Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-20


bird. r. Burch. II. cayanxugh. L. A. Poole.
J. A. Burch, J. Getchei. Judah Delano. Pat
rick Crowley, John II. Wade and Michael
and ]. b. Martin, department clerks On
9th street, south Of street. In row OF
frames, were Mason Piggott weli-known
policeman. and n. Tarlston.
Among the improvements made a few
years later was a row Of brick buildings
on the east side of 9th street, erected for
John Boyle. chief clerk OF the Navy De-
partment. At the 9th street corner was
the grocery of John Brooks. and the house
OF Dollie johnson. nearby on the north side
Of F street, and on the south side was the
recently erected chapel of Wesley M. e:
congregation. Though the neighborhood
was as orderly as any In the city, 1t cannot
be said that there was~an absence of In
fiuences not friendly to morals and religion.
There were a few houses Immediately
south of the square. and on the 9th street
side at e street was the shoe shop Of Zebe-
dee Flynn. in front of whose door was
pump, and the boys were won't to torment
him by singing
'+Oad Zebedee Flynn, old Zebedee Flynn,
He walks up the street with his toes turned in,
In allusion to his club feet.
South of e street We're Andre Giovanni.
sculptor; Charles w. Botelor and John D.
Botelor, and near the corner of D street
a row of small frame buildings To the
south the Wallach house had been built
short time before. and at the corner of An
street-now John Marshall place-was the
Masonic Hall, which Is yet standing. This
contained besides a lodge room hall for
entertainments. and at the time mentioned
q museum was conducted there.
What is now Judiciary Sauare-wfth the
pension office on the northern portion ana
the city hall on the south-then presented
anything but a lovely appearance and was
known as the city hall lot. That building
was quite new, and the front view was an
imposing one. The full plan had not been
carried out: the back walls. being of brick
and perfectly blank. were not pleasant to
look at. On the north side of E street mid
way between 18th and 9Th streets. was the
jail. erected about 1904 This was a plain
two-stcry structure, in which the jailer
lived. At that time, imprisonment for debt
being in vogue, he often had Some of the
best citizens whose only offense was inabtl-
tty to pay.
There is told a story of one of the debt
| ors getting wife and position through his
Imprisonment. The debtors were allowed
outside during the day If they kept within
the prison bounds, which were list, 10th
and G streets and the canal 1t SO happen.
ed that one of the debtors and the young
daughter of the prison keeper were mutual
ly smitten and one day they met outside
and came to an understanding She was
then on her way to the Marsh Market
for the family supplies, and while he went
for license to marry she hastily did her
marketing. Meeting near a minister's res
| dence the couple were married AS in duty
| bound, the debtor reported at shutdown and
he was introduced by the daughter her
husband
OF course the father made the best of 1t
and bestowed his blessing; and being
| loath to see his son-inlaw a prisoner.
went security for his Indebtedness and
gave him an opportunity to square himself
| by securing him an appointment as con-
stable It is said that he proved to he
| capable officer in all particulars save that
| he would never arrest one for debt as he
knew how it was from experience
| With the exception OF some Of the
ground west of the city hall and about the
| Jail, the land comparatively level as
| far as G street. Through the northern por-
ton a stream fed by springs near 9th and
| L and Sth and L streets entered the square
near 5th and G streets and passed out near
| e and 4th streets. flowing enthusiastically
| to the Tiber near c street 1t was in this
stream that Mr. Baalem Burch lost his life
| in 1852.
| and builder, residing on 18th street south OF
G street, and having spent the evening
with his brother. Capt. Samuel Burch, near
New Jersey avenue and l street, started Tor
| his home 1t was just after a storm, the
run was a raging torrent and the night
very dark. Some days afterward the body
of Mr. Burch was found near Indiana ave-
nue. and Sd street. and the belief was that
he slipped from the log which was laid over
the stream at 5th and G streets.
Few houses were to be seen to the north
and east that of Capt Burch, at New
Jersey avenue and l street: the homes OF
Nathan Cook and Henry Dawson Mark
Ferris, William Woodson, in the neighbor-
hood of Sd and F streets, and James Eslin,
near I'd and G streets. and the grocery OF
Mrs. Lawton at New Jersey avenue and +
street, being about all. These were the
nucleus of what became English Hill. on
which were the brickyards of Eslin, Wilson,
Diggs and others.
Near where Trinity Episcopal Church is
located, Indiana avenue and Sd street, there
was settlement called Irish Hill, south
of which there had been some brick kilns.
and about I'd and B streets were some fine
two-story buildings, which at one time
housed some of Washington's most prom1-
nent people.
The Tiber which crossed the avenue at I'd
street was forded near Indiana avenue.
and 1t was not bridged permanently till
1913. Between this stream and the Capitol
there were no houses save few PENN
syIyania avenue. JAMES CROGGON.