The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-02-20
WHEN WASHINGTON wAmls Ed MONEY
During His Retirement at Mount Vernon
the Sheriff Was Constantly Threatening.

During His Retirement at Mount Vernon
the Sheriff Was Constantly Threatening.
Down to ito date Of his leaving tho
command Of ting continental troops AMI
retiring" TO Mount Vernon the li'ni
OF Washington had been one continual
series Of anxietics and conflicts, lut these
had been lor,c OIL behalf of the rubl;o
and not himself or any Of his frieii,.si
or family. He was to find, LaIevcr,
that contests and struggle come to tie
| private Individual as well as to tho mail
of affairs, and these smaller matte,s
were to greatly try his sonl, whereua
! perhaps many of tho rest Of Us, who ara
sometimes unauly worried by small
matters, may take courage to begin Anew.
1t Eiay have boon anticipated by
Washington that afecr military carecr
with q triumphant termination ne
might find plantation life a little irk-
Some, but he mover complained Of that.
Ho did complain, and bitterly, however.
Of his lack of money. His cclEplaiEings
were not unnatural, seeing that not boz
fore since his fifteenth birthday had ns
been hard up, and that both he aud his
wife had begun life In the possessio.r
OF what wero III those days ample for
tunes. +" Washington sTraitened cir
cnmstances at this time wore not in any.
sense duo to extravaganza or to lack Of
attention to bu"iaess. On the contrary,
! he appears to have been one of tho most
| Industrious, most III !thoaical and mcss
| frugal planters going. Every morning
ho was Up at 4 o'clock, and clad in tho
coarsest homespun he rode daily 1s or
20 miles over his plantation, inspecting
tho crops and the work that was being
done OH them. Mrs. Washington was as
industrious as her husband, as indeed
sho had to io, looking after the house.
hold Oh q plautation OF thousands Of
j acres like Mount Vernon. There were,
however, times that might have bee,s
spent i'll recreation or possibly rest. but
we are toll that neither repose nor pleas.
uro was INDUCED in at these times
Instead she devoted herself to knitting
| fine wooien hosiery" for herself, her
family and its friends One would ut,
first imagine that tho Father Of His
| Country and his spouse lived the lives
Of pair Of money grubbers but for the
further recorded fact that at least once
week the horns rang out through tho
merry gladss, ladies and gentlemen in
scarlet coats and dresses followed tho
| baying hounds, the gray fox doubled
! through tii.- may woods, and Washing
ton, with shouts and cheers, mounted
on his ficetcst horse. was always in at
the dea.h.''
The administration Of the estate and
| household at this time is reported tot
have been almost perfect. Visitors were
charmed Wit. universal order and SIM
plicity, but the cruel fact remained thnt
the man who had won the American
Revolution could not pay his .Bi.is and
was constantly being annbyed BY the
sherifss, who threatened with dis
tress, whatever that may hare been.
| Washington tried hard to sell part OF
his land III order that he might meot
some Of lis more pressing obligations,
but III vain. lie he'd i.lenty Of money,
such rs it was, awarded to him by con-
gress, hut it was nearly worthless
through depreciation :. =.
He wrote to his mother, then an old
woman. and described his situation terso-
", saying that he knew not where to-
find shilling" Finally il 1888 he had
to borrow few hundred pounds Of q.
neighbor, TO whom he wrote in apology
for soliciting aid: II have put of the
sheriff Of the county three times. If he
comes again, ! must suffer him to make
distress. J"
Just when his personal affairs were
at the lowest ebb he was again called
by his country, but not to war. This
time his services were needed ut the con-
stitutional convention, and the results
Of that gathering are we'll known. The
constitution was adopted, Washington
was made president, and the life Of the
federal government was begun.