country and conveyed his elegant
residence to Dir. Lewis D.. Crenshaw, who
sold II to the city OF Richmond tor c53,oJO.
Tue city furnished II 10 the extent OF
$4,000 and rendered the use ot II 10 fresi-
don't DAVIS when the Confederate capital
was removed hithCr. But he declined the
ofor. and then the Confederate govern
ment rented IT for him, commencing on or
about June 10, 1851.
THOSE MANTELs.
Mrs. Davis IN her memoir of her hus-
band (page 1899 takes the following notice
of those now famous mantels: The Car
rara-marble mantels were the delight or
our children. One was "A special taYorlte
with them. on which the whole plaster
was covered by two lovely figures OF hebe
and Diana on either size. III bold rellef,
which. with c~OmmendatOry taste. were
not carvatides. The little boys, jefferson
and Joseph. climbed up to the lips OF
these pretty ladies' and showcred
kIsos on them. The entabi ature was
Apollo IN his chariot IN basso re-
Ifro. Another was "a charming con
ception OF CUPID and PsyGhe, WITT
Gnido's Aurora for the entablatnre. A
lady, more IN love with art h learned
IA ~pronouncing cazetteers. sad viii
pleasure shining in her eyes, Il do sc
love Cupid and Pish sometimes J. forget
any one Is talking 10 me-" Sne an
fers from Miss Reese. who SAYS one
of tho figures represents Nlooe;,
do not Tecollect which Is rlght; out Mts
Davis ought TO know, and though th'
children might have kissed "a tondly the
weeping Niobo (who would now oe a bet
ter representative of the Lost Cause" y.
she does rot seem TO DO as appropriate az
the chaste and joyous classic huntress II
a place where refined sociality ana les
tiyity were likely TO abound, and did, Oh
the old Virginia scale.
was evacuated. in April. 1865, the United
States military took possession, OF the
Presidents house for their headquarters
and held 1t until September D. 1910. more
than FIVE years.
b tho wear 1869 this CITY began hel
efforts TO recover her property and ap
pointed agents for that purpose. IL hac
been so injured and despoiled that tn,
furniture did not, at the highest estimate
amount TO more than -, 900. Some valued
II at only 1900; and when at last she re
celyed O part Of her own her counsel or
dercd an advertisement to be Inserted II
the newspapers calling for her missing
valuables and offering rewards TO any wh(
might aid in recovering them.
But for the earnest efforts of her agents
here and IN Washington General CANDY
would have turned the Davis mansion Owe
70 the Ereedmon's Bureau for a negro nor
nal schools II Is worth noting that there
is at the present time, out IN front OF saiC
mansion and not far from It. the ColoreC
Normal School, established and maintain
ed, IN an excellent brick edihce, by thu
city.
pRRDED BACK TO RICHMOND.
General Candy contended that the cap
ture OF Richmond gave tho United State
title TO that property, but the city showed
that the COnfederacy never owned, bu
only rented 1t. and that 60 such It'll
could be set up against her. That beneyo
lent General did. however, recommend OF
January 3. 1870, las an act OF clemency,
that u be restored to her " on condition
that II be devoted 20 charitable purposes,
The city insisted that she was entitled
not only 10 the TepossessIon OF the man
sion, but 10 compensation for the use o
" - l.. 1..,.,a dana 90 fa f1FFf