Evening journal., 1901-05-25
NHW STORY Oh
GHO. WASHINGTON
And PapOOSe He Found On
Battle Ground
Carried Her To Mt. VerIOn-Inter.
eSting Career Of the Little
Indian Girl

Mrs. Caroline II. Dali, of washing
ton, in letter to the Springfield Re-
rublican, tells an interesting story
which she got many years ago from
Marianne Semmes, the matrOn Of
colored woman's home at 1909 Rst-eet
Washlneton The story is as follows:
when the retreat after Braddocks
defeat began Washington found occa-
sion to use his theodolite and dropped
an important screw After the troops
leftthe campinggroun he turned back
to find the missing piece. Searching
among dead leaves, he heard a child d's
cry and soon after found a child some
months old, strapped Indian fashion
to a board In haste 10 overtake his
men. he hung 10 at his saddle bow and
was soon able to give it to a suffers
wife, with orders to carry II to Mount
Vernon, and when Mira Washington
reached Mount Vernon in 1853 a very
beautiful girl OF z or years awaited
her She was called Cassancra, and
her granddaughter told me that Wash
ingtcn himself named her in cOnse-
quence of something that occurred
when he found her 1t is impossible TO
discover what this might have been, II
it were not the fulfllment OF his owI
Cassandra-like prophecies in regard
to Braddocks defeat
The child grew up as an attendant
on Mrs. Washington and was taught
to read and write, to embrOlder and
do dainty cooking, and generally sat
In her room or stood behind her chair
at meals. At the time OF Washing
toms death she assisted in preparing
him for the grave, and herself attend
ed TO his hair and cut of from beneath
the ribbon the curling lock, a part OF
which l now have. There came to the
funeral a certain Englishman named
Thomas Smith, of King George county
in Virginia. He was a man OF wealth
and had married for his first wife q
niece of Martha Washington. She had
died and left him without chill.
dren, and he was captivated by the
beauty of the Indian woman. ParsoI
Addison, of the Eastern Shore, mar.
ried them some time in the year 1900
It was probably in the Summer. Many
articles which Marianne showed me
she asserted to have been given to hel
grandmother when she married. II /!
not likely that they were given to tn,
first wife of Smith, as she had beer
dead some time before Washington
death. They were probably given t
Smith ON the first wife's account be
fore his second marriage. From wha
we know of Martha Washington i
seems impossible that she could hav'
been pleased with that connection.
CASSY'S MARRIAGE
-.
married Thomas Smith and went will
him to his plantation between tn
RappahannOck and the Potomac In
few months he sailed for England, ex
pecting TO sell real estate belonging d
him there. He died just before th
vessel reached Plymouth. Before n
left his plantation Thomas Smith di
a wise thing in a foolish way. H
made q will. giving his wife all hi
property including the plantation, en-
tailed upon the child or children tha
should be born to her Among Cas-
sy's possessions was a very beautiful
reticule. or shopping bag. It wa
made of crimson morocco and had a
exquisitely tColed Border I'm gold in tn
best style of the French artists OF tina
period 1t was empty, and into on
pocket of It Smith inserted his viii
wisely enough. but very foolishly fol
got to tell his wife, Soon after hi
death she gave birth 10 a daughtei
and as she was well known to be hi
heir. born of a legal marriage, the tw
lived peaceably on until the war {
1872 Then Classy was frightened
The English ships came close TO shcre
and she had no weapons Of defens
and probably no reliable white men i
her employ She had a house IN
property in Baltimore and other es
tates in washington. and for some u1
known reason she. preferred to 90 {
Baltimore. Although She occupied
good house and connected herself wit
a church. it was hard for The chill,
She grew older without such oppol