The daily sentinel., 1907-07-24
HISTORIC
OLD HOUSES
DISAPPEARING

q Washington, July 24.-One {
O by one historic old buildings 9
@ in the national capital are GO z
q ing down before the irresistible Z
q sweep of modernity 1t Is sell
@ dom, though, that they pass z
q out in blocks of six, as was the q
O case this week when an old Z
O row of imposing dwellings, the Z
q homes of foreign diplomats {
O more than a half century ago, 4
q was the subject of a transfer 4
q that will result in their being q
q remodeled and refurnished. 4
q The walls that once resouded 4
q to the dignified chatter of 4
q many tongues are to be given Z
q over to the cause of higher ed 4
q ucation, and vandal carpenters q
q and masons are already at 4
q work in bringing about a {
q transformation. Z
Once the change is effected, the
six houses are to be utilized by tn,
George Washington university fol
some of its departments that hav,
outgrown the present quarters. Two
of the houses will be occupied by
the college of engineering; the de
partment of education and the de
partment of architecture will occupy
two more, while the Woman's col
lege will take up ther emainder. The
buildings are especially well adapt
ed for classrooms, for the ceilings are
high and the windows generous.
But to return TO the hfstorica
side of the matter. The row, once
the most imposing block of house.
in Washington, was erected in tn,
SOS by w w. Corcoran, who dedi
Gated to the government the nationa
gallery of art bearing his name. Mr.
Corcoran discovered that the repre-
sentatives of foreign governments
were unable to find suitable living
quarters in Washington, and witt
characteristic patriotism he set about
remedying this fault, for he consid
cred it a blot on the good name OF
the United States lin general and
Washington in particular that suct
a condition should exist. The build
ings, most elaborate for the erI
We're the result.
One of the houses was the scene
of tragic occurrence some years be
fore the war. The Russian envoy
one of the most brilliant of the dip
lomatic set, and his wife were th'
most lionized couple in society. Tn,
envoy's wine cellar was poem il
Olu ana rare NlHldEtSs anu ne nat
brought most of its stock from his es
tate in the czar's realm. With hin
also came an old butler, a Russian
who had been for years in his EN-
ploy, and a hundred old bottles o
claret that were worth their weigh
in gold.
In the height of the social season
the envoy found his wine disappear
ing. The theft devoted his atten
tion to the priceless claret, and abou
twice a week empty bottles wer,
| found in the cobwebber bin that con
tanned them. The butler kept clos
vigil, but to no avail The bottle
continued to disappear.
! Finally, in desperation, the envo.
carefully opened a bottle, treated tn
contents with a powerful poison an
replaced it in the bin where the hant
of the thief would most naturall
| fall upon it. The next morning h
sought his wine cellar. There h
found, lying stark upon the floor
the hands clenched and the dead eye
holding in their depths look o
frozen horror. the body of his oil
servitor, the butler. So far as tn
records show. nothing ever was don
in the case. The United States coul
not act. for in a diplomatic SENSE
the crime was committed on Russian
soil.
1t is not unlikely that the house
ultimately will be restored. Thei
occupancy by the George Washington
university is only temporary, for tn
institution is making ready to cree
a notable group of buildings of it
own. Its ambition to become tn
great American university give
promise of fulfillment, and sui
scriptions to the endowment fun
continue to come in.