The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-07-18
THEY SEEK RELICS
HOW WASHINGTON'S COACH WAS Sc.
CURED FOR MOUNT VERNON.

For Two Years In Philadelphia Anti
quarian's window-Carried Around tn,
Country In a Side Show-Smuggled On
of the City In a Box Car.
.'Have ! told you the story of how W,
recovered Washington's coach?'' asked tn,
superintendent as he leaned back in hi
chair
.'No," replied the woman from the west
Sine WAS curied up in one corner of thu
great mahogany sofa, trying to weave 6
story about the great brick with the word:
Rogue, thief and liar burned into it,
which had been dug up near the west
lodge gate of Mount Vernon.
No. she said ''Teu it to me-
Mr.. Dodge smiled the smile of man
who Is asked to mount his hobby. He
put his finger tips together and began.
OF course, =" he said ''we've been try
Ing to get coach that belonged to Wash
ington for long time. The ladies of the
Mount Vernon Ladies' association have
followed every clew they could find. They
could not let it be known, of course, that
they were looking for a coach, for at once
any dealer who had such thing would
advance its price beyond reason.
''The ladies had despaired of ever finding
it, when one day as l was showing a party
of visitors through the mansion and
grounds one of them said:
'''You ought to have Washington s
coach in the carriage house.
Yes, we'd like to have it, said.
why, know where it is, he said.
81 almost had heart failure at the news.
led him aside and questioned him. He
told me that he had often seen an old car
riagc in the window of an old antiquarian 8
shop on Chestnut street, think, that was
placarded 'Washington's coachr He was
sure he had seen it very recently.
Il wrote at Cnce to Mr.. r. L. Brown
field in Philadelphia-a man who is an en-
thusiastic antiquarian-and asked him to
See the owner of the coach and find out
what il could DE secured for. He went to
the shop, but although my informant was
sure re had seen it very recently Mr..
Brownicld discovered that the coach had
been SOLD two years before to Forepaugh,
the circus man, for $50"
Il wrote to Forepaugh. There was no
answer. l discovered that Forepaugh had
died. i wrote 10 the executor of his estate,
and after "a long delay l was informed that
the coach, with various other relics, had
been sold to the Barnum s. Bailey circus
and was now appearing in side shows some
where in the west. / wrote to this place
and to that, but the circus was on the
move constantly, and received no answer
80 my appeals. Enough of the history Of
the coach had been learned from the Phil
adt,lphia dealer who had owned it to estab-
lissh its authenticity beyond the shadow of
doubt On the I'd day of July i received
q letter from Mr.. Brownfield. Il have Sc
CURED the coach, it said. Come and get
III at once, for viii not be responsible for
! Il took the next train for Philadelphia
and Went at once to MIR. Brownfleld's
thouse. He seemed greatly relieved TO see
me-"
And when did he get the coach?" asked
the woman from the west.
That he did not tell me, nor did he tell
me how mueh he paid for it. He simply
made present of it to the ladies, and he
wanted it taken off his hands as soon aa
possible
1t was, as l said, the I'd of July when
] received Mr. Brownfields letter 1t was
now the Cd. 1t had been rumored in Phil
adciphia that the coach was in town, and
ii was proposed to have it form part of the
parade on the Fourth of July. Mr. Brown
field had not been seriously opposed to the
idea, when information reached him from
u reliable source that there was to be an
organized attempt TO steal the coach. The
route of tho parade was known, and at
certain corner the coach was to be dragged
from the line and hurried down a side
street. At any rate, certain persons had
determined that Washington's family
coach should never leave Philadelphia.
MIR Brownfield went with me ID So
the coach 1t WAS one of the hottest days
ever knew, and we were Obliged to WALK
a long distance. The coadA was in the at
tie of Il building which had once been used
rs the winter quarters of circus. 1t waI
in one of the toughest parts of the town,
and nobody knew of the coach presence.
We toiled up the stairs, and Mr. Brown
field threw open the doors with IA flourish.
There stood the object of my search
Washington's family coach.
Il went out and went to the freight
yard of the nearest railroad i ordered a
box car. The Ngent in charge did not
think l could get one on a siding and at
tachcl to "a freight train until the morning
% the 9th, as il was now getting into the
afternoon of the Sd. | insisted, but |
could not tell what | wanted it for. Final
~ he promised To have the car ready, and /
went back 10 the coach. / borrowed n car
riage cover from IA livery stable and covered
the old vehicle Then / went into another
quarter of the town and engaged four stout /
Negro men.
Then we took the coach down, and fol- I
lowed by a hootiIg crowd of small boys, /
each begging ii ride, we dragged the coach /
through the streets. got ii aboard the box
car and 1 nailed the door shut. Mr..
Brownfield was with me. We shook each :
others hands with feeling. Then We Went (
away together and took a drink. "
And the coach?" asked the woman /
from the west.
Come and see it, - said the superintend- |
ent
He passed out through the office door /
across the early green of the smooth shaven /
lawn and down the hill 10 the coachhouse. /
group Of reverent tourists hung about 4
the door, but over thoir shoulders tho /
western woman caught a glimpse OF /
shabby. dingy, ugly, brown old coach, that I.
even in its best days could never have been |
at all elegant Ii WAS Washington fam
ily coach The woman IOm the west 1
turned away. Then her eye let the eye %
the superintendent, and they laughed the !
laugh of people who appreciate their own
.ollics. Ruth kimbali in Washington