The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-02-20

dressed her: d" Hon ID Madam: In conse-
gnence OF your communication to George
Washington of your want of money!
etc, and advised her to break up house
keeping and live with one of her chill
dren. He places Mount Vernon at her
disposal but adds that since the war
his house is like public tavern al
ways full of strangers, among whom she
would have to do one Of three things:
lst, 10 be always dressing To appear in
company; End, to come into (their pres
cnce) III dishabille, or. 3rd, to he, as
1T were prisoner in your own cham
ber. ~ Ard he adds that the FIRST she
would not like, the second he wonld not
like, while the third would not be pleas
ing to either OF them.
Took Care of the Pennies.
Take care OF the pennies" was evi-
dently one Of the generals notices. He
weighed the toll money given to his
fcrryman, ard II it. was short weight
the latter was made the loser. Yet once
when General Stone OF MARYLAND gave
what weighed three half pence over
Washington wrapped up that amount
IN paper for delivery TO Stone on his
return. And returning from the army
the landlord Of Mount Vernon, on care
fully measuring room. found that q
plasterer engaged in his absence had
overcharged 10 sbillings. Some time
afterward this plasterer died and his
widow, upon remarrying. advertised
that she would receive and pay all due
TO or by her former husband. Wash
ington upon reading the notice made
4 demand for his j. shillings and re-
ceivcd them.
a new contribution to knowledge of
Washington 8 human side has just been
made by w X. Bixbv of st. Louis, who
purchased and had printed for the first
tip1c-in a very limited presentation
editIon-the long lost inventory OF the
Mount Vernon estate S appraised by
Washington g secretary. Tobias Lear,
and three others in 1910. This, with
the wills of George and Martha Wash
ington, was fled IN the Fairfax court
house, whose records became scattered
abont the grounds in Union raid in
the Civil war. the captain OF Union
company on the grounds al the time
picked up several papers. among which
he later found Mrs. Washington g VIII
and the inventory. These be retained
until his death. when they were sold.
New York collector. George Washing
ton s will however. was never lost. An
expert of the congressional library's
manuscript division is now down at
Fairfax courthouse repairing it.
His Art Taste
We now get our first knowledge from
this inventory of the original contents
of the rooms az Mount Vernon. II
shows that the general s art taste ran
mostly TO war scenes and portraits of
generals. HI had upstairs some
F" Nymphs Bathing an "Adonis Car
ried OF by Nenus' and pictures of
that class, but the greater part of the
collection consisted of reproductions
of unknown painters. largely lands
capcs.
The. scale on which the general lived
al Mount Vernon is indicated by such
items as "6ftv-ivc barrels Of shad -
aud sFll7 barrels Of herring, and there
were counted on the estate 296 head
of cattle, 33 horses, II mules, ESQ sheen
aud 227 hogs. There were also 1o4
slaves on the place. (which Mrs Wash
ington intended liberatiug at the end
OF the year and which were not ap-
praised for that reason.