The Washington times. (Washington, D.C.) 1894-1895, 1895-06-12

The granddaughter of Francis Scott Key,
the immortal author of the Star Spangled
Banner said 10 a Times reporter yester
! day that after the first Of the coming month
! she will be absolutely without means OF sup
| port. The pity OF this is intensified by the
| circumstances that this lady, Miss Elizabeth
! n. Key, is tie only means of support to a
mother eighty-seven years OF age, who is
blind and helpless
II was learned that Miss Key was, up till
last Friday, an employe OF the Pension Bur
| eau, where she has been getting a salary OF
| 81. 0o0 a year. She was appointed from
Maryland in 1881, through the kindly Of
| fices of Senator Pendieton. She was once
! promoted to 81 200 year, but was re-
| duced again and on the average for the four
/ teen years OF service has received 81 900
| per annun
On Friday last she was handed a yellow
| Slip that always means discharge Speak
| ing on this subject to Tie Times at her resi-
dence. $50 Twentieth street, yesterday, she
said:
1T came on me like thnnderbolt 1
/ knew that reductions were to be made but
I had no idea TINT / was to suffer under a
/ Democratic administration, and especially,
| as all OF my family have always been Demo-
Gratis
TRYING TO GET INFLUENCE.
Yes, | am going 10 try TO be reinstated
! and have written TO some friends 10 have
influence exerted in my behalf II / had
/ knowledge that l was To be affected by the
/ change | would have made some effort to
/ be retained, but as l have said / was taken
! entirely unawares.
Il haYe. no complaint to make against the
/ commissioner, as he was carrying out the
| law, and have made no application 10 him
| yet Tor reinstatement. -
! 1t is understood thai Miss Key viii state
! her case 10 Senator German, whom, by the
/ way, ste does not know personally. She
/ does not know any OF the politicians and
| having passed through so many administra-
! lions without Interference she probably
assumed that She would not be disturbed
/ in the present regime
Miss Key is the daughter OF Francis Scott
] Key, the eldest son OF the composer Of the
great American lyric. While d monument
| is to be erected in honor of him by Mary
/ leaders, his granddaughter, according to
her own statement, has been dismissed
from the public service suInmarly and
4 without cause assigned.
4 friend OF Miss Key said yesterday that
( while the reductions in the appropriations
made il necessary to dispense with the
! services OF one hundred and sixty-five
/ clerks on the Pension Office roll, the com
missioner yet succeeded in transferring
/ sixty-siX 70 other departments aud saved
+ their heads, bat Miss Key was entirely
/ ignored.
This correspondent friend also said that
J Miss Key was exceedingly efficient and
! deserved consideration from that standpoint
alone, apart from the sentimental one as
signed.
HER BLIND MOTHER
Miss Key III her talk with The Times re-
! ferred in the most affectionate terms to her
! aged mother in describing her condition
The eyesgiIt of the old lady has been i'm
! paired to such n degree that she is only
/ conscious of light, objects being TO her
dark, undistinguishable forms. Her meat
! has TO be cut for her at the table, and one
can well imagine the depressing effect Of
the news OF her daughters removal on this
/ excellent mother.
One can also equally imagine how the
French people would receive the news Of
the dismissal from paltry office of a
relative of the author of the 'Marseillaise
| Hymn
Miss Key did not refer to her relationship
to the composer of the star Spau%lcd Ban
neT'' as reason why she should either
hold or be retained in office, for, as a
| matter Of fact. very few people are aware of
the fsctof the relationship. She looked
only to tie hardship OF the fact that she
| was dismissed al this late day from small
office which was her only support and of
her afflicted mother without warning
or, as she graphically put it, the news
came to her like a thuBdeTbolt.
Miss Key is only boarder in the house
on Twentieth street, where she moved
not long ago. She expressed her gratitude
that some interest was to be manifested
in her case by The Times. She is well
educated. is of engaging address, pleasing
] in appearance. and to all appearances quite
able TO do the best of service.