davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1915-01-17

side of Alexandria stands his grave
stone.
The Rambler. standing on the porch
of the old house. fancied that with his
unaided eye he could pick out this
tomb in the distant clutter of dark
green cedar and white marble. The
George William Fairfax. who was a
boyhood chum of George Washington.
They were sons of William Fairfax of
Belvoir, adjoining Mount Vernon, one
of George Washington's half brother
Lawrence, and another of whose
daughters. if old gossip is to be be-
Heved, might have become the wife of
George Washington had she been will
ing.
More than eighty years ago Mount
Eagle was bought by Court johnson, a
man who came to Virginia from
queens county. Long Island The place
remained in possession of his son.
Henry Johnson. and his grandchildren
until about four years ago, when 1T
was bought as summer home by an
Alexandria merchant, whose name is
Robert L. Garrett.
Standing in the road where it passes
through the ruin of Fort Lyon, you see.
a few hundred yards further along
that road and on the right. a broad
fronted big house with wide, deep
portico. set Sar back in grounds which
before the frosts and blasts of winter
were aglow with flowers. 1t is an in
farm for several generations has been
Mount Pleasant. 1t was the home of
a French count named Carusi. who
moved there early in the eighteenth
Century-anyhoW. a long time before
the American revolution.
Early in the nineteenth century it
became the home of man ma med Per
kins, who was member Of the firm
Of Smith & Perkins, conducting
foundry and machine shop in AleXan-
dria, and which firm in the early days
Of railroading carried on the work or
building locomotives. Before the civil
Ballenger. who was born in Fairfax
county, and whose father fought at
Bladensburg. or at least was present at
Bladensburg, and whose grandfather
Pleasant was in possession of Peyton
Ballenger when the civil war came on,
and Fort Lyon and Fort Weed with
long lines of infantry redoubt we're
works have never been leveled. The
Ballenger home was taken possession
OF by officers as quarters.
Peyton Ballenger, the owner of this
land, was married to Jane Rowe of
Charles county. Md. She died in 1876
and Ballenger died in 1896
There we're three sons on this farm.
Frank S. Ballenger. Clinton Peyton
Ballenger and Robert Washington Bal
lenger. Frank S. and Clinton p. Bal
lenger went out in the Old Dominion
Rifles of Alexandria. one of the COM
panies of the Alexandria Battalion
which was merged into the 18th Vir-
ginia Infantry. under Col Herbert,
whose house across Cameron run may
be seen from the Ballenger house.
Frank Ballenger was killed in action
at the second Manassas, and Clinton
Ballenger was killed in action at Will
liamsburg. Robert Washington Ballen-
ger went out in the 6tn Virginia Cav
airy. Col. FitZhugh Lee. and returned
home when the war was over. He
owns the old Ballenger home and its
earthworks and livessthere today.
The Rambler and his friends stopped
in at Mount Plea the cold after
Evening star., 1915-01-17
Hard Work.

n j. DREXEI,. who is a volunteer in
the automobile service of the
British army, wrote in a recent letter
to Philadelphia:
"As Kitchener said, or didn't say.
our trenches stretch like Il gray snake
from Switzerland to the sea. And what
hard work our young soldiers have,
let me tell you. digging these trenches.
Il saw a young soldier in a half-tin-
ished trench lay down his shovel tho
other day and light his pipe.
Here. what did you lay down that
shovel orr the sergeant said
"'To cool it, sir, said the young sol.
der"
Evening star., 1915-01-17
THE BALLENGER FAMILY MOUNT PLEASANT.

stein. whose old home was Cedar Hill
in the Sheridan Point neishborhood.
opposite Fort Washington, and on
which lands Fort Hunt now stands.
Mrs Ballenger'S great greats grand
mother was Mrs. Hanna Holsteln
Hughes Clay of Philadelphia, descend :
ed from the Swedish Holsteiu who
settled on and around the site of Phil
adeIphia in 1914. She is thus related
to the De Haven, Rittenhouse, Clay,
Potts. Blackstone, Ataloa. Coates and
other prominent families and other
descendants of Matthia Holstein of
Wicaco, Philadelphia. And she makes
excellent fruit cake.
On the walls of the sitting room at
Mount Pleasant are portraits OF Frank
and Clinton Ballenger, who fell on the
southern side in the civil war. They
are inclosed in oval gilt frames. and
above and around them are draped two
Confederate battle flags, crossed. In
the house is some old mahogany fur
Evening star., 1915-01-17

