The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1912-10-01

George washington, lHe litSi
President Of the United States died
in his 6Sth year at Mount Vernon,
Va. Deq II. 1898 His last words
were ~ 81 am just going; have ne
It,cently buried and 40 not let no
! body be put into the ,ault till thrs
days after | am dead then to his
secretary, Mr., Lea do YOU under
stand me- and upon receiving an
affirmative reply said I'll is well.
and died few minutes later without
a struggle .4
The disease OF which he died was
acute laryngltis" Of rare occurrence
and little understood at that time by
the medical profession
Congress took appropriate meas
ures to express the sorrow OF the
country the resolutions being drawn
! by General Henry Lee member from
Virginia. which in his absence. we .
moved for adoption by John Marshall
afterwards chief justice of the
supreme court As originally drawn
they expressed the public sorrow at
the loss of him who was first IN
war. first in peace, and firsl IN the
hearts Of his fellow citizens" This
expression is repeated in the funeral
oration pronounced by General Lee
with the substitution. suggested hy
the COMMITTEES Of arrangements, of
| the words "countrymen' for the
words "fcllow.citizens and in that
form it is now generally quoted
The general public has a pretty
fair knowledge of George Washington
and the great services lie rendered
the colonlsts as commander-n-chiet
Of the Continental army, and as the
| first President Of the United states,
but there are many incidents init
mately interviewer in his life they
do not recall, among them why ana
| how hts home on the Potomac was
called Mount Vernon. General
Washington Inherited this and othar
landed property from his eide
| brother, Lawrence. This brother va5
long an intimate friend OF Reaf Aa-
miral Edward Vernon of the British
navy. and in honor OF his friend he
named the plantation Mount Vernon
and II has borne that name ever
since
Originally the Mount Vernon
estate comprised several thousand
acres on the banks Of the Potomac
liver. Is miles from Washington, the
capital of the United States
when Washington died his body
was laid TO rest in the old famlly y
yaut where it remained until 1850,
when it was removed to It's present
place near by
The mansion is Of wood two
stories high and 96 feet long with
lofty portico extending along the en-
Itire front. the whole overlooking the
broad Potomac river. The mansion
was built by Lawrence Washington,
General Washington's elder brother
who settled there in 1913.
Ia 1858 the Ladies Mount Vernon
Association bought the mansion with
zoo acres of land. they are holding
| 1t IN perpetuity AS a place OF pubic
resort and pilgrimage, and by their
patriotic efforts are preserving II
from decay
AS Mecca is to the Mohammedans
and Jerusalem TO the eastern traVei-
or and tourist. 50 Is Mount Vernon
10 the American people and the
European travellers and tourists Wis
iting this country.
Nearly all Americans who VISIT me
National capitol include Monhl
Vernon in their visit
Washington. like Jefferson, was
opposed to the institution OF slavery,
but how to get rid of 1t with justice
to the slaves and the communities
where il existed was a most d9tii-
cult problem. Both these great men
apparently foresaw with prophetic
vision the danger to the peace and
perpetuity Of the republic from the
institution.
Washington was the owner Of "a
slaves in his own right and about the
same number through the dover ol
John Parke curtis.
John Parke Custis.
IN his viii which is published "a
fun in the first volume OF Jared
spa ass Wife pf George Washing
ton" he manuinits all of his own
slaves. but does not feel authorizes
10 manumit the dover slaves unth
the death Of their mistress
The care with which tho "sii ~
drawn, from the greatest to me
smallest item. shows the most Scrup-