The Washington times., 1902-01-27
P00RE WRITES
OF L'ENFANT'
Personality Of Man Who
Planned Washington.
some INTERESTING "REMINISCENCES
Veteran Journalist Gives Insight
Into Life Mt the Capital
Many Years Ago.

the name L'Enfant has been mentioned
recently, since the Park Commission has
completed the plans for the beautifving
of Washington, description of the
Frenchman to whom is due the credit for
having planned the Capital, by one who
knew him personally. is interesting. Ben
jamin Perley Poore, the veteran journa-
list, editor of the Congressional Direc-
tory" and author of various works. in his
"reminiscences describes the designer
of the city in the following words:
Poore's Descriptions.
When Major L'Enfant came to Wash
ington to lay out the Federal district, he
brought letter of introduction to nv
grandfather, who had great deal OF trou-
bic in -endeavoring to adjust the dfficui-
ties between the fiery French officer and
the Commissioners appointed to govern
| the infant metropolis. The major who
was very imperious. claimed supreme au-
thority, which the Commissioners would
not submit to.
On one occasion Mr.. Carroll had COM
menced the erection of large brick
house, which Major LEnfant found en-
croached on one of the proposed streets
| Summoning his chainbearers. and axemep
he demolished the trespassing structure
| and filled up the cellar against Mr. Car
rolls earnest protests.
| He was a favOrite with Washington
but Jefferson disliked him on account of
his connection with the Society of the
| Cincinnati. and availeG himself of his diff
hculty with the commissioners to dis
charge him.
| Petitioner Before Congress.
The major then became an unsuccess-
ful petitioner before Congress for a re-
dress of his real and fancied wrongs and
he was to be seen almost every day pac-
ing the rotunda of the Capitol
He was tall, thin man, who wore
| toward the close of his life, a blue mill
tary surtout coat, buttoned quite to the
throat, with tall. black stock, but no
| visible signs of linen. His hair was plas-
| tered with pomatum close to his head
and he wore a shapeIess high beaver bell
crowned hat. Under his arm he generally
carried a roll of papers relating to his
| claim upon the Government. and in his
| rlght hand he swung formidable hickory
| cane with n large silver head
| His Last Resting Place.
| "A strict Roman Catholic. he received a
home in the family of Mr.. Digges, near
| Washington, in whose garden his remains
were inferred when lie died.
| The historian Fecounts the David
Burns" incident
General Washington he says. used
| to pass through Georgetown on his Jour
neys between the North and Mount Yer
| non. and / have heard my grandfather
| describe the interest he took when the
| Federal City was located
On one occasion he rode over TO visit
David Burns. who owned a farm on which
| the Executive Mansion and the Depart
ments now stand. Washington agreed
with the commission that what is now
Lafayette Square should be a reservation.
but Burns dlsliked to donate any more
building lots for the public good.
Washington Lost His Temper.
Finally Washington lost his temper
| and left saying, as he crossed the porch:
Had not the Federal City been laid
out here you would have died a poor
| tobacco planter
Aye, mon retorted Burns. in broad
Scotch, an had ye nae married the widow
Custis, wi a her ndgurs, you would hae
been a land surveyor today, an mighty
poor one al that
Ultimately. however. the obstinate fell
low donated the desired square of
ground.
In the chapter in which Enfant and
his trials in perfecting plans of the Cap
ital City are described Poore speaks en-
tertainingly of journalism it existed at
Washington about 1928.
journalism in IS2S.
Newspaper organs. he says, formed
an important feature of the early polti-
cal machinery at Washington. 1t took
two days or more for the transmission
OF intelligence between the Federal Me
tropolis and New York, while it was a
week or two in reaching st. Louis, New
Orleans or Savannah. This made il ad-
viSable for each successive administra
tion to have a newspaper published at
Washington wh'>h would reliably inform
the suho~' officials what was being
dorr live d sympathy between
resident.
nsl lntelligencer was
Nj. Adams. its pro-
.a. nd regard for Mr.. Clay,
.. hostile to the election
The National Jour
established as a Calhoun
..sau. an John Agg, an Englishman. as
.. editor. In 1925 the paper was pur-
chased by Peter Force.
Bennett as Correspondent.
James Gordon Bennett in 1928. when
in his thirtieth year, became Washington
correspondent of the New York En-
quirer' Major NJ. NJ Noah was for many
years leading New York journalist.
who occasionally visited Washington. An
other New York Journalist Just coming
before the people was Thurlow Weed.
Among the other newspaper men in
Washington were William Hayden. Con-
gressional reporter for the National In
telligencer; Tund Washington; Samuel
L. Knapp, and james Brooks, afterward
founder of the New York Express
Congress had placed on the statute
books stringent laws about gambling, but
they were dead letter.
Fnro BANKS on Avenue.
The northern side of Pennsylvania |
Avenue, between the Indian Queen Hotel
and the Capitol, was lined with faro |
banks. 1t was a tradition that in one of |
these rooms Senator Montford Stokes of |
North Carolina sat down one thursday
afternoon to play a game OF orag with |
Mont1oy Bailey, then the Sergeant-at-
Arms of the Senate. The body mad ad- |
journed from Thursday TO Monday, as |
was then its custom, so the players were |
al liberty to keep on with their game, |
only stopping occasionally for refresh !
ments.
A Famous Card Game.
The game was continued Friday night. |
and Saturday, through Saturday night and
all day Sunday and Sunday night. Mon