volunteered to bring this about. He
and a comrade dashed out of the wood,
galloped across open country and drew
the Germans in pursuit. The ruse sue
ceeded. The German cavalry on boih
sides of the wood galloped after the
fugitives and left one road nneuarded.
The Cossacks i'll the wood galloped
away and reached their own lines
Yefimof and his comrade outrode the
Germans. The comrade was shot down
Eefimoff'S s horse was killed and he nm
self WAS sabered. Many such Eossack
teats. in which courage and ingenuity
play equal roles. are related.
L !:
As the mass hghting of the million
strong armies becomes less and less de-
cisive earn side takes to ruses III or
der to gain small advantages. "I;ed
Indian war on European scale is the
description Of u Russian newspaper
man. Tie G"ruanS design elaborate
plans to deceive the Russians. The
Cossacks in East Prussia are findins
that out.
one rusc is III field Gortitication.
Southern East Prussia. with most Of
the subproVince Of All"ustein. is in
parts impracticable for the passage of
troops. Thcr,: are chains of lakes with
marrow passages bct~ cen and endless,
vaguely outlined marshes. The Ger
mans, on the defensive, have linked
all the lakes and marshes with lines of
trenches and barhcd wire labyrinths.
Thus every practicable inch OF the
country is blocked. The CossackS late
ly discovered that impracticable coun-
try is also blocked.
In front of immense marshes which
no commander would think OF passing
or sending artillery through, rise os-
tentatiously prominent wire cntangle-
Evening star., 1915-01-17

niture which belonged to Mrs. Law
renee Lewis tNellie Custis). and which
was bought by Mrs. Ballenger's par
ents at sale at Woodlawn. when Mel
lie Custis Lewis broke up housekeep-
ing there prior to removing to the
Shenandoah valley. She has two silver
candlesticks which the Hoisteins
brought with them to America, 21l
years ago
\ son OF Mr.. and Mrs. Robert Wash
ington Ballenger of Mount Pleasant.
Frank Lee Ballenger. owns Wilton
Hail. a historic estate adjoining Mount
Pleasant on the west, which belonged
to one Froebel. a protege of Gen. and
Mrs. Washington.
Evening star., 1915-01-17
STRUGGLE FOR POLAND AND GAlslClA

organization known the chancel-
lery for Polish propa uganda. There
were n dozen proclamation writer's and
translators. One of the translators was
a Russian sympathizer. proclama-
ton concerning Peace and prosperity
for the people of Poland" contained
numerous ambiguous phrases which
could be interpreted as friendly either
to Austria or to Russia. The surprised
Poles examined the proclamation. They
discovered that if every other line were
skipped the proclamation read as q
violent attack upon Austria, and an
explanation that Austrian rule is not as
Evening star., 1915-01-17

missioncrs-if these are the gentlemen
who have the welfare of roads in their
keeping.
On this road YOU recross the tracks
of the south and southwest railroad
lines, this time ut grade. and pass over
Hunting creek. or Cameron run. where
il is the width of Rock creek. and
where the gauUt ana weird sycamoreS
grow. And a hundred PAGES or so be-
yond this crossing YOU come to another
parting of the ways and You bid good
bye to the Telegraph road and wish it
godspeed in its long. rough and toll
some way through Chappawamslc
swamp and the hiily and wooded re-
gionS of Prince William and Stafford
counties. Perhaps YOU have not travel
ed over that road often the
Rambler has. and perhaps You feel no
sense of envy as You read this, but
it is a friendly and kindly old road
many pictures of the past.
-
Well. you leave the Telegraph road
on the right and rear and turn into
road that steeply climbs the ridge
that rises on the south side of the
broad. deep valley through which
Cameron run flows. Climbing this road
and approaching the crest you see OH
the right and left tumbled heaps of
earth, tree-grown, as though in other
years some upheaval had taken place
there or some giant plow had sportive-
ly turned the earth into fantastic
Evening star., 1915-01-17

slams ceased firing and demanded sur
render. The captain refused.
..
::
The Russians now closed in and bay
oneted all except the officer and two
soldiers. None of the three had car
tridges. The Russians tried to spare
them The Austrian officer took a rifle
and rushed at his enemies. A rifleshot
finished him. The subordinates sur
rendered. letter found on the Off
GERS body showed that he was mar
ried man with children. In the rage
Evening star., 1915-01-17

