The sun., 1901-05-26
GEORGE W4SHINGTON,
Bit Of History About the p. O. n. G. which
Not Generally Known.

Smith n. Fry, Washington newspaper
correspondent on n recent trip 10 old Broad
Creek Church in Maryland, ten miles from
the capital. gives this bit Of Washington
personality from very human point of view:
There is little Of interest In the appearance
Of the building, except the curious little half
ruined portico on the end farthest away from
the road, but after we had inspected the
place We encountered a historian on the
road little beyond. in the shape OF an old
darky. feeble. halt and bent with years 1t
required little 10 start the springs OF his con-
versation, and he said
"'Yae. sab. dat's powful ole chu'ch,
pow'ful ole. Mus be mo- n TO hund'e ed
yeahs ole. | reckon Dey tells me Gin raj
Gawge Washln'ton wushiped IN dat chu Oh.
sab. an he used TO come hyeh In his bawge.
rowed by eight big nisgahs-him an his
family. Sometimes he come hyah, some
times he went 10 Alexandry, an sometimes
he went 10 a leetle chu'ch down TO Pohlck. on
de Ferginny side o. de rivsh-jis' how de ides
struck him. l was tole dat, sah, by q ole
niggah when | was les a leetle boy Dls
yah ole niggah. dey say, he was my greet
gran pap, but | dunno Hit was mighty
hshd 10 keep track O. dem things In slavery
days, sab. when dey was a-buyin' an a.
sellin', a-buyin' an a-sellin' nisgahs de whole
time. but, leAstwavs dis yah ole man. he
say he seen de Gin'ral come to chu'ch hyah
many an many a tire, in a big seine boat
De Gn'ral used TO have a feeshin' sho' on h!a
place. an dis yah ole niggah be say he seen
EN- haulin seine hundreds o times, an de
Gin'ral a-wadin' roun' up TO his waist in de
watah a-swearin' an a-cussin' when de
seine git hung on q log
Swearing and cursing,' We exclaim.
Surely not They cay that Washington
never swore in his life.
We'll. dunno. said the old darky. shak-
ing his hand obviously. / reckon de Gin'ra
was mos like any yether man what ain
sickly. an when de seine got hung up, why
spect he jes nachally took on an swore Ike
ANYBODY else I've seed right smaht o
seine haulin' in my day. bat nevah yit see
seine took of hang without pow'ful sight
O. Cussin' Anyways, when de shad an
herrin season was done up de Gn'ral jes.
have his seine boat fixed W Tor 0awge, an
In dat he come 10 church Ny ole Rrtt-gTan
pap say he often seen him tecKG ,snpT WIG
de preacher jes' by de do, an talkln' bout
de crops wild de folks Yes. sab. dat's pow
ful o.e church. sho' nun ,,,,,.,.
we were able "a verify II, 30 far, AZ least, aS
concerned NashnGton's attending service
In the little church, and hauling a seine on
his own fishing shore.
This old church il surrounded by old col
ored people and very old poor whte people,
who carry the traditions which were handed
down to them through two generations, and
they ell agree that Gen. Washington frequent
" attended this church across the river from
his home because in some seasons the rOads
were wel-nigh impossible. so that he could
NOT go 10 old PohlCk Church nor - old thrlst
Church IN Alexandria They say that Whether
the General was himself anxious TO 60 every
SUNDAY or not. hi~ wife insisted upon '' and
that is one of the reasons he would be rowed
over the river 10 church in extremely bad
weather when the roads were too heavy