Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-02-21
SAW WASHINGTON LAST.
A Virginia Bricklayer Who Had
That Honor.
The Facts ~ Related BY an Aged Negrs
Who Yet Guards the Vault That
Contains the Sacred Dust Of
the WsshingtOns.

One Of the last persons to see the re.
mains Of Gen, George Washington was
George Burgess, who recently died in
Alexandria, Va, at an advanced age.
Burgess was an apprentice at tho brick
laying trade ut the time ten, Washing
tons body was taken from Its resting
place in the old family vaultand placed
In the marble tomb where II now Is.
The Washington homestead is
thrce.story building on the high bank
Of the Potomac river at Mount Vernon.
1t Is probably one hundred and fifty
fcetlong and about forty feet wide, and
runs north and south The room in
which George Washington died is in the
second story Of the house and ut the
extreme south, The room In which
Martha Washington died is immcdiate-
ly above IL. After his death, 1t is said,
She had window cut In the southern
exposure Of the house In the room
which she afterward occupied, In
order that she might see her husbands
tomb The family vault in which her
husbands remains were temporarily
placed was ut the brow Of the hill,
about two hundred feet Immediately
south Of the house A large number
OF the bodies OF relatives were also
placed In this vault.
The present site occupied by the
Washington vault, says the Chicago
Times, is one selected by Washington
himself, and the story Of It's being
built is told by Edward Parker, the old
colored nun, who explains to visitors
what the vault contained When he
was asked II he know Burgess and
Burgess claim Of having seen Wash
ington's body was correct he said
followed ground like this ycre does
not make all good who live upon it A
man TO gain eternal salvation must be
born uguin, and only when he Is born
again can he hope to live in eternal
peace with his Maker When the gen.
eral died and his remains were placed
In the other vault It was not intended
that his remains should always stay
there. This site was chosen by the
general hissclf when he was alive for
a family vault The building Of this
vault was delayed for years on differ
ent prctcxts and this Is how 1t came to
be built by Burgess boss at lust There
was an English gardener here whose
time had ncurly expired, and he
Thought. oould make fortune II he
could steal Gems NuolIington's skull
and hold 1t until reward was offered
In the same vault with the general d
remains was u number Of others. Tho
gardener succeeded in getting into tho
vault and getting a skull lie was dis
covered and the skull taken from him.
burgess boss was given the JOB OF
building the vault and after 1t was lin
lshcd the generals remains were moved
over here. The coffin was opened ard
II was found tAut the body was intact
and all there Burgess was present
when the coffin was opened and ! reck-
on he seen the body In this vault are
forty.two others beside the generals
family The whole floor spqee Is filled
and that Is the reason these other
bodies are buried outside.
He also said thut the bones OF many
of the bodies were piled in the corner
Parker said he was brought to the
place when about fourteen years old,
This, he suys, was in 1911, and he has
remained In the ncighborlood ever
since, He wears an army uniform and
is deeply religious.
While The old colorcd man was rev.
erently telling all he knew OF Wash
inpton he was approached by q man
and woman, both Of whom were well
dressed and seemed Intelligent The
couple looked at the tomb Of Washing
ton, and his wife, turning to Parker,
suid Uncle can you tell 'ls where
the cherry tree is that Washington Is
said to have cut down with his little
hatchct2'
Parker stopped in the middle OF a
sentence, and, turning toward them,
Indignantly replied "Well, well, II
YOU are looking for that tree you Will
nave togo to Westmoreland county
The couple started down the lnne,
paving no attention to Parker, as he
asked them If they would not like to
take a souvenir home with them
Parker continuing his talk, said:
"Somc people haven't any sense,
reckon. for they ask all sorts OF foolish
questions about George Washington
and his family
Parker takes especial Interest IN
pointing out the trees planted BY Dom
Pedro Of Brazil, the Sigma Chi fra-
ternty and the English oak planted
to take the place Of the horse chestnut
set out by the prince Of Wales during
his visit to this country, and which
has since died He collects quite fcw
dimes eacb year by selling souvenirs.
After finishing his lecture he lnvari-
ably turns toward his audience and
asks
Don't You want souvenir
From the large pockets of his coat he
fishes up number Of cedar hntchets
whitfield out with knife, and dried
magnolia blossom. which he says came
from d tree planted by Washington
himself
Michigan people are attracted to the
coach house at Mount Vernon by n
sIpn on It that II wus restored BY
Michigan. In this couch house Is q
thrce-seated coach used bg Washington
and Ais family
A.. Anel.uf ftanf Nate,