When the Rambler was down in this
neishborhood or rather up in this
neighborhood, two or three years ago
he wrote this of Wilton Hall:
The story told in the neighboriood is that
George Washington and his wife visiting IN
Philadelphia heard a boy singing in theater:
His name Froebel. The couple, charmed
with the boy, took him with them back 10
Mount Vernon where he grew To man estate.
Washington bought for him certain lands in
Fairfax county and Froebel built his home
there. calling it Wilton Hall. Frocbel married
Miss Scott and had two sons. Bushrod and
David They both served in the Confederat te
army and Bushrod WAS killed in battle. and. 4
Tie star did not get his notes tangled, David
was also killed. Froehel had two daughters.
Ann and Elizabeth. The former died al Wilton
Hall about ten years ago. aged ninety 70
years She the chronicrr of the neshhor-
hood and WAS always full Of stories concerning
the Washngions. the FairfaSes. the Mas"ns and
other nutahes of the vicinity After her death
Wilton Hall came into the possession of Frank
Lee Ballenger
Close around Mount Pleasant, Wilton
Evening star., 1915-01-17

de bataille" he had forgotten all ex-
cept his passion to fight and die.
Women are playing part in the ro-
nance of war They are fighting IN
the Polish "sokor' organizations. The
.'sokols" wage relentless guerrilla war
Second in command of "sokol pahd
is Mariana Prszeh. who writes poetry
when not killing men. Members OF
these bands count as francs tlreurs .
they wear no uniforms, and when they
are caught they are shot. After d
bloody night fight near Lisiagora VII
lage the Russians captured Mariana
to shoot her. They imprisoned her for
the night and asked for instructions
from headquarters. No reply came
Mariana stayed in prison another day.
No instructions came. She was given
a third respite. She solved the prob
lem by escaping on a stolen horse. AS
she rode off she gratuitously risked be-
ing caught by firing at a sentry who
had not seen her. Now Mariana. with
"A dozen faithful followers. is snpinS
on the Cracow -Tarnow railroad.
-
Both belligerents are fighting with
paper as we'll as with shells; with
credit notes and with proclamations. In
Galicia the Russian troops conducted
themselves well, and paid for what
they took with credit notes, which are
good money. The Austrians tried to
combat this with a ruse. They printed
false Russian credit notes. The Rus
SLAMS refused to take these notes in
change for bigger notes. The notes,
they said, were forgeries. The Aus
trians spread the legend that the Rus
slams are not honoring their own notes.
Proclamations are flying. Russians
print proclamations friendly to the
Poles. Austrians reply with friendlier
proclamatons. The Austrians brought
into south Poland big proclamation
Evening star., 1915-01-17

tillery range it is impossible to tell a
wooden gun from a real one, and at
modern rifle range impossible to tell
dummy soldier.
In front of Skierniewice the Rus
slams set up a long row of dummy
soldiers in d trench. The Germans
shelled fifty dummies out of existence.
Russian soldiers crept along the bot
tom of the trench and set them up
again. The Germans thought the
trench had been reinforced. They
shelled with double vigor.
This lasted six hours The real Rus
sian soldiers, with their khaki coats
invisible against the autumn foliage,
Evening star., 1915-01-17

ments This is ruse. The Germans
think that the Russians. on seeing the
entaug glements, will conclude that
the country behind must be pas
sable. They will. therefore. assail
the entanglements. lose heavily from
German artillery posted behind the
marsh and on the fianks, and after
heroic efforts break through the en-
tanglements only to find before them
selves marshes waist high with mud.
Both sides dummy guns and dunn
my men to draw the enemys fire. In
this way Russians have repeatedly out
witted Germans. At the modern ar
Evening star., 1915-01-17
pecial Correspondence of The Star.
PETROGRAD. Janu;

SpecidI correspondents OF ne star.
PETROGRAD. January 4, 1915.
00 0AR for Poland, for Galicia,
NM for East Prussia is tre-
\V\V Inendously dull and tre-
" " mendously thrilling. That is
as you see it in big patches or small
The big operations are dull. Official re-
ports tell tediously of occupied and re-
occupied towns, positions taken, the
foes heavy loss, advance of ten miles
here, of five miles there. When you
read these reports you feel tired of
the war.
1t is the incidental, ll-scale, un-
official stories which compensate. They
show that this war is essentially in
teresting. that it has as much romance,
incident, courage, chivalry, cunning.
ferocity. tragedy and comedy the
liveliest wars of history.
Michail tvaroff. one-year volunteer
from Nitebek, an eX-university student,
resolved when he went TO the front to
note down everything interesting. sf1e
hoped that by the end of the war he
would have enough incidents to make
Il book. After three days fighting on
the Sanok his book was complete The
book began with a tale of two Cos
sacks " no escaped from Austrian cap
tivity, and brought with them as
trophy the boots of their killed jailer.
1t ended by telling how d patrol found
i'll AN abandoned village Il Seyeu-y year
old Polish girl. who was sent to the
Grand Duchess Elizabeth at Moscow
1t mentioned that the girl-in the best
style of Donlzctti-was nicknaned
"Dotch NaShevo Polka the Daughter
OF Our Regiment
This student warrior gave the writer
some details of the Cossack De Wet
FIlimouof Filimonoff, a ranker has
been made an officer, and he has all
four degrees OF the Order of St
George. On one day he defeated four
Austrian detachments- Later lie cap
tured near Przemysl a big train Of
wagons. When trapped at Grodck he
cut his way through the enemy He
commands from thirty 70 sixty men.
With this handful he has taken 300
prisoners and has destroyed three fieId
guns.
Filimonoff has never heen wounded,
Evening star., 1915-01-17

