Evening journal., 1913-01-29
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How Some Valuable RevO-
IutiOnary Journals and
Records We're Lost
BY Holland.

General James watson WebD, VINO
was for many years editor of The
Courier and Inquirer of New York
City, and who was the most intimate
personal and political friend of Will
liam II. Seward, except, possibly,
Thurlow Weed, during all of Stewards
career and who was for some years
United States Minister to Brazil
sometimes narrated to his children,
after he had retired from active life,
the story of the manner in which
probably fne most important archives
and records of the Reyolution-ex-
cepting those that we're ofticial-were
lost.
General Webb would begin his mar
rative in this way and It was as re-
Gently as 1876 that he told again the
story to his children. He would be-
gin the narrative by saying: MY
father General Samuel B. Webb,
died in December, 1907, leaving seven
orphaned children The executors OF
fathers estate thought that they had
discharged their whole duty by per-
hitting the old housekeeper to have
charge Of the children.
az remember her well. She was
one of the best creatures that ever
lived. She could not read or write.
Her whole life was centered in the
care of the children. She never knew
what historic treasures we're In the
upper rooms of our house.
I'VE called her Mamma Betsey
and she thought that her only duty
was to make us happy She believed
she could best accomplish this by
letting us do as we pleased
"This kindliness' of disposition Is
undoubtedly the true reason for the
loss Of very valuable records and
data describing incidents of the Revo-
luton at first hand. have no doubt
that my father left a more accurate
and detailed statement of these Incl
dents than had been prepared by any
other person who took part in the
War of the Revolution. He had es-
pecial facilities for doing this. He
marched with the Connecticut troops
to take part in the Battle of Bunker
Hill. Each day he write in his jour.
nal everything of Importance that
had happened. He afterward became
aide-de-camp to General Washington
War he kept an accurate daily jour.
nal He never destroyed a paper
and at the time of his death there
were two monstrous chests, as | re
member, about five feet long and per
haps three vide, which were filled
with journals and correspondence
These were all as accurately filed as
are the archives of any court of rec
ord.
'"If our good old Mamma Betsey
could have had the slightest idea o
the Importance of these documents
she would not have allowed me an'
my brothers and sisters to MAKE
playthings of them.
I'VE actually destroyed most o
these records because we used then
as playthings I remember well on
way in which we destroyed them M,
father had had blank books made ant
between the two sheets or pages ther'
| had been bound a sheet of blottini
paper We children thought tha
blotting paper was a splendid thin
to play with Therefore, we ofte'
went to the chests, took out thes
journals. and actually tore out an
destroyed the written manuscrip
] pages so lndt tneit Wouiu Ohiy
left the blotting paper pages.
"These we presented to our play
mates at school The children wer
very glad to receive one of thes
blotting paper books. And In thi
way every one of these journals, wit
a single exception, was destroyed, W
children not knowing the value G
these documents. am sure the
would have furnished a wonderful
interesting and important story c
those times"
Copyright. 1918. by e. j. Edward
All rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will te
"I1ow an Interesting RevolutionaT
Document Was Recovered"