The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1896-02-28
A BIT OF HISTORY.
by ALBERT CLAYPOOL WHITE.

ut is the belief Of many people that when
DR.. Jameson crossed the Transvaal from
tier at the head of band of 800 freebooters.
It was with the taclt approval of the British
South African company; that II the Brit
ish South African company found that
Jameson and his expedition were success
ful they would back him up with their
wealth and their machine guns: that if the
British government found the South Afri-
can company was successful. they would
back up the company with the forces of the
British empire. and that another country
would be gobblcd up by Great Britain. All
of these hopes have been Bai.icd by the de-
feat of the jameson expedition by the
Beers. This recalls another expedition
projected on similar lines in cur own coun-
try about 100 years ago, when Aaron Burr
went into the west. and. making Hartman
Blennerhassett's beautiful home his head
quarters began enlsting men for an expe-
ditiop against the Spanish possessions on
the Gulf of Mexico. He, too, led his men to
believe that 1t was with the tacit approval
of the United States government, and. if
their expedition succeeded, the United
States would back them up and make 1t a
part of us territory. AS a matter of fact.
Burr designed to make himself dictator Of
the conquered territory. But there, too.
events INITIATED against the adventurer,
and the Burr-Blennerhassett expedition
| failed. But it was picturesque and most
changeful time in American history, and 1t
will not be embarrassing to recall it now.]
In the Ohio river, near the mouth of
tie Little Kanawha and about IA miles
| below the old town of Marietta, lies
.Blcnnerhassctt island. Perhaps no
other spot along la Belle Riviere"
| has sucn an interesting history.
1t is almost 100 years since Hartman
| Blcnnerhassett and his bride went to
| live in the great wilderness of the west
| 1l2Enerhassett was the son of an Irish
! gentleman, though his birthplace was
ut Hampshire, England. lie was born
in 1867, when his parents were on a
visit to Hampshire. His family was
among the most distinguished of the
Irish gentry, and Hartman enjoyed ex-
cellent educational advantages. After
preliminary schooling in England, he
entered Trinity college, Dublin, where
| he graduated in due time with high
honors. He then read law in the Inns
| of Court, and was admitted to the ban
in 1890. At the death of his father
soon after, Blennerhassett received q
large accession to his fortune.
With wealth, rank and intellectual
powers of a high order, richly cult
| waited, he seemed to be on the threshold
of brilliant career. His friends de
sired him to enter politics, but that was
not to his taste. His inclinations vert
for the quieter- paths of literature
The excitement aroused by the oppres
sion of royalty was in the very air il
Ireland, and he turned to the United
States as haven Of refuge. He sold al
of his landed estates and went to Eng
land, where he married Miss Agnew
ii daughter of the governor of the ISLE
of Man. Before leaving London he pur
chased large and valuable library ant
ical apparatus. Through letters which
he brought he and his wife became ac
quaintcd with many of the leading
families in New York, and they wert
the recipients of flattering attention.
Hearing of the Eden-lke islands il
the Ohio river, he determined to visi
that part of the country. Mr.. and Mrs
l'lenncrhassett arrived in Pittsburgh
in the autumn of 1897 and floated dowr
the river as far us Marietta in one o
the fat-bottomed boats then in use
He spent all of the next winter il
studying the topography of the coun
try and the habits of the people. Thu
following spring he bought what wa.
then called Backus island, and eve
since it has borne his name. Thi
island contained about 300 acres, ant
at the upper end few acres were fire.
from trees, presenting 4 natural lawn
The new owner of this enchanting
spot began encrgetically to erect ,
home. Slaves were bought and the up
per part of the island was laid out an,
. commemorative exquisite taste. Their
were graveled walks and carriage ways
and beautiful view of the rive
through an opening among the trees
a..d flower garden of about two acre
filed with towering shrubs, both ex
o;!c and native. Arbors and grotto
coy cred with vines were scattered her
and there, and Oh the south side of tn
island was a kitchen garden, stocke
with choicest fruits. Spacious out
buildings were erected and boat land
, ings constructed for communicable
with the Ohio and Virginia shores
The house was like a palace, with tw
wings stretching out in either diree
ION, and its inside finish was luXuriou.
When the house was completed, tc
Eether with the adornment of tn
grounds, the sum of 100000 in gold ha
been expended.
The mistress of this romantic HON
was very beautiful woman. He
! figure. tall and commanding, wa
E nodded in perfect proportions. He
manners We're captivating, and at tn
, same time full of dignity. She wrot
and spoke French and Italian fluent,
, while her familiarity with English Ii
, erature at once stamped her as a won
: an of culture and refined education
, She was an accomplished horsewoma
and she was also an accomplish
housewife. She was very ambitious
, and ii was a great trial to her to hay
her husband waste his brilliant power
in obscurity. Vainly she urged hiI
> to enter as an advocate the highe
courts of Virginia, but he preferre
his books and music and the peacefl
pursuit of scientific studies. Blennel
: hassctt was versatile genius, man {
great benevolence and intense syn
. pathies. and in manners very courteous
. mild and yielding. His virtues wer
of the amiable character, and he wa
easily duped by the designing. That b
lacked ambition and loved ease wa
evident.
When the Blennerhassetts had fiji
Ished their home and begun to live i
earnest. if the lives of two idlers ma
be called living in earnest, their islam
e became the center of the fashionabl
set of the community. The leadin
people of Marietta. Belpre, near by o
!. the Ohio shore. and all of Wood cour
e ty, in Virginia, made the Blennerhai