noon on which this trip was made to
enjoy the grateful heat of a big stove
in rhe sitting room. incidentally and
in pitcher of milk and a big helping
of fruit cake. 1t was one of those de-
lightful little human-interest things
that make bright recollections in win
ter rambles over wind-swept fields and
through naked woods. The Rambler
testifies that the milk and the fruit
cake were good and that Mr.. Ballen-
gers cigars helped to shorten the miles
on the homeward walk.
Mrs. Ballenger's maiden name was
Jane Frances Hunter, daughter of
William Hunter and Margaret Hol-
Evening star., 1915-01-17

were comfortably digging trenches.
When the Germans, owing to a Rus,
sian rifle going off, located the real
Russian trenches. it was too late Ihe
Russians were all under cover The
Germans continued to shell the dunn
mics. The Russians amused themselves
by making sweepstake bets as to now
many would be knocked over. After
the German retreat the Russians
found most of the dummies blown to
bits.
Among Russia's enemies the Hunga-
rians are most skillful in taking ad-
vantage of landscape features. They
Evening star., 1915-01-17
1 ixaW1TH S[5HE PAMBLER RzsfSzs -

Hall and Mount Eagle are other inter-
esting places which the Rambler hopes
to visit. There are Holland Hall, one
of the Mason homes. Mount Highbiy.
the home of DR.. Peake. one Of GEN
Washingtons physicians: Oakley. the
home of DR.. Il. {. Mason. one of the
distinguished Maryland and Virginia
Mason family. and the home of Com
modore Forrest OF the United states
navy.
Evening star., 1915-01-17

come from the fiat "Puszta" and feel at
home in level Poland. The Russians
a Ivangorod. during a sally in which
they drove in the Austro-German right,
had great trouble with Hungarians in
an oak wood near kozenicy, a Vistula
village. Hungarian infantry lay in the
wood and sniped the Russians. The
wood was drenched with terrific rifle
and machine gun fire, but the Hunga-
rians kept their position, and their
sniping did not abate.
The Russians were puzzled. They
concentrated more machine guns and
rifles. and swept the wood with a hail
which in parts stripped off the leaves.
The Hungarians continued to shoot.
The Russians captured a Ruthenian.
who explained the mystery. He said
that the Hungarians were stationed
Evening star., 1915-01-17

61HE Rambler once before has
guided those who iollIw him
I" the broad levels of that
q ridge which rises from tho
south side of Hunting creek or Cam
eron run and which. as most of the
people of Washington probably KNOW.
is tn" watcrCoursc which flows INTO
the Potomac river along the southcrlN
side of Alexandria. Its Touth is wide
and on the northerly point of the con-
huence Of this stream with the great
river the running of the boundary
lines of the District of Columbia, or
the Federal territory. or the territory
of Columbia. of the ten-mi1e square
was begun. and the stone marking the
point of the beginning of the original
bounds of the District stands there to-
day, though inclosed within the stone
wall which protects the lighthouse
from the wash and high tides of the
river.
Where the electric line to Mount
Vernon crosses Hunting creek there is
an imposing width OF water furthti
nm stream to the west is a bridge for
general traffic. and though this bridge
is short, the stream is wide there
being a long filled causeway from the
foot of Patrick street to the north end
of the bridge. and from the south end
of the bridge another and longer
FIJI leads across the shadows of the
stream and the overflow marshes
along its margin. few hundred
Yards above this bridge the stream
abruptly narrows. and at the next
crossing. that of the Telegraph road
leading to Lorton, OCcoquan. DumfricS
and Fredericksburg. Hunting creek is
about the width of Rock creek and
plcturesquely overhung with syca-
mores, caunt and weird in the cold
dim light of the winter afternoon when
the Rambler strayed that way.
Vt the head of King street near the
Union station stop of the electric cars
q wide and hard-worn public way. half
street and half-road, leads west and
southerly and calls to you to follow
where it leads. 1t is the Little river
turnpike which. skirting the bottom of
the high ridge west of Alexandria from
which the steeple of the Episcopal
Seminary rises, passes on to Fairfax
Court House, through the lands of
Chantilly, crossing the mountains at
the pass of Aldie and descending into
the Shenandoah valley. 1t is one OF
the venerable, and was one of the i'm
portant high roads of the early United
States. 1t connected d section of the
populous tidewater valley of the
Potomac with the wild west. Indian
and buffalo regions of the Blue Ridge
and the Alleghenies. But tnat was
long time ago
After crossing above the busy tracks
of the Southern and the Washington,
Fredericksburg and Richmond lines,
and passing on the right the reservoir
which waters Alexandria, and on the
left Roberts mill, one of the old mills
of the country and one of the few sur
viving water-mills of this region. you
come to a fork in the roads. Turning
to the left or south you bid adieu to
the Little river turnpike and accept the
hospitality of the Telegraph road. 1t
is rather rough walking, but one
should not expect too much of a coun-
try road in January, and if you blame
anything, spare the old road and let
your censure fall on the county COM
Evening star., 1915-01-17

