Sunday morning globe., 1901-10-13

U
| Washington to-day is the old White Horss
Tavern, situated on Thirty.second, formerly
| High street midway between the canal n
| the Potomac River. This old house has
sheltered under its roof more famous men
] perhaps, than any other place of lis kind in
the South Originally built by one John
| Baird, a Scotchman, II immed diately became
| the fashionable rendezvous for the most
elite society in this section. II was here in
| I7S5 that General Braddock and his staff.
/ including the immortal George stopped for
| their dinner, while on their way to iRht the
/ Indians. Indeed, there is a pretty little
| story connected with this event, the sub
stance of which is that Washington, be-
coming euamored of a pretty damsel az
/ tempted 20 salute her with a kiss, to which
assault she was by no means an unwilling
| party; but just c this suspicious moment,
a jealous lover interposed some very vigor.
Gus objections, and as hot words followed
| the two young men agreed 10 settle their little
/ difficulty by an adjournment to the court.
/ yard and here, while the tickle maid
peer ed from behind partly-closed blind,
George polished his rival OFF in the most
approved fashion; but whether he was
/ greeted with joy or what was more proba.
Bile, reproached by the fair enslaver, my in.
formation does not state
lust seven years after Braddock IS visit.
and on the night of July ~, q e British
man-ol-warship, Endeavor, sank at tie
mouth of Little River. with an hands ON
board. This sad catastrophe luuged the
whole town into mourning which years
could not eiacc. II appears that on this
fatal night the officers of the Eudeavor
were invited TO a supper at the White House
Tavern by the citizens of the town The
affair was attended by the most wealthy
and prominent people. After the supper
there was dancing and then someone sug-
gested a visit TO the warship and a sail on
the river This suggestion was received
with pleasure, and soon a gay crowd Of
revelers filed out from under the portals of
the old tavern and wended their way down
! High street, startling the good people of
/ the ueighborhood with their boisterous
mirth and causing the watch TO scamper off
I TO the boxes in wild alarm But, OH the
sadness of the returning. Cold white
forms were brougot through the streets
upon window shutters doors, and In fact
upon anything that could be used for such a
purpose. They were carried to the White
House Tavern and there laid side by side I'm
the banquet room they had quilted such a
short time before. II was indeed a day of
mourning for the people, This cruel dis.
aster, which had been so sudden and SO ter
rbIy destructive In it's results, seems To-
have been the fault of some of the Younger
officers. They, itappelrs, iu SLOWING slmC
gigging girls over the boat accidentally
thrust the lighted lantern too close to the
powder magazine, thereby causing The
/ frightful explosion which Immediately fol-
lowed. But as there were no survivors of
/ the explosion, this version of the occur
renee can be- of course, but a supp5siti0n
To was iu this historic old house that the
excited citizens met one morning TO
discuss and to- approve of that famous
Boston tea party. 1t was here later that
The townspeople were called upon 20 wit
ness the sword presentation to Captain
Rhodes who commanded that brave little
body of sold ers known as the George
town Blue-,' and who subsequently dis
uugushod themselves in the War of the
. Revolution. As war news was eagerly
sought for in those days, and there being
no paper published i'm the town, it was the
custom for the citizens TO assemble I'm the
tavern of an evening, while the town crier,
from am elevated position, read TO them i'm
a slow, monotCnous drawl, Of the struggle
their couulrymen ere then so bravely en-.
gagged u ] think / see them now, as they
cluster eagerly about the old hostelry,
listening with their hopeful, eager faces, as
the reader plOds slowly and laboriously
through his paper And now, perhaps,
the air is rent with a mighty shout, as
some brave deed of the dashing Anthony is
read or better still, when George, our
George, our old ueighbor, you know, friend,
does something that causes uismay and
confusion to the British troops, but then,
again, how sad the loyal hearts must have
felt when the victories were not on their
side then indeed, IL was a gloomy town.
But now to succeed this darkness and
gloom which they had been laboring in der
for seven or eight years, comes a new and
brighter era, the sound Of the fife and the
drum have been stilled, and the gallant
returned soldiers have settled down to
peaceful avocatious, only donning their gay
regimeutals on state occasions, such as
when General Washington pays them a
visit, or on their new holiday, July 4. Then,
indeed the old town must have been in a
delightful uproar Sometimes General
Washington would be rowed up TO the foot
Of High street in his galley manned by his
powerful blacks On these occasions he
was met at the landing by deputation of
respectable citizens, and he was furnished
an escort in the persons of the before
mentioned Blues" After a short speech
by the mayor, he would be invited to din
uer at the White House Tavern, and there
you may wager were some fine 'goings-
on" that night.
But aside from Washington's visits, the
great event of the town was the Fourth of
July celebrations. There was always a
! grand parade. and then a barbecue, fol.
lowed in the evening by some great man
reading the Declaration of Independence
from the balcony of the White House
Tavern
But the palmy days Of this old establish.
I meut were 200 the early years Of the present
f century. Here the wits OF the day were tc
! be fouud hobnobbing and cracking Jokes
with the statesmen of that time. Here
! also were Go De found the dandies, iu their
E kuee.brecches and plendlully-powdereo
. hair, whispering sweet pleasantries into
the ready ears of the simpering young
damsgls President Adams was by nc
means au iuiraqueut visitor here, and he
D liked nothing better than to attend "A diunei