The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-01-27
THE DEATH OF WASHINGTON.

~ anu / D CLOCK the ulgut VI OS-
cember 14th, 1899. The day of his
birth is celebrated throughout the
United States and wherever else there
are Americans, but the day of his
death is known to few of his country
men,.
Washington had for some time been
in retirement at Mount Vernon. His
liveliest and most active concern was
in the management of the place.
1t is recorded that on December
10th be walked through the grounds
Immediately surrounding the house
with his favorite nephew, Lawrence
Lewis, and Lewis wife, Nellie Gus
tis, the adopted daughter of Wash
ington. Lewis and Miss Gusts had
not been married a year. As the trio
walked through the garden on De-
cemb' 10th, Washington pointed out
TO bis companions the place where
he intended to erect new family
vault, the old vault having been rived
by trees.
On the afternoon of December 9th
Washington completed a set of plans
on which he had for some time been
engaged, forthe cultivation OF fields
and the rotation of the crops, indica-
ting the acreage to be planted and the
nature of the crop for several years
in advance.
December nth, according to Wash
igton's diary, was windy and rainy
and at night there was a ring about
the moon.
December 18th was cloudy and
threatening. In the morning of that
day Washington wrote a letter to
Alexander Hamilton approving a
plan which Hamilton had submitted
to the Secretary of War for the erec-
tion of a national military academy,
which later was created at West
Point. He concluded the letter, and
at 10 o'clock called for his saddle
horse and started on tour of the
plantation. 1t was almost an invari-
able custom of Washington to make
this tour daily. About noon snow
began to fall. Snow turned to rain
and this to hail, but Washington did
not return to the house till he made
his rounds. It was then 8 o'clock in
the afternoon.
Tobias Lear, Washington's private
secretary, saw that the general was
wet and cold, but he went to dinner
without changing his clothes. The
next morning, December 18th, the
snow lay three inches deep on the
ground and Washington remained
indoors during the forenoon. He
was hoarse and complained of sore
throat. In the afternoon he walked
out in the grounds at the front Of the
house, overlooking the river, and
marked several trees which he wish
ed cut down. His hoarseness increas-
ed. That evening slave brought
the mail from the post Office at Alex
andria. and Lear read the papers to
Washington. Both were particular
ly interested in the debates in the Vir-
ginia assembly.
Between and 3 o'clock in the
morning of December 18th Washing
ton awakened Mrs. Washington, but
would not permit her to leave the
chamber to call servant At dawn,
when negro woman entered to make
a fire, she was sent to arouse Mr..
Lear, who dispatched messenger
for DIR. Craik at Alexandria and call
ed in Rawlins, the overseer of the
place, to bleed the general. Rawlins
took half pint of blood from the
patient. Gargles were used and hot
poultices applied to the throat, but
the general could not swallow and
could breathe and speak only with
difficulty. DIR. Craik came about 9
O'Clock, and later DR.. Dick and DR..
Browne, one of them coming all the
way from Port Tobacco, far away
down on the Maryland shore.
At four O. clock the general called
Mrs. Washington and directed her
to fetch him some papers from the
desk. These papers were two wills.
One he bade her destroy in the fire,
the other to keep.
Lear relates that he took the gen.
erals hand, and that Washington
said to him "I find that / am 60
ing. My breath cannot last long.
believed from the first that the dis
order would prove fatal. Do you ar
range my accounts and settle my
books, as you know more about them
than anybody else, and let Mr.. Raw
Inns finish my other letters, which he
has begun"
DR.. Craik came in again at five
o'clock and Washington said to him.
doctor, 1 die hard, but I am not
afraid to CO." An hour later the
other physicians came in and all as
sisted propping the general up in bed.
Washington said to them: II feel ]
am going, / thank you for your at
tentions, but I pray you take no more
trouble about me let me go off quiet
ly :; I cannot last long"
Lear says that at ten O'Clock the
general made an effort to speak, and
with great difficulty said II am
just going. Have me decently buried
and do not let my body be put in the
vault in less than three days after ]
am dead" Lear says: Il bowed,
for could not speak"
DR.. Craik held Washington's wrist
then gently laid it down. He closed
the eyes of Washington, for the great
man was dead. 1t was late in the
night of December 18th, 1899.
The funeral was held December
18th. All the people ofthe neighbor
hood were at the house. The corpo
ration OF Alexandra, companies O
militia and Masons from Alexandra
were there. The procession moved
from the house and the casked wa:
laid away. A sloop of war off Noun
Vernon fred minute guns. The vii
was read. In it Washington gav'