Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-01-06
One of the Colonial Mansions
Where History Was Made.
FEW OF THEM NOW LEFT.
Washington Once Had a Narrow Es-
cape From Capture There.
A BEvY OF FAMOUS BEAUTIES.
They Make the Mansion a Center of
Social Life and One Refused
Cornelius Vanderbilt.

Foreign tourists-espeolally our English
couslns-who run over TO America Just
Tor week or two. and then return home
TO ind!te long articles to the English news
papers about their Impressions of America
and her people. often sheer at US and cay
we have no history. Il may be that we have
no Tower Of London, with It's horrible and
bloody memories, yet we have many places
where cluster Interesting bits OF history,
tragic In some instances. pathetic and ro-
mantle in others, and comlcal and humorous
IN the extreme In many others. The old
Austen house on Staten Island Is one of
these places where history records not only
the sublime but the ridiculous under one
roof
This charming old residence. the ancestral
home Of the Lake family OF Staten Island.
was bullt somewhere about the year 17l0
and Is situated on Pennsylvania avenue,
Clifton. Staten Island. north OF the Quaran-
tine station and near the waterside, with a
beautiful lawn where lilacs and wlstaria
bloom In their season and venerable shade
trees, moved by the breezes Of New York
Bay nod their welcome to the approaching
visitor The waters of the bay lap the
loot OF the lawn, making music in harmonic
cadence to the saughing wind through the
branches Of the tall trees. Many other build
ings Of Revolutionary days have passed
into oblivion, but It seems as II one has
been preserved expressly to keep In mem
ory the historic associations which cluster
about it.
The old house in summer Is nearly COW
cred with the ellnglng vines Of the sweet
scented purple wlstarla and the fragrant
white stam Of the Madeira vine Access is
gained to the house through heavy oal,cn
door whole griffin headed knocker once
hung upon the sally port OF tho ancient
castle Of Rouen In Normandy
During Revolutionary times this old man
sion was in turn the abode Of Loyalsts and
Patriots, and scene OF love occurred
there which ended in a tragedy and which
has given rise to the story that some OF It's
chambers are haunted. The women of the
Lake family were noted for their personal
beauty and one of King Georges troopers
fell very deeply in love with the perll OF
the Lake household The maiden, however,
was intensely loyal TO her country and
she spurned the troopers offer of love. and
he, In his despair. went and hanged himself
in one Of the ladys apartments It is said
that even to this day. at every anniversary
Of the event, at the hour OF midnight, when
"graveyards yawn and tombs give up their
dead" the noise OF clankng spurs and the
tramp OF military boots may b. heard In
tho halls where once strobe the warliko
hero.
This same house was Lork Howe's head
quarters when he came to New York in IT76
with his 10000 relocated British troops
and bloodthirsty Hesslans, and later on un-
der the same roof Benjamin Franklin and
I.HTsf I'll HnN FtNa fsaHn
a good story is told Of how near General
Washington, commander-in-chief OF the
Continental Army, came to being captured
by some OF Lord Howe's marauders at
this house. It was while the campaign
was on IN New Jersey that General Wash
lngton ventured over ON Slater Island,
accompanied by portion Of his stan. Noon
found them at the Lake homestead, wheruy
Washington was a welcome guest at all
times, and while they were sitting at din
ner a troop OF British cowboys and Tories
rode into the dooryard and began to hitch
their horses, They had evidently been rid
ing hard, and several Of them showed evil
dences OF fighting, as they were covered
with blood. They were IN bad humor, that
was evident, end as they caught sight
OF the American officers horses they at
once surrounded the house. and prepared
to close In on Its inmates. who they knew
must be Of considerable Importance from
the trappingE on their horses.
Just MS Washington and his aides were
about to make a fight for their escape there
came shout from the road leading to
the south. and the British marauders few
to their horses and scampered away. In a
minute two companies of continental dra-
goous swept into the yard with Richard
Henry Lee. Lighthouse Harry, the Game
cock OF the Santee.' and Colonel Aaron
Burr. the quartermaster OF the Continental
Army, at their head. There were at that
day no two more daring or reckless fight
ers IN the army, Washington was saved.
to learn that General Lee and Colonel Burr
were on tour Of spollation against the
Tories Of Staten Island. but really follow
ing their ommander-iu-chlef with their
wild riders to protect him from harm.
What makes the old house especially In
teresting at the present day is the history
told by a pane Of glass In one of the
windows. On this window pane, which is
carefully guarded, ia scratched the words:
sail Lake c., 1872" To the uninltlated
this does not stand for much but It meant
much for the man who left his mark there.
aud that man was Cornelius Vanderbilt.
the elder, better known as The Old Com
modore.'
Many years ago Mr.. John II. Austen,
while acting as a member OF the crew on
Commodore Vanderbilta yacht during an
amateur race. called his attention to the
old house and told him how It had charmed
MIN WAen u Wy aIu inst ne uhu ulhuD q
resolution to own II II he was ever able
To buy and It was for sale, and that It had
finally come into his possession
II know the place weli." returned COM
modore Vanderbilt. Il courted my first
love In that house and she was one OF the
prettiest girls l ever saw. Her name was
Sally Lake. and the Lakes were at that
time wealthy and ! was poor / loved her,
but her mother was a worldly wise woman
and objected to my counting her daugh-
ter. When l asked the reason the old lady
said:
"'well, Cornell ~ you want to know so
bad I'll tell you. You're a poor shack. and
you will never be able 10 support Sally as
a woman OF the Lake family should be
supported. and won't have her marry such
a poor devil az you are"
The Commodore then told Mr.. Austen
that on a certain window pane in the upper
story he would find the inscription: ''sall
Lake. G., 1872" He said be had cut IL
there while the beautiful Sally stood be-
SIDE him, he with one arm about her
waist. while he uHed the diamond ring on
her finger TO cut the inscription. The lei.
ter d. he said. stood for his own name. ana
the figures for the year.
II is said that both Mrs. Lake, who OBJ
iec.ed to sally's marrying such a poor
deyl'' as Cornell Vanderbilt and Sally
roth lived 70 see the poor shack" worth
So. 900 900 and become the king OF Amer