The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1909-02-04

Square pretty little park. with a
statue in the centre of the union ad-
miral who made the successful as
cent of the Mississippi during the
civil war.
~wlnSing into II street, little
further along. and turning east, we
PASS the Metropolitan and Army and
Navy Clubs, luXuriously housed in
magnificent buildings, and then a
row Of handsome homes on the
Z mouth side OF Lafayette Park, or
Jackson Square. Among these is the
late home of Mr.. Corcoran, the ben
evolent banker, who began life in
this city in the early part of the last
century as neWsboy and an or
phan His name will be forever per-
petuated here by his gift to the city
! Of the Corcoran Art Gallery, with
its priceless treasures in statuary
and paintings, and the Louise Home,
with it's elegant building and large
endowment, in the most beautiful
part of the city. where ladies of
good southern families, reduced by
age and unfortunate circumstances
to restitution, are cared for as long
as they may live. A daughter of the
late President Tyler spnet many
years of her later life there, and
died only two or three years ago.
The home is named for Mr.. Corcor-
ans wife.
The home OF the late John Hay is
N the same block, heavy. sombre
English house, almost covered with
clinging vines. Just across the street
is st. Johns Episcopal church, the
oldest church in the city. with its
low, pebble-dash walls, where the
aristocrats of social and official life
hold the pews, from generation to
generation. 1t is unattractive with
out but perfectly beautiful within.
On the eastern side of the same
block is the famous old Arlington
Hotel. In its anex, running out to
H street, Daniel Webster and Mark
Hanna lived and died, and the same
apartment is now occupied by Sena-
tor Thomas c. Platt of New York.
Diagonally across the street is the
old home of Mrs Dollie Madison,
the charming wife of President Mad
ison. at that time the center of
W
found his wife, charming young
widow, in Philadelphia, and married
her there The White House, it will
be remembered, was burned by the
British army, during the war of
1912, in the. midst OF Madison ad-
ministration. The Madison home,
which then became the center OF
both political and social affairs here,
is now the home of a popular club.
On the south side of the same
block is the beautiful Belasco the
atre, built only a few years ago on
the site of the old-fashioned brick
residence in which Secretary of
State Seward lived when the assault
was made on his life by one OF
Booths accomplices the night Pres
ident Lincoln was assassinated. rms
home was later owned and occupied
by Mr.. Blaine when he was secretary
of state. Just across the street, I'M
der one of the magnificent elm trees
that border the western side OF
Jackson Square, Gen. Daniel Z.
Sickles deliberately shot and killed
Philip Barton Key, the popular so
oiety man, for debauching his beau
tiful Spanish wife, few years be-
fore the war The trial which follow
ed was perhaps the most sensational
ever known in this country at that
time, and resulted in the acquittal
of Gen Sickles. Afterwards, Gen.
Sickles forgave his wife and took
her to his home again, and lived
with her until she died. few years
later.
Jackson Square is the size of two
city blocks, its most distinguishing
feature being an equestrian statue
of "Old Hickory" in the center. On
the south side of the square, just
across Pennsylvania avenue, stands
the White House, In the midst OF
its beautiful grounds. On the east is
the treasury department. and On the
west the state, war and navy, a
beautiful and stately building, pic
lures of which were once circulated
in New Jersey as the Washington
home of Ex-Secretary Robson, then
candidate for congress, who had
come to Washington some years be-
fore, at the beginning of his oficial
life. poor man. The trick has since
been played on number OF public
men, with varying success.
And so, all the way to the capitol
we are passing spots rendered IA
nous by important happenings In
the history OF our country. There is
the Interior Department, occupying
almost two blocks OF ground. which