Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-24

tne Falr1axeS at the old mouse at BEL
voir, just below Mount Vernon, when
Lawrence Washington. the half-broth-
er of George, lived at Mount Vernon.
Belvoir Is the tract which the District
government bought a few years ago
for use as a reformatory, but the en-
ployment of the land ior that purpose
was prohibited by Congress.
The story goes that though Mary
Cary rejected George Washington she
was very fond of him and very proud
Of him when he became distinguished
above all the other men of his time,
and, for that matter. above all other
men of all time. When, after the
British surrender at Yorktown. Wash
ington marched through Williamsburg
he singled out Miss Cary in the great
throng that line dthe Duke of Glouces-
ter street and the balconies of the
houses, and saluted her So overcome
was she that she tainted.
That is a Williamsburg legend. and
legends, though interesting, should al
ways be considered as legends until
their historic accuracy has been proved.
The mahogany writing desk of Mary
Cary, the once beloved of George
Washington, is now in possession of
J. B. C. Spencer of Williamsburg. a
connection of the Washington family.
and the man who, according to Will
liamsburg report, conceived the idea
of the Jamestown tercentennial and
organized the first committee looking
toward the contamination of that
project.
Mention of the Mary Cary 1riting
desk and cabinet recalls to the Ram
bier that in possession of Mr.. Spencer
are oil portraits of two early and dis
tinguished citizens of Williamsburg.
One is the portrait of John Blair. who
was auditor general of Virginia,
vestryman of Bruton Church and who
was appointed by President Washing
ton a justice of the United States Su-
preme Court. He was a nephew of the
Rev. James Blair, rector of Bruton
Church, from 1910 to 1743, who in the
former year resigned the rectorship Of
the church at Jamestown.
It was this James Blair who did SO
much toward the creation Of William
and Mary College and was it's first
to 1743, the year Of his death. he having
passed away April IS in that year,
when the college charter was just half
century old. The Rev. DR.. James
that from June. 174O. to July. 1741,
being president of the governors coun-
Gil, he acted as executive Of the colony
during the absence of Sir William
Gooch on the Carthagenian expedition.
DR.. Blair and his wife, Sarah Har-
rison, daughter of Benjamin Harrison,
are buried at Jamestown: and you may
stand by the side of fragments of their
but of this the Rambler
means to write at another time.
The other portrait in possession of
Mr.. Spencer is that of DR.. Thomas Grif-
fin Peachy. one of whose claims to dis
tinction is that he was the host of
Lafayette when that patriot visited
Williamsburg during his second and
final visit to the United States in 1924.
The Peachy house, which is still stand
ing, was the headquarters of Gen. Ro-
chambeau in 1881.
At that time the house was the prop
erty of Mrs. Elizabeth Bland Beverly,
widow of Col. William Beverly, Thomas
G. Peachy. grandfather Of the Dr.
Peachy who entertained Lafayette.
having married Elizabeth, daughter Of
the Beverleys. The Rambler neglected
to write in it's proper place the fact
that the portrait of John Blair, owned
by Mr.. Spencer, was copied from the
portrait of Mr.. Justice Blair which
hangs in independence Hall in Phila-
delphia.
One of the conspicuous buildings In
Williamsburg is the courthouse. which
stand on Duke of Gloucester street, and
on what has come to be quite generally