Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1902-03-13
THAT SWORD STORY.

g, tiled that the ttjry of the gift Of a
sword to General Wsshingt on By Fred.
erck the Great of Prussia is q myth.
Mr. Moncure d. Conway, whose letter
to tie New York Sun we recently
uuc id, declared the legend ID be un-
founded and cit d Carlyle in support
of the belief. Certainly no absolute
proof Of the trutn Of the tt1ry has ever
been foIt lcomiDg.
St5ts Librarian w. W. &c, Il, writ
iag t. the Richmond Dispstcn, is 10
olined t. agree with Mr.. Conway " tn
regard to the Por, trough "Col.
Lewis Washington, in his sworn sti-
moDy before tle Ssnste committee that
investigated the Harptr's Ferry out
rage (of which James NJ. Mason, OF
Virginla, was chairman, and Jefferson
Davis and J. Il. Doolittle we're OF the
members), says dltt molly that. the
sword was a gift from Frederick to
Wasbinet1n. He says nothing OF the
alleged accompanying sci t ment."
One thing has been demonstrst ID
beyond quet ton, we think, and that Is
that II Fir ederick the Great ever gave
Washington a sword (Which is very
doui tfuO, the Prussisn monarch did
not have engraved upon the weapon
10 romantic sentiment, From the
oldest general in the world to the
grestssI." A New York Sent t docu-
10 ent, quoted by Mr. VerDlanck, Col
vim, 10 q commuoic- ton to the New
York Sun, Gays co. Tning the sword
under discussion "rhere is no kno RD
record OF the fact. but it was generally
re Dol ID 10 The family, that this sword
ives brought over from Europe about
the year 1880 TO Washington, with t lis
verbal message from Frederick III. (the
Grea,). Kiog of Prussia; From The
olde,t General Of the world TO the
pret test ;" This is entirely too slend.
er thread to hold our faith.
Librarian Scott sharply disagrees
with Mr.. Conway as TO tle connection
be ween John Brown and the sword.
Having made some Interesting II tfo-
ductory remarks about the Frederick
the Great tradition Mr.. Scot; continues:
81 write, however, to express sur
prise t some OF the staten Its OF Mr..
MoucuTe ID. Conway copied iD your is
sue OF is morning from the New York
sun: Ole, that Colonel Lewis WASH
ing.on testified 'thtt Brown said he
wished to get hold of this sword be-
cause it had been used by two success
ful genersls; t1e other, that John
Brown wasted the gre, ter part OF the
only day 10 which he and his men
migi have escaped by detachiDg ak
of them to get thst dress sword-pre-
sumably never worn on any battle
fl I'D. Seventeen lives were sacrificed
10 mere myth. And then Mr.. Con-
way refers to it as 'oue more illustra'
ton OF the part played by fables 10
making hl tory as we'll as recording it.
thus digging pit and falling into 1t.
Il have Colonel Washington's t'sti'
mopy before me as l writ. He said
no tuch thing ss Mr.. Conway imputei
ID him, nor anything like it. He die
say that Brown said he wanted Col
onel Washington particularly for the
moral effect it would give his cause
haviDg one of bis name as prisoner.
"Now, as to the second statement
These six men went to cal ture Colone
Washington. The taking of the swor'
aud the Lafayette pistol was an after
thought. The 'detaehing OF them lat
Sunday night in Dowise weakened
Browns force, for he was in full posses
sion of the arsenal, and Cook, Stevens
and the other four men returned be
fore day Monday morning, bringiDi
supposed reiDforcemenls of men, an'
equipments with them. At tnst tim
Brown had no thought OF escaping no
any desire to escape. Indeed ther
was nobody to escape from, for as ye
no soldier nor marine had appeared ol
the scene, and Brown was having ever.
thing his own way.
"Mr. Conway would do we'll ID re
read Colonel Washing )D's testimony
and thus avoid the stumbling blocks c
fables in his history"
Important historical discoveries sr
often made ss a result OF discussions G
this kind. which should be encouraged
Norfolk Ledger