Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1902-08-08

ALEXANDER SHEPHERD.
(The Man Who Made Washington a City
of Beauty)
there distribute them to their proper
trains. This idea was adopted, and
that was the origin of the ID. Z. o., as it
was called, meaning the distributing
post Offices. In short time we cleared
our Office of accumulated mail, and
then congress increased our force.
why, in those days while the army
was camped on the Virginia hills,
across the Potomac, the army wagons
came in here loaded with immense
stacks of mails, and as soon as we
were able to handle the returning
missives we sent those wagons back
to the army loaded with like amount
of mail matter. 1t was great work
to handle the army mail alone. Be-
sides that, we were required TO han
die greatly increased amount of mail
for the war department, the navy de-
partment and the state department.,
the latter Office having been melted
to great activity by diplomatic cor
respondence. The eyes of the peo-
pie were centered on the army, but no.
body knew what we officials in civilian
positions were doing in order to keep
the army and all of the other branches
of the service in motion.
"You have no idea what n scare we
had after the first battle of Bull Run,
when our army came streaming back
with all sorts of stories of the black
horse cavalry and Stonewall Jackson's
tremendous reenforcements. We ex-
pected the rebs to capture us all at
once. Again, after the second bat
tie of Bull Run, the following year.
there was an awful scare. But in
1864 great army of confederates
came right up to the north defenses
of the city and gave us the greatest
scare.
"As to the city's growth there is
little to tell. 1t didn't grow at all un-
til the civil war. After that war it
grew rapidly, but irregularly. 1t
was in 1872 that President Grant de-
termined to have a capital city here
to be proud of, and he ordered Alex
ander Shepherd to rip it to pieces and
put it together right, according to the
original plans. Well, the way he did
tear down and build up was a eau
tion. Everybody that owned property
was bowling mad, but the president
stood by Shepherd and he went ahead.
For example, on the big square
where the new Carnegie library is be-
ing erected there was what was called
the Northern Liberty market. 1t con-
sisted of hundreds of little shacks
which completely covered the square.
That block of ground was intended
for public square, and Shepherd or
dered everybody to get out of the
way, for they were trespassers. They
paid no attention to his orders, and
gave notice of riotous resistance. So
one night he gathered small army
of laborers and set them to work at
midnight. When the hucksters came
at sunrise there was nothing left Of
the market. 1t had all been torn down
and carted away. Well, Shepherd
went ahead in that arbitrary manner
and by 1874 he had the city started
right. In the succeeding years there
has been strict adherence to the origi-
nal plans Of the city, and it has
grown beautifully and rapidly. But
up to the time of the Shepherd re-
gime this was not a creditable city,
and its growth was sluggish.
Forty years ago the horse cars
came, and we thought that we were
growing into metropolis, That was
IL years after / was married. Then
came improvements in roadways, fol-
lowed by cable cars, then overhead
, trolleys. and at last the beautiful un-
derground electric system of the
present. A young man living on East
Capitol street nowadays can ride over
J to see his girl in Georgetown inside
] of 20 minutes. 1t used to take me
more than hour of trudging, and
then more than another hour OF
trudging back home about midnight
But / guess the young couples of the
, present are no happier than we were
then and are now. I've never regret
ted my choice nor the trouble / tool
. to win her; and she seems to have beer
: contented, too. with her long-walkinG
I suitor for husband.
(. "Yes, this is the mildest summe,
: I've seen here in 81 years"
SMITH d. FRY,