Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-06-20

British under Gen. Proctor and their
Indian allies under Tecumseh, the 9Th OF
October, 1913. twenty-five days after Per-
ry captured the British fleet And it was
the same feet that brought the British
soldiers across Lake Erie into the Bay
of Sandusky and up the Sandusky river
to attack Fort Stephenson, which stood
in the center of the thriving little city
fought August l and .. 1918. forty days
before the naval engagement, so that
all these events are closely identified
1t is an interesting fact that in all the
naval history of the world there nave
been but two battles in which the entire
feet of one of the contestants was cap
tured or destroyed by its opponent, and
both of these battles were fought IN
American waters at Put-in-bay and al
Santiago. Cuba.
1t is proposed to have sham naval battle
at the very spot where Perrys victory was
Won and carry out his tactics as far as
possible There are now on the great
lakes nine men-of-war used by the naval
reserves. and II is proposed to bring seven
| more from the Atlantic so as to have the
exact number Of vessels that were en-
gagged in the battle Of Lake Erie, and
they will be manned by the naval re-
serves on the lake. The feet will rendez-
vous at Erie. where Commodore Perrys
little ships We're built Of green timber and
where the Niagara. the last OF them. still
lies on the sandy bottom of Misery bay.
After the sham battle it is planned to
have the fleet visit all of the lake ports
| if possble-at least those of Lake Erie
There is no suitable monument for
Commodore Perry and his four brothers,
the most famous family of sea fighters
in the United States. The father and five
sons were officers of the navy and two
of the sisters married naval men. One
of them was the mother Of all the Rodg
ers and the other sister was the grand
mother of the late Senator Butler of
South Carolina. Their descendants have
had active part in making American
history. and their names fill a large place
in the naval register
A monument to Commodore Perry was
erected in the public square of Cleveland
in 1850. and was afterWard removed to
Wade Park 1t cost only $1,000. and is a
and executed in Cleveland by William
Walcutt. local artist. and paid for by
subscription. It was dedicated September
10. 1850. William Dennison. governor of
Ohio. and William Sprague, governor of
Rhode Island. Perry's native state, made
speeches. and George Bancroft, the his
torian. delivered an eloquent address.
DIR. Usher Parsons. who was Perrys sur
geon. Thomas BromWel who COM
manded the Ariel, one of his ships and
Oliver Hazard Perry. his only surviving
son. were the guests of honor A sham
battle was fought on the lake after the
exercises and the Freemasons gave
banquet In the evening. which was large
ly attended
The 10th Of September, called "Perry's
Victory day. has been generally cele-
brated by the people of Cleveland with
parades. orations and banquets and a
great deal has been made of 1t here al
though the commodore was never iden-
| titled in any way with the city. When
he passed up the lake with his little fleet
from Erie before the battle he lay at an
| Choir off the mouth of the Cuyahoga river
for two days. taking supplies. The people
of the village Of Cleveland heard the
and after the battle of the Thames Perry
and Harrison stopped here together en-
| route to Buffalo and were entertained at
a banquet.
Perry Family Of Cleveland.
The Perry family Of Cleveland, who
have been prominent from the founding
of the city and have furnished several
distinguished men. are not related to the
naval heroes. but are descended from
Nathan Perry, who came to Cleveland
from Connecticut in 1896 and bought one
thousand acres OF government land, on
which a great part OF the business sec
ton Of Cleveland now stands. He was
leader in public affairs from the start
His house stood at the corner of Superior
and Water streets, where the Perry
Payne business block now stands His
son afterward built home on Euclid
avenue. a coy cottage. which still stands
and Is perhaps the most interesting his
torical landmark in Cleveland. 1t is
shaded by group of grand old trees and
surrounded by beautiful lawn. For
half a century II was occupied by the
late H. B. Payne, his grandson, and is
still the home Of his descendants
pom the organization Of Cuyahoga county
in 1909 Nathan Perry was appointed a
Judge. and he retired from business then
and served on the bench the rest of his
| life.
His son and namesake. Nathan Perry.
| jr, while mere boy lived in the camp of
| Red Jacket. the famous Indian chieftain.
where he learned the language and was
admitted into the tribe He thus OBJ
tanned the confidence of the Indians and
acquired great influence over them. At
| his fathers death he returned to Cleve
| land and engaged in business. greatly to
| his profit. and the sale of the farm his
| father had purchased from the Connect
cut Society of the Western Reserve made
him enormously wealthy in those days.
Nathan Perry had one daughter. who
became the wife OF Henry B. Payne,
who first appears in Cleveland history
4 i'm 1894, when he was chosen clerk at an
election. He was born in Hamilton. n.
Iys graduated at Hamilton College in