Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-10
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

onStrate that the city 8
Fire Engine equipment for resisting
n~.-I the flames was made
quate. consisting of vol
unteer companies working old-style hand
engines. In The Star of September .,
1861. is the following urgent expression
of this need:
The circumstances attending the dan
gerous fires in our midst that occurred
on Saturday night and Sunday-yester-
day morning-demonstrat the absolute
necessity for the governments immediate
acceptance of the offer Of the authorities
of Philadelphia and other northern cities
to send hither at any moment a steam
fire engine for the protection OF property
in the federal metropolis from incendiar-
ism or accidental fire in these times of
utter disorganization and non efficiency
Of the citys local fire department. A
the Franklin-every other one in Wash
ington being now wholly unprepared for
service as before. Both fires were evil
IDENTIFY the work OF incendiaries aiming to
bring about extensive CONGREGATIONS
Most Of the members Of the fire depart
ment of Washington are now in the mill
tary or other service of the government
under circumstances justly accounting
for its characterization at this time. In
the name Of our fellow citizens of the
District of Columbia we beseech the gov
eminent at once to accept the steam
fire engine offer Of Philadelphia 9 munich
pal authorities. If that be not done
speedily the chances are twenty to one
that, with the immense amount of NUM-
tons and military stores scattered
throughout the city and Georgetown, ex-
posed more or less to the villainy Of in
cendiarism, the Treasury will lose thou
sands through fires here for every dollar
the policy of the ounce of preparation
we suggest can possibly cost"
Il
On the Goth of August, 1861, John C.
Fremont, commanding the Western De-
partment with headquarters
EremOnt'S at st. Louis, issued proc
n-l lamation declaring martial
law throughout the state of
Missouri and conf1scating the property
of all persons who had taken up arms
against the United States and also de-
claring all their slaves to be free men.
This proclamation caused great excite
ment not only in the south and in the
border states, but throughout the north.
where 1t was by no means the general
sentiment that the war was undertaken
for the purpose of freeing the slaves. The
Star on the Sd of September, 1851. COM
mented as follows upon this matter:
Maj. Gen. Fremont's recent proclamation
is of course, the subject matter of much
conversation among public men. military
and civil, in this city. Their criticisms,
though almost invariably adverse to the
positions he appears to have taken. are
by no means unkind to him personally,
as it is evident that. though a tried and
competent soldier, he is no lawyer. and
therefore may not be expected to be al
ways successful in so drawing up such
papers as to state such things with legal
precision. It is well understood here that
his purpose was simply to notify the peo-
pie OF Missouri of his intention to carry
out the letter and spirit of the confisca-
ton act. So far as the government here
is concerned, all in Washington realize
that such is their purpose, and therefore
no one among us dreams that they in
any manner sympathize with the views
of those of the east. who would have that
interpreted to mean a license from Con
gress to attempt to pervert the wal
from its legitimate end-the re-establish-
ment of the Union under the Constitu-
ton and laws-so as to make it instead a
war for the adjustment of slavery
throughout the United States. or in some
one or more states of the Union
Among the run1ors that occasionally
spread through the north during the civil
war was one to the eff
RumOrS of feet that Jefferson Da-
Wis was dead. This
laws oeH made it's appearance
several times during the struggle, the
first printing of it being in The Star OF
Wednesday. September 4. 1851, as fol-
lows:
iatn lor iohf hrov oh f,f
~ government received a dispatch from
a relia bile party in Louisville notifying ii
that those in that city understood to be
in closest communication with Richmond
We're satisfied with the correctness of the
rumors of the death of Jefferson Da-
Wis that had reached Louisville from
Nashville on the night before. We have
to add that at 10 am. today party
reached here from Manassas Junction,
which point he left Monday night last.
He has more than once previously brought
correct information from that quarter,
statement of the fact that on Monday
morning information reached there by
telegraph that Jefferson Davis died at
$50 am. of that day. and that ere his
departure from the junction those per-
sons there who could raise piece of
Grape had each donned it on account of
the death of Davis.
LAS We go to press similar information
reaches Washington from still another
source. embracing the further news that
the immediate cause of his death was
'oongestive chills. In the course of the
day on Monday last the Confederate flags
at some of the points on the Potomac
were put at half mast
This report persisted for two days long
er. despite denials printed here in Wash
ington. The Star reiterating it in it's is
sue of Friday. September g. 1851. pub
fishing the text of dispatches received by
it and by the Secretary of War from
Louisville positively stating that Davis
Twain long afterward said. greatly ex-
aggerated.' further issues Of the paper
made no reference to it.
One of the effects of the war was to
cause a great increase in activity in the
departments here In Wash
Signing ington. especially in the
Treasury, where the force
nonoJ' was materially increased
to attend to the issue of the new cur
rency authorized by Congress. In The
Star of September I, 1851. the scene in
the Treasury connected with the issue of
these notes is described:
Eight large tables are arranged in the
spacious apartment lin the extension)
upon which are stacked up huge pack
ages of bills, which are transformed into
money by hundreds under the silent
manipulations of the clerks who rapidly
atfix their signatures. The notes are in
slips of half a dozen to each. tied up in
large packages, and after being signed
are cut apart ready for circulation. The
clerks are paid according to the number
he signs. and experts are able to earn
more than the salaried clerks of the de-
partment. Great precautions are taken