Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-09-14
Bits Of Early America
By Frederic Y. Haskin

its gavel shaped like potato masher.
are all stu there True. they are
faded and tawdry and the walls are
disflgured by glass cases which con.
tain buttons and knives and rags and
all the other relics of the great that
people insist upon preserving; but
F, you can see at glance that In Its
day this was q chamber Of splendor
and dignity, where great men solemn
ly gathered.
The prize of the place is pastel
picture Of George Washington. which
has the unique distinction Of being
real resemblance. With a devotion to
realistic detail rare in the portraits
OF great men it shows the mole on his
/ chin and the scar on his left cheek,
and the pock marks and burrows all
over his face. He is revealed, in fact,
~ homely, worried-looking old gen.
tleman with q face of great strength
and kindness.
Another excellent portrait is Of La
! fayette, who appears as an amiable
young man, bald on top Of the head.
A picture Of Nellie Gusts, which is
stained and faded nevertheless, con.
veys still an impression of rich and
compelling beauty.
This Masonic chapter to which
Washington belonged is still active
and prosperous. and has published
several works about itself, including
. book in which are set down the
biographies of all the deceased mem
bers of the chapter. SO far as they are
known. This book Is beautifully bound
in green and gold and was intended
to sell for dollar, but may be had for
nifty cents now because the demand
is not pressing. Az a matter-of-fact. it
Is mine Of interesting material
about the lives of people that lived
long ago; 1t Is the real stuff of his
tory. Here you have the stories OF
,Alexandrians from Colonial to near
modern times, and from the humble
Michael F1annery. of whom nothing
Is known except that he was bank
teller and one of the promoters of
Birth Night Ball" at Gadsby's Tavern,
to the splendiferous Ferdinando Fair
fax, one Of Alexandrias most gilded
scions. the son OF Bryan, the eighth
Lord Fairfax, and godson of George
Washington. In addition to pedigree
Of imposing length. this young man
inherited before he was twenty-one,
an estate in Virginia and England that
was equal to principally, together
with the behest to be liberal to all
around him"
No. Ferdinando did not proceed to
spend his colossal fortune In riotous
living. On the contrary, at the age
of twenty-five he married Eliza Blair
Cary, famous beauty, and by her
had no less than sixteen children. His
only relaxation from the cares Of be.
ing a family man on large scale
seems to-. have been the naming of
these of -spring. Thus he had an
Archibald and an Octavius. and
Floretta, and incidentally Sally and
George. Nearly all of these who
survived had distinguished careers.
AS for Ferdinando. In addition to be-
ing a model domestic man. according
to his biographer he was also stu
dent OF Literature and the fine arts
The only one of the works which is
cited in proof of the fact is his will,
made in the fiush Of his fortunes,
and written in the style of stately
elegance and literary beauty most un-
usual in such documents At that
Ferdinand had more to write about
than most of us. t
Another interesting biography is
that Of Col William Payne who was
born about 1925, and whose sole claim
to fame is that he whipped George
Washington in an election fight. 1t
seems that Fairfax and Payne were
opponents, for the house of burgesses,
and Washington was electioneerin
around the polls for Fairfax He got
into an argument with Payne, and call
ed that gentleman something pretty
strong. Payne hauled of and hit
George a blow that laid him fiat.
!. According to the ethics of the day,
a duel was inevitable. Washington
sent for Payne, who came ready, to
face the encounter. But George, in
stead Of the dueling pistols. had set
forth a decanter of good red liquor,
and two glasses. He told Payne that
he, (Washington) had been in the
wrong the day before, and was willing
to call the matter settled, and take
drink on It,. il Payne was satisfied.
So there was no duel after ALL The
cherry tree fable may now retire for
a long and deserved rest