Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-08

battles, and the chief men who were carry
ing on the affairs of the nation, were many
of them worShiping here. We citizens of
the District had no state rights to compli-
cate the question of duty, and had no am
bltion to make name any side. We
held together and loved each other still, by
the old parish life which had been begun
with DR.. French.
Taken for Hospital.
Let us turn to one day Of sorrow for us
all--Trinity Sunday Of 1862. On the Friday
before it an officer politely informed US that
our church was to be taken by the govern
ment for a hospital. 1t was to be adorned
for the festival Of the Trinity, and the
young girls determined not to be subdued
and did adorn it, though with tears as well
as flowers. Sunday morning came and In
the vestry room l found the committee OF
our neighbors from the Methodist society,
the Foundry Church, who. in the kindest
| terms. offered US all reasonable use of their
building. l accepted their offer only on
condition that If 1t should become at any
time necessary it should be understood by
| them that we would insist on returning the
| favor. This we did when their new
| building was erected, and for six months
| they worshiped In Epiphany, as we had
done in Foundry l record my sense of the
Christian virtues and courtesies of these
| worthy neighbors st. Johns also sent US
| kindly message, and from Wizards Hotel
| came the proffer of their hall. This hall
recently vacated by the congregation under
| DR.. P. D. Gurley on their removal to New
York avenue. The news came up from the
Island" that same morning that five hun
bred wounded men had been brought IN
from the valley of the Shenandoah. They
were laid along It'll street under the shade
Of trees, in the porches Of houses and in
the pews of Grace Church-anywhere in the
shade for the present. Fifteen thousand more
were expected from about Richmond, and
there were no preparations made for them.
So while the afternoon service proceeded
here army wagons filled the street, the lum-
Der was accommodating at the door which
was to change the church into hospital
for the wounded. 1t remained so for six
| months until in burst of Indignation at
the continued use of it without any excuse
I made myself so disagreeably diligent In
daily calls at the medical department that
they gave me back the building to get rid
OF me. They succeeded.
The jeff Davis Pew.
After the church was enlarged in 1857 the
| first choice Of a pew was made by Jeff
Davis of Mississippi and given to his wife.
The public career Of this gentleman is a
matter Of history-with it 1 have nothing
| to do here. AS parishioner and friend,
during his continuance here, 1 recall his
name with sincere pleasure. as one always
courteous, affectionate and prompt In kind
| ly acts, with a fascination Of manner,
breadth of view and high tone Of character
| which made Intercourse with him entirely
| delightful. When they left for the south
| Mrs. Davis asked that the sexton might be
allowed to put plate their pew with
her husbands name on it. l assented tell
| ing her that should soon them all
| back again as before. The engraving of the
| plate was delayed for a long time-irst by
| the suicide of the man who had 1t in
| charge, and then by the mistake of another
workman. Meanwhile the world had turned
| over and everything was upside down as to
what it had been when the promise was
made. Proctor. the sexton, brought me
! the plate to criticse and then put it in it's
place as we had agreed. But alas, what
| matter that little fire kindled Wrath and
! suspicion sprang up at once in full display
| and l know not what the end Of the hubbub
| would have been but for two incidents.
The Plate Was Stolen.
! The first event was that somebody stole
| the keys of the church. We feared bur-
| glars, Of course, and 1 had spring lock put
| on the door of the vestry room. Meanwhile
| sent in a communication to the newspa-
/ pers. putting the whole responsibility on
| "our worthy colored SEXTON" as l knew
| that his color would him, If mine just
| then did not help me, as 1t did He was
exalted soon after to be caterer to the Sen
ate. But we found the keys again very
soon, where they were placed for to find
them. But we never found the engraved
plate. Who did the deed and blushed lest
he might awake and find 1t fame I have