The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-06-18
CHASE AFTER A RELIC
HOW WAShjNGTON'S COACH WAS Sc
CURED FOR MOUNT VERNON.

For Tive Years In n philadelphia Anti
quarian's winiow-Carricd Around the
Country In Side show-Smuggied Out
OF tho City In Box Car.
Have I told you the story of how we
coCovcred Waahington's coachf" asked the
superintendent us no leaned buck in his
chair
NO" replied the woman from tho west
She WIS curled up in ono corner Of the
gfcot mahogany sofa, trying to weave q
story about the greet brick with tho words
Rogue, thief and liar burned into 1t,
which had been dug up near the west
lodge gate of Mount Vernon.
No." she said. "Ten 1t to me-
Mr.. Dodge smiled the smilo of a man
who Is asked to mount his hobby He
put his finger tips together and began.
"Of COURSE" he said, "wevo been try
ing to got coach that belonged to Wash
ington for u long time. Tho ladies of the
Mount Vernon Ladies' association have
followed every clcw they could find. They
sould not let it be known, of course, that
they were looking for coach, for at once
any dealer who had such thing would
advance its price beyond reason.
The ladies had dcspaircd of ever finding
it, when one day rs was showing u party
OF visitors through tho mansion and
grounds one of them said
"'You ought to have Washington's
ooach in tho Carriage house
Yes, we'd like to hayc it, said.
"'Why, know where it is, he said.
II almost had heart failure at the news.
lod him aside and questioned him. He
told Inc that he had often seen an old car
ringo In the window of an old antiquarian's
shop ON Chestnut street. think, that was
placardcd 'Washington's coach' He was
sure he had seen 1t very recently.
II wrote ut onco to Mr.. r. L. Brown
field i'll Philadclphia-a man who is an en-
thusiastic antiquarinn-and asked him to
SEQ tho owner of tho couch and find out
what it could be secured for. He went to
tho shop, but although my informant was
sure he had seen it very recently MIR.
Brownfleld discovered that tho coach had
been sold two years before to Forcpaugh,
the circus man, for $780,"
II wrote to Forepaugh. There was no
answer. I discovered that Forcpaugh had
died. wrote to the executor of his estate,
and after long delny was informed that
tho coach, with various other relics, had
been sold to tho Barnum &, Bailey circus
and was now appearing in side shows some
where in tho west. wrote to this place
and to TINT, but the circus was on tho
movo constantly, and 1 received no answer
to my appeals. Enough of tho history Of
the couch had been learned from tho Phil
adclphia dealer who had owned 1T to cstnb-
lish its authenticity beyond tho shadow of
doubt. On the Cd day of July received
u letter from Mr.. Brownflcld 4 have Sc
cured tho coach it said. Come and get
it at once, for 1 will not be responsible for
it.
and went at once to Mr.. Brownlield's
house. He seemed greatly relieved to see
me-"
And when did he get the ooachp" asked
tho woman from tho west
That he did not tell me, nor did he tell
INC how much he paid for 1t. Ho simply
mndo present of it TO the Indies, and he
wanted 1t taken off his hands rs soon as
possible
1t was, Us 1 said, tho 2d Of July when
received Mr.. Brown1icld's letter 1t was
now tho Sd. 1t had been rumorcd In Phil
adclphia that the coach was in town, and
1t was proposed to have it form part of tho
parade on the Fourth of July. Mr.. Brown
field had not been seriously opposed to tho
idea, when Information reached him from
reliable source that there was to be an
organized attempt to steal the coach Tho
certain corner the coach was TO be dragged
from tho limo and hurried down a side
street At any rate certain persons had
determined that Washington's family
coach should never havc Philadelphia.
MIR. Brownficld went with me to SEQ
the coach 1t was one of the hottest days
i ever knew, and we were Obliged to walk
o long distance. The coach was in the at
tic of a building which had once been used
as tho winter quarters of n circus. 1t was
in ono of the toughest parts of the town,
and nobody knew of tho coachs presence.
We toilod up the stairs, and Mr.. Brown
field threw open tho doors with a flourish.
There stood tho object of my search
Westinghouse family coach.
II went out and went to the freight
yard of the nearest railroad. 1 ordered a
box car. The agent in charge did not
think could get one on siding and at
tached to q freight train until the morning
of the 9Th, as 1t was now getting into the
afternoon of the Sd. I insisted, but 1
could not tell what wanted it for. Final
~ he promised to have the car ready, and I
went back to the coach. borrowed car
riage cover from livery stable and covered
the old vehicle Then L went into another
quarter of the town and engaged four stout
negro men.
Then wo took the coach down, and fol-
lowed by hooting crowd of small boys,
each begging ride we dragged the coach
through the streets, got it aboard the box
car, and l nailed the door shut Mr.
Brownflcld was with me. We shook each
others hands with feeling. Then we went
away together and took Il drink
And the coachl' asked tho woman
from the west.
Come and sec it, j" said the superintend-