Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-19
LONG LEASE OF LIFE
Venerable Couple Celebrates
63d Wedding Anniversary.
OLD-TIME WASHINGTON
STREETS LIGHTED WITH TALLoW
DIPS PLACED ON POLES.
First Train of Steam Cars and First
Standardization Capt.
tai a Wilderness.
OLD-TIME WASHINGTON


when the city of Washington was in Its
swaddling clothes and when old-faShioned
folk in oid-fashioned garb. picked black
berries from thickets in localities which
are now business or residential centers. ana
where the hum and hurry burly OF twen-
tieth-century activity have replaced the
hum Of bees. the twittering of birds ana
the country quiet of homely old Washing
ton of seventy-five years ago.
James Richard Rodier and his wife, Mrs
Susanna Rodier, are remarkable couple
They have lived together uninterruptediy
and in harmony since they became man ana
wife, November 10, 1871. and Few days
ago. with their family and friends assem-
BLEED at the Rodier home, on Capitol Hill.
they celebrated their sixty-third wedding
anniversary. Both were born In oid
Georgetown. and have never lived beyond
the limits of the District of Columbia
Mr.. Rodier was born December "a, 1871,
and should he survive until the approa ching
Christmas eve he will celebrate his eighty
fourth birthday. His hair is BLACK as
ravens wing" which he wears long. cava-
| lier fashion. When the reporter referred
| to his fine suit of hair and the absence OF
any silver threads the old gentleman re-
| piled that Father Time had CONSIDERABLY
refrained from giving him many basting
threads
Mrs. Rodier was born in Georgetown on
June 10. 1924. Her maiden name was Glenn
ents. She and her husband are wonderfully
well preserved, and today Mr.. Rodier was
enga ged in reading newspaper without
the aid of spectacles. When reference was
made to this he said
Yes, l can read the very finest print
without glasses.
The venerable couple are still mourning
the loss of their eldest child, a daughter,
who died one year ago at the age of sixty
years. They are the parents of seven
daughters and four sons, and twenty-nine
grandchildren and eight great-grandchi-
dren are included in the family circle.
Newspaper Carrier.
When a lad back in 1872, Mr.. Rodier
was assistant carrier of a weekly newspa-
per known the Georgetown Spectator.
He said the territory lying between the Cap
itol and 10Th street northwest, now the bus
iness center of Washington. was rated as
poor ground" as a newspaper field, there
being but few subscribers until Capitol
Hill was reached. Pennsylvania avenue
between the Capitol and White House was
like a country road, being lined on each
side by tall poplar trees. There were only
a few scattering frame buildings, all small.
along its course. Georgetown was then
what was regarded as populous port
city, and the ancient Georgetowners were
the city of Alexandria in the commercial
race and go beyond her in Importance.
The principal sections of Washington at
that time were those at the navy yard
and Immediately about the Capitol. - The
areater horton Of the northwest was a
barren waste. where the girls ana boys
went blackberrying in the summer ana
cnestnutting in the fall, and where the Old
time sportsman, with f1int-lock gun sal
lied forth In field, thicket and wood to XIII
the toothsome cartridges, robins and other
game which abounded there
Greenleaf Point was an important featuro
of the geography of early Washington, MI
Rodier said. The point was located at the
foot of Az street. There was, group or
i tha no
sula and the inhabitants were said to be
thrifty set Of people. There were but rev
houses between the Capitol and the settle
ment known as the navy yard In order
to reach the navy yard, the pedestrian had
to cross creeks and gullieS, pass over wide
commons and go through several patches
of woods.
Mere Country Roads.
Looking backward said Mr.. Rodier,
my first recollection Of Washington was
that Pennsylvania avenue and the other
principal streets of the present center were
like muddy country roads. At 10th street
directly in front of the present treasury
building was long row of trees directly in
the middle of the roadway
1.-The treasury in those days was a most
unpretentious two-story brick building. The
other department structures were about the
same size and design. They were surround
ed by wooden rail fences to keep the cows
out of the departmental Enclosures, for at
that early period cows, hogs and chlckens
roamed the so-called streets of Washing
ton at will At intervals about the fence
were turnstiles, such as are used now by
farmers in some parts Of the country.
THE Capitol grounds in those days was
very small affair and was the favorite feed
ing ground for numerous f1ocks of chick
ems. The police force of Washington con-
sisted of two county constables' and the
watch which also comprised two men.
The watch had more power than the con-
stables and were armed generally with
rough old constable In Georgetown who
went about armed with a rawhide. This he
welded vigorously across the backs Of re-
fraetory boys and the slaves J" The The latter
night and woe betide the negro who was
caught out after that hour by the gruff old
constable. The only lookup then was the
old jail, which was located near the site
of the present pension office.
"Flogging had been in vogue in Washing
ton, but ceased as means of legal punish
ment about 1927 the time l refer to. I re-
member the last case of official fogging.
The whipping post was at 21st street, in the
frs, ward The suapri was white
forgotten what his offense was
"From all accounts" interrupted Mrs.
Rodier. looking up from her knitting there
should be fiogging post here now
Hush, child said the aged husband in
kindly tones. I'VE are living in another age
now.
old-Hme Street Lighting.
when 1 look about me at the beauti-
full electric illumination here at night"
continued Mr.. Rodier. my memory goes
away back to those days when this mag
nifcent city was but a struggling village.
and the first public lights can recall were
shallow tin vessels with lighted wicks
floating in the oil in them These were
set on the tops of poles far apart. The
city lamplighter went about his task of
lighting them after SHUTDOWN with a fam
ing torch. shaped something like the old
fashioned teapot, with a long spout the
wick nrafrildinI Il .,