Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1904-02-18

The part Of the history OF the Car
lyle House, however, In which we are
most interested is hat dealing direct
ly with Washington as a national char
acter. Most of us are fairly familiar
with Lieut.-Col. Washington's work
with the Virginians against the French
ut Great Meadows; and we know with
what spirit he resigned his commits
sion from Gov. Dinwiddle rather thar
take that misguided ~Scotchman's die
tum that provincial officers should
rank nc higher than captains when
servin. in concert with British regu-
lars.
Maj.-Gen. Braddock, however, had
formed a very different opinion Of
Washington, and In recognition of the
young mans services, invited him to
become II Of his STAFF and to serve
In his military family with the rank Of
colonel. 1t IL In this we are inter-
ested.
Making his headquarters In tbs Car
lyle House, Braddock set to work at
nee to fully organize his forces, part
of his military command long being
recruited in Alexandria In mid-Apr,l
Of 1855 Braddock had called together
in Alexandria the governors Of Mas
s~achusetts, New York. Maryland,
Pennsylvania and Virginia, who were
William Shirley, James De Lancey,
Horatio Sharpe, Robert Hunter Morris
and Robert Dinwiddie. II was to the
councils of such men that Washing
ton was hidden by B~raddock, and 1t
he received his commission as colonel
on B%raddock's stan. The walls, wains-
coting, woodwork, mantel, etc. Of the
very room In which this occurred re
main to-day just as they were on
hat momentous occasion.
It takes no particularly vivid mag.
nation to animate that place to-day
With a sense Of the atmosphere OF that
time. now q century and a half gone
by. and the use to which the building
is now put-a repository for antique
furniture OF the artistic sort-only
tends to give further touch to the
ancient halo about the place.
This room referred to leads directly
upon the broad central hallway OF the
house, and, according to tradition, Ii
was at the foot Of the still beautiful
solid mahogany staircase of this hall.
way that Washington stood waiting
the coming of fair Sallie Fairfax on
the occasion Of q ball In the house,
and. likewise according to honored
tradition. 1t was In the room directly
opposite the one In which he received
his commission and counsellsd with
the colonial rulers that he proposed
to the same fair Sallie and was re-
jected.
But for the unusually substantial
manne In which the house and Its
old-fort foundation were built, the
place would long & have lost much
Of Its originality. The ravages OF
time are now beginning to tell and It
will be but q question Of a few years,
IL something II not done to prevent
the attacks OF relic hunters and the
natural decay OF materials, before the
building Is ruined.
To-day the Braddock House, which
10 not without its civil war history
for It was there that Col. Ellsworth
OF the a was shot In '6l-is
practically deserted, only the wide
sweep of It's ground floor, which once
was the OF many 4 ball and I'm
portant function. Is now Uttered with
mahogany relics OF every section OF
Virginia The work OF preparing this
furniture for the market Is fast mar.
ring the walls and injurins wainscot-
ing and the like. and the Carlyle
House suffers In common With IT.
nor reesnt nsighboS.