St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-06-06
Q. S. MARINE CORPS.
Ial1acks 1t Occupies Have a Wide
Historic Interest.
Anne Was When They Were the Cen
Ter of WashinEtOn's Social Life
Built as Camp for Britt
islA Cavalry.
Especial Washington letter.

Especial W dSNllStOn Letter.
HE marine band is famous
L musical organization of which
everybody has read or heard,
out very little is known concerning
we marine corps itself. The marines
are The policemen Of the navy, walk
ing their beats and maintaining order
aboard ship, just as the policemen in
our cities walk their beats and make
crime ard disorder difficult.
As the navy has grown the marine
corps has increased in numbers until
~ Is now as strong as brigade of sol
o'efs, and as efficient, for the men are
wen drilled and disciplined. The bar
racks in this city is as heavy with
"reminiscences and quaint memories as
srandfathers and grandmothers. and
as Interesting. The story of the life
OF the old barracks is as interesting a.
hcok; the right kind of book, of
course
If's ancient post was originally
british. and it was erected under the
reign OF George iii. At the time when
"'h Da'y Burns was farming the best
land now covered by the national cap
'tals the old marine barracks was a
camp for British cavalry, and after
wards for the colonial cavalry, those
VINO were loyal to King George. So,
YOU see. this is quite an ancient land
mark iii this new republic. One of the
Old officers has said of the marine bar
racks: ''The first sound it woke to
hear was reveille, and the last it will
ever hear will be taps"
Located as it is southeastern from
The capitol. while society revels afar
to the northwest, the barracks long
since ceased to be in the social swim;
but time was when there were greater
echoes of fiddle and banjo for the two
step and merry waltz than of the notes
pt evening bugle. There it was that
Nellie Grant was introduced to the
English lout and gurgler who made her
life miserable, and clouded the happi-
ness OF the entire family of the great
general. whose unappreciative daugh-
ter she then was.
Everybody in society used to speak
OF it as "the dear old marine barracks"
There the widow of brave confeder-
ate general, whose troops made
charge famous in history, often met
with handsome young officers and
mingled with them in the may hazy
lancers until rumor had her engaged
to be married to score of them; for
they all fell in love with her. It has
played its part as beau par excellence
as not another military or naval sta
ton in this country has done. But
society has gone, and one of the
young officers has said: "All we do
now is work-and read the Bible"
The old barracks mounts guard off
in the eastern branch side of the city.
locks arms with the navy yard, and
surveys the rest of the town with that
exclusive English air it has. 1t fills
up the eight square acres there, lying
between Eighth and Ninth streets
southeast, and I and G streets, and
has built around itself high brick
wall plastered over milk-white, with a
dark red rim running all around its
top, like streak of blood, and its base
tarred black as a cannon ball. The
long white wings of the grisly quar-
ters stretch out on either side of the
center house. In the dark the whole
place grows ghostlike. The little
chimneys Of the barracks come peep
ing over the wall, but their roofs run
up away from it, and all the buildings
in the ward throw shadows over such