The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-03-25
CIV. Gordon McCabe.)


-NS" 1OIk sun.
In your paper Of January 80 appeared
a telegram from Philadelphia, stating
that George W.. Kendrick. "a well
know Mason" of that city has in his
possession the Custis family Bible,
which Martha Washington used in
her morning devotions and which con-
tains the birth and death records of
many Of Americas famous men."This
telegram adds that 1.-THE Bible was mis-
laid by General Lees family in moving
from their home at Arlington in 1861.
following General Lees resignation
from the United States army" that
Miss Mary Gusts Lee, daughter of
General Lee, while visiting in Phila-
delphia recently. learned through an
onymo letter that the Bible was in
the possession of this Mr.. Kendrick and
thereupon wrote to him requesting him
to return the book to its rightful own
er. her brother, General Washington
Parke Gusts Lee; that Mr.. Kendrick
declined to do so. alleging that he had
bought the Bible twenty-five years ago
from a man named Stein. who has
since died" Mr.. Kendrick is further
quoted in the telegram as saying: II
understand that Mr.. STEMS father,
h was a soldier in the Union army,
bought the book from a sutler, who had
previously purchased it from a soldier,
who found it in the house at Arlington"
But what must be especially COM
forting to Mr.. Kendrick Cf your tele-
gram reports him accurately is the
probability of the whole story. This
Bible-one Of the most precious and in
teresting of the washington relics at
Arlington-used daily by Martha
Washington in her private devotions
and bequeathed by her to her grandson
(also Washington's adopted son),
George washington Parke GUSTS, who,
in turn, b~equeathed it to his only
daughter. Mary Gusts (wife of r. E.
Leg, with special entail to her eldest
son (and his favorite grandson and
namesake}, George Washington Parke
GUSTS Lee-was .'mislaidI" Their it was
found" by an e%nterprising Union SOL
der. who, let us surmise had never
heard of Martha Washington and so
having no use for a book of such bulk
and character. sold it (mayhap for a
stein" of good lager to a daring SUIT
Ter, who, finding he had even less use
for it. sold it (not for. butt to another
Stein. who seems to ave faded ava
to the and o. the leal; ~whereupon, his
son Get US surmise again), who had,
perhaps. peeped into it and had Stun
bled upon some of those uncomfortable
passages with which it is studded,
touching the finding Of things by the
acquisitive that have been "mislaid"
by the guileleSs, straightway parted
with his treasure trove to the present
purchaser" who apparently has held
on to it quietly for twenty-five years,
knowing perfectly we'll all the time
who was it's rightful owner! 1t is an
amazing explanation. or confession, for
my gentleman to make and will sure
ly prove satisfactory to men and wom-
en- North and South who still nourish
old-faShioned convictions touching the
force of the Categorical Imperative"
A day or two after the publication OF
your, telegram there appeared in the
Baltimore American hat purpOrted
to be an interview granted to it's cor
respondent by Mr.. Kendrick. in which
the latter is reported to have declared
that he was willing to give the Bible
to the Smithsonian Institution or to
the Mount Vernon Association, but
that he would not restore it to General
Custis Lee, as he didn't think that he
had any more right to it than any
other descendant of Martha Wash
ington. Mr.. Hendricks mind q won't
say his conscience) seems to be work.
| ing in a somewhat confused, if not I'M
easy, manner if this interview is cor
rect. He talks in one breath of "gi
| ing the Bible away and admits indi-
| rectly. in the next breath, that some
one of Martha Washington's descen-
| dants is the rightful owner Of it. Not
withstanding the weight that should
attach to Mr.. Hendricks opinion. as
that of a high-minded man. it will be
seen from what 1 AVE stated above
that Martha Washington's grandson,
to whom she specifically bequeathed
the book, just as specifically stated in
his will to which one of her descen-
dants the precious heirloom should go.
As to Mr.. Hendricks offer to give it
away, it will. no doubt, seem to people
who cling to their Anticipated notions
as to meum and tuum. that he might
as we'll talk about his willingness to
give" away General Gusts Lees
pocket-book.
In still another interview. Mr.. Ken
drick is reported to have declared h a
he was perfectly willing to give the
Bible to General Fftzhugh Lee. but to
Nc other member of he family" If
this utterance be true. it may be per-
tinent to inform the m~agnanimous
donor that General Fitzhugh Lee is not
a descendant of Martha Washington,
whereas his cousin, General Custis Lee.
is the great-great-grandson.
The plain and simple fact, known to
all men who have not short memories,
is that Mrs. Lee and her daughters on
leaving Arlington left things just as
they were, among them the "Washing-
ton relics" that had come down to her
y ltllIc III dd b4SN CT -
tie over three years before. In his
death passed away the last membe o.
W~lashington's immediate family cir
Gle at Mount Vernon These relics
came to him by inheritance, and he
wiIled them specifically as stated above.
At the time Mrs. Lee left Arlington no
one dreamed lin Virginia, at leasD of
the ruthless pillage that was to char
acterize the conduct of the war The
relics were finally seized by the gov
ernment, placed on exhibition at the
patent office, and, later on, in the
Smithsonian institute. and not returned
to their rightful owners until that
great and just man. William Mckin-
! ley. signed the order for their restora-
tion. They belonged to Mrs. Lee and
her son, GUSTS, and not at all to Gen
eral Lee himself.
But before the formal seizure by the
government. many Of the personal eff
fects of General and Mrs. Lee had been