Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-03

D1SaA
so used. but it was the seat of the munich
pality for fifty years, our principal hospi-
tai near.y twenty years and schoolhouse
for fifteen years.
| The first use made of the space was
| by squatters in the southeastern part.
mostly laborers, who We're there till about
| 1920. when the city hall or courthouse was
WI ere. mostly to the squares south and
east. When the Circuit Court OF the
District by act of February -. 1901, was
established, with Will am Kitty, James
Marshall and William Cranch as judges,
| the necessity of permanent jail arose. D.
| Carroll Brent, the marshal. until It's COM
pleticn, had a temporary place OF con.
| finement in the alley north OF Z street
! between AZ and 9th streets. long known
as McGurck Jail. from the fact that a
man of that name was led therefrom in
| 1902 and executed near Pennsy .vania ave-
nue. and I'd street for the murder of his
wife.
Courts Held in the Capitol.
| The courts were then held in the Capt.
tol, but site in judiciary Square was
selected for the jail. March .. 1902. Con-
gress made an appropriation for the
erection of jail. and the site chosen
was about the center Of the square. a
short distance north of the present watch
| box and Toulouse, and by an appropria-
ton of So, 100 the jail was completed the
following year, the cost being nearly
$4,000. 1t was an obiong square build
| ing, one end of which was fitted up for
| the jailer. and for years it housed pris-
Oners under commitment for trial or I'M
der sentence. runaway slaves and the IN
digent insane, and those confined there
at the instance of their families. For
years Cartwright Tippett was the jailer.
Later Thomas Williams filled the place,
and about 1S47 Robert Ball, ST.. was in
charge. His son, Robert Ball. then lad,
| was an assistant. and twenty years later
was appointed to full charge. NotWith-
standing there were prisoners here OF
| all characters, and whipping post was
sometimes used, Dan Cupid was no
| stranger
| tailor who had failed to pay his debts
were mutually smitten. He was re-
quired to sleep at the jail. but was al
lowed to go anywhere within jail bounds.
south of G street west of LIST, east OF
18th and north Of the Tiber; and the
girl was in the habit of attending to bust
| ness outside especially the marketing.
One day the market basket was received.
| and after several hours she followed with
| the tailor and announced him as her nus
band. There was. of course 4 scene. but
the production OF the minister's certln-
cate Of the marriage induced the parents
to make the best of 1t. and the warden
not relisflfng Il son-in-law being Locked
up. Hastily dIIdu6CO with Ills SiCuAso'" -
his release. and made him his deputy.
Thus it came to his lot to turn the Key
on his former associates.
Descendants Still Live Here.
The descendants of this couple are TO
be found in various parts of the country,
and some OF them are today residents of
Washington. BY the act of March }.
1889, a new Jail was provided for by an
appropriation of $4,000, and the contract
was made with Stanton Brothers. brick
layers, who. following the plan OF Rob
ert Mills. architect. erected building
in the northeast corner of the square, to
which Jailer Ball removed his charges
about 1870. Messrs. Stanton. Frederick
p. and Richard II. We're later members
of Congress. the first serving ten years
in the House of Representatives from
Tennessee, and the latter six years as
member from Kentucky.
In January, 1S41, the Medical Society
of the District petitioned Congress to
establish a public hospital. Instead. by
an act of Congress in 1912, an appro-
priation was made to cause such altera-
tons to be made in the old structure as
to render it suitable for the care OF the
insane and other public charges. and
also provided for the improvement OF the
northern half Of the square. The build
ing was accordingly altered. but the few
insane prisoners and paupers here were
sent to the insane hospital at Baltimore
at government expense. Congress having
decided that the building was unsuitable
for the purposes. Then the faculty OF
the Columbia College petitioned for the
use Of the old Jail building for medical
instruction and scientific 1nVestlgation.
and an act was passed. therefore, June
Ii, 1874 They Immediately took possess
sion and fitted it up.
Only Hospital in This Section.
Under the name of the Washington In
Urinary. 1t was the only hospital In this
section for some time. In 1853 there was
such a demand for space that when Con-
gress was appealed to an appropriation
was made to enlarge it, and at a cost of
$50, coo two wings were added and third
story erected over the whole. Early in
the civil war, April ID. 1861, the 9Th Reg
iment Of Massachusetts militia was nred
on In Baltimore some of the soldiers be-
ing killed and wounded. On the arrival
of the regiment in this city the wounded
were taken to the infirmary. while the
remainder of the regiment took quarters
at the Capitol.
In little time it was All army hospital,
additional wards to which were built ad-
joining. 1t was conducted as hospital
till the morning of November 5. 1861.
when it was destroyed by fire. The de-
struction Of this building led to the es-
CaDNSNmenI fTOVlUeuce I1OSpildl VII "
between I'd and Sd streets southeast The
inf1rmary at the time of the fire was
filed with patients and attendants. At
first it was supposed that the blaze could
be extinguished by the attendants, and
there was some delay in giving the alarm
and bringing out the volunteer fire COM
panies. When they arrived the whole in
terror was doomed and several of the pa
tients were seen at the windows. One
fireman made his way to an upper Win
dow by climbing the spouting, and get
ting in he found one of the patients sufo-
eating In the smoke. He appeared with
her at the window. from which he de-
scended by ladder to the ground. There
were several other narrow escapes. and
most OF the inmates and attendants lost
their effects.
DR.. Hutchins Describes Fire.
The infirmary was then in charge Of DIR.
White with Drs. Gourley and Poole OF
New York as assistants DR. e. r.
Hutchins DIR. S. W. Began and
two others were medical cadets. and
the Sisters of Mercy did the nurs-
ing Dr. Hutchins. who is still liv-
ing, was at the time with the other
cadets asleep In a room on the main floor.
He says: II was awakened by the flames
coming in our windows. We went into
the hall In our night clothes, and while