The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-11-19
AN AGED WOMAN JOURNALIST.
Mrs. Emily Briggs Was Active in the
 Life of the National Capital.

From the Washington Times.
 The oldest house in Washington, now owned by Mrs Emily Edson Briggs stands on a large lot which includes the square bounded by Sixth Seventh and D streets and South Carolina avenue south east. This fine old mansion was built by planter from bricks brought from England in the early days of Maryland, and has sheltered seven generations of men. It has a beautiful location known as Maple Square, and the house con- tains many relics of the past.
 Mrs. Briggs, the owner. is an aged woman, who was active in the life of the capital forty years ago. She is the widow of John R. Briggs, one time editor of the Keokuk Qa) Daily Gate City. Mrs. Briggs had a good training in news paper work in the office of her husband, and when he was appointed to the posi- tion of financial clerk of the house of representatives, Mrs. Briggs became Washngton's first woman journalist, writing letters for the papers and maga- zines over the nom de plume of olivia. ' These letters were written just prior to the civil war, and during that great struggle, and were among the best con tributions sent out of Washington by the writers of that period.
 
 tween Lincoln and Douglas in the famous campaign ending at Freeport, H.. where the future President hoored his antago- mist by proposing a question concerning the inclusion of slavery in state consti- tutions admitted as territories. Douglas could not answer the question, and the celebrated political controversy that had lasted many weeks and had been carried on in almost all the towns and cities of ftan f, 1ad hal md quaintance then made with Lincoln re- suited in the coming of the Briggses to Washington, and the chronieling of the events of the war from this point by that keen observer and impressionable writer whom the north revered as Olivia" Mrs. Briggs lives in a reminiscent mood in her splendid old home surrounded with ob- jects which daily suggest to her that thrilling time when she was Tn the fore front of some of the greatest events that ever happened on this earth.
 ] Mrs Briggs house is a roomy house of colonial style, surrounded by spacious grounds, in which large naples grow. In the rear of the house, which was the home of planter and his descendants. are still the slave quarters, silent remind CTS of the "old regime"
 Within the house one enters upon the scenes of another life than the present Ine TOOnS are lull Dl Oll anu relics of bygone time. In the drawing room stands colonial couch or settee taken from Christs church, Alexandria where George Washington worshipped The managers of Mount Vernon have of fered every inducement to Mrs. Briggs to have this valuable relic taken to Washington's estate to be placed on ex- hibition there. In the library the bblio- phile would find thousand treasures in h.. .111 ttxsx... l.. haps the best private library to be found in Washington.
 One room in the house was frescoed by Brumidi, the famous mural painter, who decorated the rotunda of the Capi- tol. In this room it's owner has gathered the choicest of her relics. It contains a large picture of Iincoln her best friend among the public men of the country There are other relies here, many of them gifts from the men and women who were in the public eye forty years ago.
 No less interesting are the reminisz cences which "Olivia" never tires of re- lating to the patient listener. With her husband she attended the first levee held at the White House after the inaugura- ton of Lincoln. The mansion was crowd ed by a mass of people, which might be best characterized as mob. The recep- tion was not in the least formal. There was no shaking of hands and no presenta- ton of guests. The people simply came in crowd-the baker, the Quaker and candlestick maker. They stared at the President and his wife until admonshed to move along by some policeman or sol dier. and they made way for the others on the outside to come in and look at the tall and ungainly man. with the deep-set eyes and sad face. Mrs. Briggs declares that Lincoln was in constant expectation of the assassin's knife, or pistol, but that he apparently had no fear of such a fate if it awaited him. The time of the ievee was spent by him and Mrs Lincoln in talking with those of the throng whom they happened to know, and others were not allowed to approach.