The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-04-27
SOME SIDE LIGHTS ON GEORGE WASHINGTON
Fresh Gossip Gathered From Alexandra,
Mount erncn and the State Department.
Frank G. Carpenter in st. Louis Republic.

about George Washington. Il large
number Of his papers are on file in
the State Department. Papers show
ing that he was behind in his &C
counts with the Government are on
file in the Treasury Department, and
the National Museum has one Of the
largest collections of Westinghouse in
existence. Alexandra is full Of un-
published traditions Of George Wash
ington. spent 3 couple of days
there sometime ago, and though /
found no one living who had ever seen
Washington, got fairly good idea
of him from the stories concerning
him which have been handed down
from father to son. Mount Vernon is
only nine miles from Alexandra.
Washington got the most Of his sup
plies at Alexandra. He came there
to vote, and until few years ago the
little Office in which he did his busi-
ness there still stood. 1t was at
Alexandra that Washington met Cen
eral Braddock and with him started
out on that disastrous campaign. His
last review Of troops was made from
the steps Of an Alexandria hotel
about year before his death, and
when I last visited the town | was Of
fered mahogany bed which had stood
in this hotel, and or which, it was
said, Washington had slept many q
time.
From the traditions Of Alexandra,
and from many other sources, / have
tried to make up in my minds eye a
picture Of George Washington as he
really was. BE was exceedingly tall,
and, when young, quite slender. he
had enormous hands and feet. His
boots were No. 13 and his ordinary
walking shoes No. IL. No one can
look at the silk stockings which hang
up in Mount Vernon and not realize
that it took a big leg to Eli them. He
was q man Of muscle. During his
service in the army he weighed 200
pounds, and was SO strong that he
could lift his tent with one hand, al
though itusually required the strength
Of two men to place it on the camp
wagon. I mean, Of course, when it
was folded up and wrapped around the
poles. Washington could hold mus
ket with one hand and FIRE it. He
was good shot and good swords
man. The pictures of the father OF
our country make you think that
Washington was brunette. His face
is dark and sombre. The truth is ne
had skin like an Irish baby, and his
hair was almost red. He had q broad
chest, but not full one.
His voice was not strong, and dur
iiog his last days he had hacking
cough. His eyes we're cold gray, and
il is said that he seldom smiled, al
though there is reason to believe that
he had considerable humor about him.
His nose was prominent. He was
particular as to his appearance and
fastidious in dress. He wore plain
clothes and always kept himself we'll
shayen, acting as his own barber.
During the latter part Of his life he
wore false teeth, made by dentist
named Greenwood. His teeth did not
Ct well and pushed out his lower lip.
He had lot Of trouble with his teeth,
aud have before me copy Of a let
ter which his dentist wrote to him
year before he died. The dentist tells
Washington that the old set Of teeth
which he sent him from Philadelphia
was very black, and that it must have
been discolored by his soaking them
in port wine or by his drinking too
much port wine. He warns Washing
ton that all wines containing acid are
bad for the teeth, and advises him to
take out his teeth after dinner and
put them in clean water, and should
any holes be eaten in them by the
acid to FIJI them with wax and seal
them tight with a piece Of red-hot
iron, such as a nail. He closes his
letter as follows:
EFF your teeth grow black, take
some chalk and pine or cedar stick;
it will rub off. If you want your
teeth more yellow. soak them in broth
or pot liquor, but not in tea or acids.
70 preserve teeth they must be very
often changed and cleaned, for what
ever attacks them must be repelled as
often, or it will gain ground and de-
stroy the works. The two sets | re-
paired is done on different plan than
when entirely new, for the teeth are
screwed on the barrs instead Of having
~ b,rr, oaet rod hot nm them which