The morning journal-courier., 1908-01-18
PLACES OF HISTORY
Some of the Interesting Spots That Are Unmarked
 as Yet.
ONE HOUSE WITH A STORY
From Residence of Head of Episcopal Church to Dissolute
 Resort.

mission to preserve Judges Cave and the pardonable pride which people of this locality take in keeping its history alive and telling how it once sheltered the judges who condemned Charles l. of England to death. brings to mind the oft-commented on neglect of his- toric landmarks when contrasted with other places connected with the story of these exiled jurists.
 One of these men. Edward Whalley l tthe name is also spelled Whaley) is said to have passed his life in seclud- ed spot on the shore of Narragansett Bay, about one hundred miles from here, His descendants have become large and influential Rhode Island family, and still, the place where local historians. folklore and tradition are located his permanent home is utterly unmarked except by slight ruins that declare house once stood upon it.
 The locality is picturesque in the ex- l treme and. like West Rock, it indicates that the settler had decidedly good that the settler had decidedly good | ings It is also one of the places that the advance of civilization has not de- faced. The electric cars give it a good berth of two miles and the narrow country road that runs nearby is so hilly that 1t forbids an amount of travel that would keep it clear of grass
 Near the top of a high hill that rises abruptly from Narrow river, an inlet of the bay, are the marks that are point ed to as the remains of the Whalley dwelling just little depression in the ground with few stone of the foun- dation around the edge. Struggling around in the growth of bushes are few of the yellow lilies so common in the dooryards of the old settlers. Yes, it's a good spot for the thoughtful to think of the changes that time brought to this man who once decided the des- tiny of the British nation for the inn mediate neighborhood is wild and un- inhabited but from the high ground other landmarks that tell history can | be seen
 Less than a half mile up the river stands the birthplace of Gilbert Stuart, the artist whose painting of Washing ton brought him fame. This place is well preserved and brass plate prop eryl inscribed gives its history. but there is tragic story connected with the preservation of the building.
 About twenty years ago. Captain George N. Kenyon, a Narragansett Pier hotel man, conceived the idea of making tourists resort of the Stuart place. He purchased 1t and began re- storing some of the rooms to the con dition in which they were supposed to be a century ago and modernizng oth- CT parts of the premises. Jack McGuin- ness, carpenter, was placed in charge of the work; after three months labor he attempted to collect what was due him for his service It was in the room that Stuart was born that he met Kenyon to talk over finan- cial matters. Perhaps he did not notice the Winchester rife that stood in one corner Kenyon refused to settle, Me- Guinness pressed his tlaim: suddenly the debtor grasped the Winchester and fired, McGuinness was probably fatally wounded but he made violent tllott to tStdBt, llt sDl oul bl tflt house and ran toward the road but flsilade of bullets followed him from a window. After getting but few yards he fell dead, two more shots having gone through his body The murder trial that followed was sensa- tional. Kenyon gave himself up and pleaded that his victim had assaulted him and the shots were in self-de- fense. Mrs. Kenyon's story alone stood in his way and, of course, a wife could not be forced to testify against the husband. She came to court voluntar- fly, however, and did all in her power to picture the crime as cold-blooded and inexcusable. A new trial was ask ed for on the ground that her testi- mony should have been barred, but the court refused to take that view Ken yon was convicted and died in the State Prison
 About two miles to the south can be seen another national landmark that is fast going to ruin. the home of Reverend Dr. William MacSparren, the first pastor of St. Paul's, the pioneer Episcopal church in this country
 The Glebe," as the MacSparren parsonage is called, is about two cen turies old and has been we'll taken care of until recently. For many years it was property of Captain William Watson, a retired deep water seaman. who took great pride in the history of the place. He used every possible ef- fort to keep it repaired in such a manner that no changes would be ap- parent and the amount of informa- tion that he had collected about the pioneer church made if worth a visi- tors while to go there. and the captain took delight in showing one about and relating stories of the carly days.
 After Captain Watson's death, a Philadelphia concern bought the prop erty. Their interest lay in supposed graphite deposits near the house and the former owners pains in caring for. the house soon went to naught, The graphite deposit was useless and SD was the land from a farmers point of view. The only party that wanted a lease was roadhousekeeper, and the authorities closed the unsavory place , he conducted. Then abandonment and decay came to this once finest res idence in the Narragansett country which had run the whole gamut from , the residence of the head of the Epis- cepal church in America to the resort of the most absolute A winter gale will probably bring its history to an end.
 The preservation of tlese old land- marks has a real value aside from