behind oak trees, and that they never
left their shelter Through each oak
tree were pierced three loopholes, ole
above the other, and through these the
Hungarian ritiemen shot. The enemy
had kept busy drilling holes all night
the staff of two tool cars
Now the Russians tried artillery. In
they razed the oak wood. The Hunga-
rian sniping ceased. When the Rus
slams entered the wood they found in
the broken trees thousands of deeply
embedded bullets. Once or twice the
bullets had gone through the loophole.
A Russian bullet WAS found in the muZ-
zle of Hungarian rifle. Before the
Russians turned on their artillery the
Hungarians had suffered no loss.
In the Ivangorod lighting an Austrian
officer was killed under conditions
which show that the rage de bataille
of the middle ages still exists. He
commanded a company i'll a large force
which planned to cross the Nistula
above the fortress and fall on the Rus
slams along the Wjeprsh river. The
Austrians We're outflanked, subjected to
a terrific front fire and nearly annihi-
lated. Their cavalry retreated in dis
order.
The captains company lost heavily
and fell back. last of the Austrian
forces. At critical moment the Aus
trian artillery got the range and tried
to delay the pursuit. The captain rea
soned that by sacrificing his company
he could retard the pursuit, and he
bade his men deploy and hold the road.
For half an hour the Austrians fought.
Half the men were killed. The Rus
Evening star., 1915-01-17
INDIAN WARFARE ON EUROPEAN SCALE I'm THE STRUGGl

and the Not UnnMed With Fecn and
RoguyMchH lo Who Went the War Determined Write Book and Who
Cosac De Wet Who Has Proved
nDays With
Evening star., 1915-01-17

Warsaw in


good for the Poles as is Russian.
War is curious mixture or heroiSH.
self-sacrifice, mildness ferocity, devo-
tion and roguery.
Copyright 1918. 10y Curtis BrownD
Evening star., 1915-01-17

7AR for Poland, for Galicia,
for East Prussia is tre-
nendously dull and tre-
-nepdnuSIy THRILLING That iS
The Washington herald., 1915-01-01
FAMOUS
WOMAN
Her
Birthday
And
Yours
January Betsy Ross.

or all the women born on New Years
bay, there Is none whose name is so
dear to Americans as that Of Betsy Ross
who was born l6i years ago. Her father
was a Quaker. on" Of the designers of
the famous Independence Hall, in Phila-
dclphia, and Betsy was brought up to
all the homely. thrifty, domestic virtues
Of the day. When she was twenty-one
she was married TO a young upholsterer
and. as was the custom Of the thrifty
Young women of those days. she learned
his trade 50 that she might help ner
husband at his daily WORK. 1t was well
for Betsy that she did learn the busi-
ness, for her young husband was soon
called 10 military duties with the out
Ireak Of the Revolution and was so
I adly injured while guarding stores near
Philadelphia that he died from the ef-
feCts. Thus Betsy was left a young and
pretty widow at the age of twenty-four
with the uphOlster's store in Philadel-
phia as her main support
1t was in June of that year that George
Washington and several other patriots
came into her little store. They had been
appointed on a committee to select a suit
able flag for the new union Of States The
suggestion was made to use the stars
and stripes found in Washington's fam