Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1901-09-05
WASHINGTON LETTER
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
Many visitors to Washington have
had their attention directed>to 1.-The old
lady Of the window of a house on the
north side of f street, east of
teenth, in what is now the principal
retail shopping district of the city.
She has been for a score of years as
much of a character of the capital as
a number of others who from one Or
another phase of eccentricity have gone
nto print. For nearly 40 years 'the
old lady of the window has sat there
watching the tide of time sweep away
one dwelling after another to make
room for the erection of business
houses. Her name is Julia Hanson,
and in early life she is said to have
been n of the noted octoroon beau
ties of Washington. A few weeks ago
she sold her home, in one of the front
windows Of which her wrinkled and
withered features have been framed
day in n out for nearly 40 years.
Title to the property was several times
attacked in the courts, butAunt Julia
was able to maintain her home. A rO-
mantle story is told of her early life
and the affection cherished for her by
southern families of. prominence. 1t is
said there was left with her when the
war Of the rebellion began a large
sum of money, computed to be over
$50, 900, by a family who event south"
and Joined the Confederacy, which she
faithfully guarded until the close of
the war and returned to the owners.
During the war Aunt Julia kept a
boarding house and had for guests a
number of army officers. The old lady
is now over 90 years of age. She re-
ceived a large sum for her E street
property and in addition to that has
considerable means. The old dwelling
has been torn down, and a modern
business house is now in course of con-
%struction N the site.
The Library Bureau.
The division of photography of the Lii
brary of Congress has just brought out
"a Union List of Periodicals, Transac-
lions and Allied Publications Currently
Received In the Principal Libraries of
the District of Columbia." 1t will sur
prise many readers Of this document to
discover how many libraries of sufi-
Gent Importance for consideration in
such a work exist in this District. The
war department alone has three, the
department library proper, the adju-
tant generals library and the surgeon
generals library; the interior depart
ment four, the patent office library, the
geological survey. the bureau Of Ameri-
can ethnology and the bureau of educa-
ton libraries; the treasury department
two, that of the bureau of statistics
and that of the coast and geodetic sur
vey; the department of agriculture two,
9+r OWN rnoD0- a-l 4Io4 ~ +Io -voo4ho~
bureau; the department of state and
b nav department one each, and the
Smithsonian institution one of which
it takes entire charge and another
which it leaves in the custody of the
librarian of congress. Then there is
also of course the greatest of all, the
Library of Congress.
Cupid In "a Stamp Collection.
A pretty diplomatic romance has just
come to light with the formal an
nouncement Of the approaching mar
riage of Mr.. Solomon Berliner, Amerf-
a consul at Tenerife, Canary islands,
and Miss Jennie Gutenberg of this city.
Between postage stamps and we'd
ding gowns there may seem to be q
wide gulf, but it vas through the me-
dunn of the former that Miss Often
berg won the latter, and in addition to
bringing his pretty American CORE
~spondent a promised collection Of
stamps Mr.. Berliner brought her a
wedding gown as well.
MI. Berliner received in his mail one
day at Tenerife a fresh, bright, piquant
letter from a student at Columbian uni
iversity, this city, asking that he save
her a collection of postage stamps. The
fetching tone Of the letter and it's ele-
CANT execution brought about a regular
correspondence between the young dip
lOnlat and the schoolgirl. Miss Often
berg had written similar letters to at
beast a hundred members of the United
States consular service. AS she receiv-
ed prompt attention from all as well as
pretty souvenirs from all parts of. the
world, it seems a bit of fate that Mr..
Berliner should have been the lucky
man to win her hand.
To Beautify the Capital.
Frederick law Olmstead, D. H.
Burnham and Charles f. McKim, who
were appointed a commission to devise
means for identifying the city of
Washington, have returned after a trip
through the principal European cities
in search of suggestions for their work
MI. Olmstead said the results had beer
satisfactory
eve spent two months in Washing
ton before we started" said he, work
ing out the general plan Of improve
ment- Our purpose in going abroad
was to- study the solution of similar
problems in Europe.
Broadly speaking, we intend to &C
back to the plan made a century and
a half g by Charles Peter L'Enfant
under the direction of George Wash