The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-01-05

Under the light Of the moon, was re-
vealed to the father, brothers and
lover, the face Of their idoIized one.
She was taken to the house dead, not
able to speak her forgiveness to her
father, or give word of love to her
sweetheart.
TO describe the sceneis impossible.
The lover upbraided the father, but
the younger brother said Gas she
lies here let her be the peacemaker.
She loved you in life let us care for
each other because of her death"
So, she was buried near her own
home, and all the people for miles
around, knowing of her tragic death,
came to show their respect, and to
cover her grave with the blossoms
which she had loved in her lifetime.
The beautiful country place was
sold with an express proviso that it
should be made cemetery, which
rarfied into effect in 1888. The
brother, father and lover all left for
a distant land, and never returned
until each was brought back to be
laid ito rest near the one they had
loved.
Francis Scott Key lived in George
town, D. c., and frequently visited
Baltimore while his son owned the
"Elms," aud also was frequent
visitor at the latter place.
As pertinent to the subject upon
which we write, 1t is not deemed
amiss to give brief recital of the
facts which eliminated in the birth
of the "Star Spangled Banner" the
poem which is the inspiration of
every patriotic son of the United
States, when ever it is played by the
band, or sung before an audience.
When Admiral Cockburn and
General Ross, commanding the Brit
ish forces, after the capture of Wash
ington and the battle of Bladensburg,
decided upon the capture of the city
of Baltimore, the British feet was
pointed towards that city. When
leaving the Potomac river, they took
as prisoner, a prominent citizen of
Upper Marlboro, DR.. Beane. The
efforts of his friends to secure his re-
lease were of no avail, and John S.
Skinner, the agent for the Govern
ment for flags of truce and the ex-
change of prisoners, and Francis
Scott Key were selected to go aboard
of the British flagship, and intercede
with the Admiral for the release of
the doctor. They were courteously
received by the Admiral, as we'll as
by the officers of the army and navy.
They remained aboard the Admiral's
Flagship until the feet entered the
Patapsco river, when they were trans
ferred to their own vessel, the doctor
being permitted to accompany them.
They were kept under guard by
detachment of marines, the Admiral
expressed his regrets at the necessity
of keeping them unwilling prisoners
during the expected assault upon the
defenses Of the city.
fheir vessel was anchored in a
position that gave them an unobstruc-
ted view of the bomhardment of Fort
McHenry. With his companions,
Key remained on deck all night,
watching every shell, from the mo-
nent it was fired until it fell, listen
ing with bated breath, to hear if an
explosion followed. Well into the
night the bombardment continued,
evidence to them that the fort had
not surrendered. Suddenly, just be-
fore the break of day, the firing ceas-
ed. Having no communication with
the enemy's ships, the anxious pa
triots could not ascertain if the fort
had surrendered, or if the attack
upon it had been abandoned. In
painful suspense they paced the deck
Of their boat, watching with keen
anxiety for the break of day, looking
every few minutes at their watches,
to see how long they must wait.
With the first break of dawn, when
it was still too dim to ascertain OBJ
iects at distance, their glasses were
turned to the fort, uncertain whether
they should see still flying from the
masthead their beloved stars and
stripes, or the flag Of the enemy.
With the full break of day, to their
unspeakable Joy, they saw floating
over the fort the stars and stripes
ssour flag was still there" With ad-
vancing day, they saw the wounded
troops carried to the ships, and from
other evidences they knew that the
attack had failed, and that the enemy
was preparing to re-embark and sail
away. Later in the day they were
given permission to return to their
homes, which they lost no time in
doing.
It was while Key was pacing the
deck, in painful suspense, that the
inspiration seized him to write the
lines that have become the national
anthem. He commenced it in the
iervor of the moment when he saw
the enemy retreating to their ships,
and while the flag of his country
HOated proudly above the ramparts
of his fort. The first liEes, or brief
notes, were scribbled OH the back of
letter which he happened to have
in his pocket; for other lines that
came to his mind, as he proceeded to
compose, he had to rely upon his
memory. He finished its compost
- I. Al -. 20
the shore, and wrote it out as it now
stands, on the same night and i'm
mediately upon his arrival, at the
hotel in Baltimore.
Judge Nicholson, one of the Judges
of the Court Of Appeals, was related
to Key by marriage, as was also
Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, their
wives being sisters. Judge Nichol-
son WAS distinCf1ished as a it1riSt.