The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-03-23
SAW WASHINGTON LAST.
A Virginia Bricklayer Who Had
That Honor.
Tho Facts as Related by an Aged Negro
Who Yet Guards tho Vault TIM.
Contains tho Sacred Dust OF
the WnshluEtons.

AleXuuurla, w., at an advanced age.
Burgess was an apprentice ut the brick
laying trade at the time Gen. Washing
tons body was taken from It's resting
place in tho old family vaultan placed
in the marble tomb where it now Is
The Washington homestead is
three-story building ON the high bank
of the Potomac river ut Mount Vernon.
1t is probably ono 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
ly above it. After his death, it is said,
she had 4 window cut in the southern
exposure of the house in the room
which She aftcrward occupied, in
order that She might sec her husbands
tomb. The family vault in which her
husbands remains were temporarily
placed. was ut the brow of the hill,
about two hundred feet immediately
south of the house. A large number
of the bodies of relatives were also
placed i'll this vault.
The present site occupied by tho
Washington vault, says the Chicago
himself, and the story of it's 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:
"1Iollowed ground like this ycro does
not make all good who live upon it. A
mn t,f ofa
born again, and only when he is born
again can he hope to live in eternal
peace with his Maker. When the gen
eral died and his remains were placed
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
family vault. The building of this
vault was delayed for years on differ
ent prcteXts and this is how it came to
be built by Burgess boss at last. There
was an English gardener here whose
time had nearly expired, and he
thought he could mako u fortune if he
could steal Gen. Wnshington's skull
and hold it until reward was offered.
In the same vault with the generals
remains was number of others. Tho
vault and getting skull. He was dis
covered and the skull taken from him
Burgess boss was given the job of
building the vault and after it was fin
ished the generals remains were moved
over here. The coffin was opened and
it was found that the body was intact
and all there. burgess was present
when the collin was opened and rccl1-
"a hn In In &c
forty-two others beside the generals
family. The whole floor space is filled
and that is the reason these other
bodies are buried outside"
He also said that the bones of many
of the bodies were piled in the corner.
Parker said he was brought to the
place when about fourteen years old.
This, he says, was in 1S41, and ne has
remained in the neighborhood ever
since. He wears an army uniform and
is deeply religious.
While the old colored man was rev
erently telling all he knew of Wash
ington he was approached by man
and woman, both of whom were well
dressed and seemed intelligent. The
couple looked at the tomb of Washing
ton, and his wife, turning to Parker,
said: "Unclc, can you tell us where
the cherry tree is that Washington is
said to have cut down with his little
hatchct?"
Parker stopped in the middle of
sentence, and, turning toward them,
Indignantly replied: "Wcll, well, if
you are looking for that tree you will
have to go to Westmoreland county"
The couple started down the lane,
paying no attention to Parker, as he
asked them if they would not like to
take souvenir home with them.
Parker, continuing his talk, said:
'Somc people haven't any sense, I
reckon, for they ask all sorts of foolish
questions about George Washington
and his family"
Parker takes especial interest in
pointing out the trees planted by Dom
Pedro of Brazil, the Sigma Chi fra
ternity and the English oalr planted
to take the place OF the horse chestnut
set out by the prince of Wales during
his visit to this country, and which
has since died. He collects quite few
dimes each year by selling souvenirs.
After finishing his lecture he invari-
ably turns toward his audience and
asks:
Don't you want a souvenir"
From the large pockets Of his coat he
fishes up number Of cedar hatchets
whitfield out with knife, and a dried
magnolia blossom, which he says came
from n tree planted by Washington
himself
Michigan people are attracted to the
coach house at Mount Vernon by q