Arizona republican., 1895-02-14
SAW WASHINGTON LAST.
A Virginia Bricklayer Who Had
That Honor.
Ihe Facts as Related by an Aged Negro
who Yet Guards the Vault That
Contains the Sacred Dust of
the Washlngtons.

One of the last persons to see the re-
mains of Gen. George Washington was
George Burgess, who recently died in
Alexandria, Va, at an advanced age.
Burgess was an apprentice at the brick
laying trade at the time Gen. Washing
tons body was taken from its resting
place in the old family vault and placed
in the marble tomb where it now is.
The Washington homestead is a
three-story building on the high bank
OF the Potomac river at Mount Vernon.
1t is probably one hundred and fifty
feet long and about forty feet wide, and
runs north and south. The room in
which George Washington died is in the
second story of the house and at the
extreme south. The room in which
Martha Washington died is Immediate
~ above it. After his death, it is said.
she had a window cut in the southern
exposure of the house in the room
which she afterward occupied, in
order that she might see her husbands
tomb. The family vault in which her
husbands remains were temporarily
l.
about two hundred feet immediately
south of the house. A large number
OF the bodies of relatives were also
placed in this vault.
The present site occupied by the
Washington vault, says the Chicago
Times, is one selected by Washington
himself, and the story of its being
built is told by Edward Parker, the old |
colored man, who explains to visitors
what the vault contained When he
was asked if he knew Burgess and
Burgess claim of having seen Wash
ington's body was correct he said:
followed ground like this we're does
not make all good who live upon it. A
man to gain eternal salvation must be
born again, and only when he is born
again can he hope to live in eternal
peace with his Maker. When the gem
eral died and his remains were placad
IN the other vault it was not intended
that his remains should always stay
there. This site was chosen by the
general hisself when he was alive for
a family vault. The building of this
vault was delayed for years on differ
ent pretexts and this is how il came to
be built by Burgess boss at last. There !
was an A'nglish gardener here whose
time had nearly expired, and he {
thought he could make fortune if he
could steal Gen. },ashington's skull
and hold it until reward uas offered.
In the same vault with the generals
remains was number of others. The I
gardener succeeded in getting into the
vault and getting a skull He was dis I
and the skull taken from him.
burgess boss was given the Job of =
the vault and after it was fin.
shed the general remains Were moved
over here. The coffin was opened and /
"lde' and has paid we'll from the grass :
cots The ore is treated in two ]
erected near the mine. but il :.
S proposed soon to bring in ten-stamp !
MIL Strict religious discipline is +
ID IN the camp, and the profits. Z
l1ter paying the necessary expenses.
70 into the treasury of the army to aid +
the work of that organization. Two {
hits OF six men each work pnaar i
round, while the remainder attend 10 Z
ne treatment of the ere and transport y
alton OF necessary supplies. Supplies Z
re trelghted one hundred miles. X