The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-11

ed by the General Assembly In 1901, at the
time when the contest for the election |
of Mr.. Jefferson was at Its height. and |
when party spirit was most bitter and
vrulent--after the passage OF the Alien
ana sedition laws by Congress- The pro-
ainble rccftes that "it Is expedlcnt In
the present crisis OF affairs, that proper.
guards should be kept for the security
OF the public property in tho city of
Rchmond," and this corps was intended
to Euard the Capitol and tho public
nrnory then about being est.bMshcd At
first II was composed OF the rlff-raff and
scum or the city and was really OF ltttla
or no service.
blt Wnen the command was entrusted
70 thht gentleman and fine officer, Cap.
tam Blair Boiling, II was soon elevated
INTO respectahilitya and subsequently TN
der the command OF such officers as Cap
tain John b. Richardson and Captain
Charles Dimmock, became. ms II justly
deserved to BIO. equal to any OF the regu-
lars In the United States army.
captain Boiling was the captain at the
time OF which we arc writing, ana his
nrst lieutenant was Elijah Brown. The
company had attached to IL q battery OF
from Iron pieces. which were used to
| nre national salutes on the Fourth of
July. and tho twenty-second of Tebru-
airy. AT other times It was drilled as
| an Infantry corps
on the twenty-second OF February,
MT tho evening parade. the company was
drawn up In force on tho plateau in
front OF the old barracks, and was pre-
pared to fire the shutdown salute.
The command devolved on Lieutenant
Brown, In consequence of the temporary
| absence Of the captain, and the ensign
and orderly-sergeant were. each In
charge OF half battery. We happened
accidentally to be passing at tho timo.
and hearing the exhilirnting sound OF
tho drum and fife. then played by Gard
ner and blind Edwards, than whom i.
was rare to find better musicians In their
line. We paused to witness tho firing OF
the salute.
'The first thing that struck us was
| the appearance OF Colonel Tatehom, with
whom we had been acquainted some t,ma.
and OF whose harmless monomania we
! had been aware for years. we saw him
close to the musicians and heard him
say to Gardner. I am going. Gardner. d.
rectly into eternity. and have but one
| request to make of you; play the long
| roll crescendo and then dimundo, until
1T dies away into the far distance. Ed
! wards, throw your soul into that fife.
have heard you do 1t until the big tears
started IN my eye. Let 1t be sweet. old
| fellow
He then came to us. and, recognizing
us, placed his arm In ours. and said
| cheerfully, II am going to tho resurrec-
| tlon MORN We walked together In the
rear Of the guns, from the right to the
left OF the company.
VIII you not go with me to my long
\ homer We saw from his excited manner
that he had been drinking freely, but
thought what we had heard was only one
va yt,r On h cd bnf ttC
make louder report, the guns were load
ed with tobacco stems, twisted into d
wad. and rammed tight upon the powder,
and for some distance they flew with the
force Of n cannon ball. IT happened. too,
that the guns were posted facing the east
and that the wind. which was light ana
the atmosphere heavy. drove the smoke
slowly from the south. the right OF the
line. towards the left. at which poin.
wo had paused. I'm two minutes" sad
3 Colonel Tatehnm. 81 shall be In eternity
A We heard Lieutenant Brown give the
y command: fright half battery, ready!"
Tho ensign: Fright gun. fret" Tho gun
was fired. In the next half minute, before
the smoke had cleared away, we heard
the order: Left half battery. ready"
The orderly: Left gun!' At this mo-
ment. Colonel Tatehan, withdrawing his
arm from ours. sprung directly before
the muzzle OF the gum and raising his
arms to their height. cried at the same
moment with the officer. "Firel''
The firing Immediately ceased. and
when the smoke was lifted nothing re-
NAMED but the lifeless body OF Colonel
Tateham. The mortal was there; the Inn
i mortal spirit had gone to the presence OF
its Maker.
Before tho company was dismissed, by
permission OF the lieutenant commanding,
Edwards and Gardner stood over the re-
mains of the unfortunate gentleman and
compiled with his request Very few of
those who surrounded the body went
away without shedding tear. All were
moved by the mournful pathos Of that
solemn dirge.
Parson Buchanan read the service over
, his grave and shed a tear Of pity for his
, melancholy end.
) Not Long Separated.
] The two parsons died within few days
. of each other-the bachelor, December
90, 1922; the man Of family. January 10,
1929 The house in Which the latter
!, dwelt was on Leigh Street, the first from
the northwest corner of Sixth. old style.
!, One of his sons Colonel Walter D. Blair
> a peerless gentleman. owned and occu-
pied 1t up to the period of his death. Par
son Buchanan ut tho time of his death
dwelt near Bellevle, a tract OF twenty
five acres. formerly owned by the Mayos
and now by the trustees Of the Richmond
College. No one seems to know where
the Rev. John Buchanan resided before
his retirement from tho city. Ny good
friend. Peyton Darlington. having heard
that his house wis still intact on Second
Street. the next to one on the northwest
corner of Main, called many years ago on
tho hou1ekeeper OF the old parson, still
living. but in failing health. She did not.
or could not. verify the report of its hav-
ing been at one time the abode OF her
old friend. Mr.. burlington has. however,
record evidence that the Bucnannns had
quarters at an early date near the old
shockoe Warehouse, which appears on
the Watkins map as having been situated
south Of Cary. with its northern wall
touching the east line OF what Is now
called the Fourteenth Street. This old