The morning times., 1895-09-29
STORIES OF EARLY DAYS
When Williams Slave Pen Was
on the Island"
OVER IN OLD GEORGETOWN
Lamps We're Aba ndoned and for Years
Streets We're Dark-Parrot's Rope
COntract-Abductio of Slaves by
litiOnists-InvasiOn by Ants.
President Adams Spade.


Old residents of Georgetown tell some
curious stories of early days there. The
place was metropolis for this part OF
Maryland when Washington was founded.
of its semi-centennial when Washington
For long time after the National Capt.
tai had been laid out 1t continued to be
the business center. 1t grew steadily
till 1880 and then in the next decade
fell off greatly in business and declined
a few hundreds in population.
About that time there began to be great
complaint that the farmers aud travellers
and everybody, attracted by the govern
ment interests beyond Rock Creek, were
getting in the habit of passing through
Georgetown without stopping at all. Even
the farmers OF Montgomery county would
no longer stop to traffic in butter and
eggs and barter for ribbon and molasses.
One of the sights of the town in those days
was the gangs of negroes brought in for
sale. The farms OF Montgomery County
had then been greatly Impoverished by bad
farming and shiftlessness. 1t Is to the
great credit of the inhabitants that they have
since seen the mistake of careless treatment
of their land.and have made the county one
of the best farming sections on the Atlantic
coast. But then the negroes constituted
the most valuable crop.
Frequently an old farmer would Sell a
whole family, and often buyers for the
Georgia cotton plantations would have
gang of twenty or thirty to bring in at one
time. They Were wont to come marching
through the streets at evening on the way
to Williams slave pen, ION the island" as
South Washington was then known. The
bucks" We're ranged alongside a log chain
thirty feet long, handcuffed in double
row.
A DOLEFUL SPECTACLE.
They were followed by wagons bringing
the women and children. 1t was usually
a doleful spectacle. Sometimes, however,
the sorrow of leaving home and kindred
would have passed away and the men would
be singing plantation melodies while the
families We're laughing and talking to-
gether as pleasantly as an emigrant
train moving TO the far West.
One autumn. eighty-five years ago, the
town authorities were seized with a cesire
for improvements They wanted a bridge
across the Potomac and lights for the
streets The latter they secured by vote,
and oil lamps were put up at the corner
of every street. The streets had recently
been renamed The lamps were especially
needed, 1t was stated, to enable citizens
to get home from church Sunday night.
These lamps continued in use until 1s<s.
The posts had gradually decayed, andas one
disappeared II " as not displaced. Finally,
there were only four. These were about
the market place. A runaway wagon one
day tore away one of these and for nearly
a year three furnished the street lighting.
On September &c, 1910. the same year
the lights were put up, contract was
awarded to Richard Parrot to make rope
long enough to reach across the Potomac
at low tide. The rope was completed at the
appointed time, and the whole population
turned out to see it stretched across the
stream.
STRETCHING THE CABLE.
First a dozen men took their stations on
each side of the river and attempted to
lift the cable from Its position on boats
in the river. They were unable, of course,
to stir It. Then about fifty on side made
the attempt, and finally every ible-bodied
man in the town was called on, but they
only succeeded in pulling the rope into the
water and getting 1t wet, after which
there was no hope of ever stretching 1t
tight so as to get the width of the stream.
The effort was never repeated.
In January, 1925, novel experiment
was tried 1t was the use of steel triangle
instead OF bell. 1t was hung on the tower
of the town hall and was sounded at various
times to give signals ofmeetings and fires.
It's chief use, however, was to ring at
10 O'Clock at night to give the negroes
warming to clear the streets. 1t was very
effective for this purpose, but finally one
night the cord which held it wore through
and the instrument came crashing through
the roof of the watch tower. Ii was never
replaced, but the old system of blowing
warning with tin horns was resumed.
One OF the most exciting episodes was the
carrying away of a number OF slaves by alb
olitionists in 1S4S. On Saturday, April
To- that year, the schooner Pearl came
into port. She was commanded by Capt
sayres. During the day she discharged
cargo of wood. Next morning the Pearl
was gone, and a score of Washington and
Georgetown families had to get Sunday
breakfast Tor themselves. In all, seventy
three slaves were missing.
MANNED FOR ACTION.
Volunteers offered and the steamer Salem
was manned with heavily armed force
and a swivel gun placed aboard. Chase
was begun down the bay. In the meantime
word was sent to Baltimore to intercept
the runaways there.
But the Salem overbauIed the Pearl at
Cornfield Landing, near the mouth of the
Potomac. No resistance was offered and
the two boats reached Georgetown about
the middle of the same week. The negroes
were restored to their masters and some Of
them, doubtless, soundly whipped.
The white men on the ReaFI, ,Sapt. Sayres,
Daniel Drayton, and Chester English, were
held for trial under $4,000 bond for each.
About the time the negroes were brought
back q mob attacked the office Of the
National Era. an abolitionist paper, pub
lshed by j. W, Bailey. The building was
just opposite the Patent Office and
mighty throng assembled.
John q. Goddard, a peace officer, of pow
erful physique, stepped in the doorway of
the office and faced the crowd. Plao-
ing one hand Oh each doorpost be shouted,
alrrI.- L. ~f-~I.k