Evening star., 1918-09-29

Rambler asked If he had photograph
or the portrait of Gen. Van Ness he
and brought forth not only photo
graph of the portrait of the general
but also one of portrait of Marcia
Burnes. On the wall behind the
president of the bank-who is the
eighth and whose name is George w.
White-hangs q fine oil portrait, done
by S. Jerome Uhl. of John w. Maury.
who was the second president of the
bank, having been elected March II,
1886, and who died in office February
2. 1865. In corner OF the room. at
the right rear of the president. stood
q flintlock musket one Of twelve is
sued to the bank by the military au-
thorities on the approach of the Brit
ish in August. 1914, that the people
of the bank might defend their prop
muskets We're used, but in the first
volume of the minutes of the bank
may be found these notes OF historic
interest:
Wednesday. Aug. "a, 1sl4.,No Eoard on ac,
count of the Enemys approach to the City aud
At . PM. the Cashier moved all the Bank =
effects for safety md on the 10Th deposited th"
spcSle and notes In the Bank M at Hagerstown; age
Mpnday. B. September. 1Sl4.-rhe Cashier
returned and opened the Bank for business.
From the minutes Of March 25. 1915.
it appears that Mrs. Sweeny was
allowed 500 for having been instru
mental in preventing the bank being
burned by the enemy i'm August last"
There are no details in the record
telling how Mrs. Sweeney performed
thi.; service. This was no doubt Sarah
Sweeny, wife of George Sweeny, who
as early as 1902 was living in small
frame house on the south side of II
between 18th and 18th streets. her
next-docr neighbors being Robert
Tolmey and Joseph Calvert. The
Rambler mentioned the Sweenys in
last winter. Turning the pages of
Arthur Brlce's little book on the his
tory of the bank, the Rambler eX-
tracts this:
Many of the public buildings In Washing
ton were either either partially or totally destroyed
lladensburg. and the government was not
able at that fine to restore them without aid
from the District banks. On April 49, 1915.
500. 900 at 9 per cent, being part Of n loan of
500 900 for rebuilding the public edifces in
Washington.
Tn the course of the converse tion
about Gen. Van Ness the Rambler and
the bank president became very so
ciable. The Rambler called him
George" and he told the Rambler
that at any time he might need a few
millions or so he should walk right
up to the bank and make himself at
home. The president was quite en-
thusiastic about his bank and proud
that 1T is 104 years old. One of the
things he said was: "The National
Metropolitan Bank was the first ma
tional bank In the country to be
granted the power to act as>executor,
administrator, trustee. receiver, etc,
under the new federal reserve act"
And in that connection he had on his
desk the following memoranda of his
toric value:
Pirst National Bank Of Washington, char
tered July 10. 1863: receiver, Sept. 49, 1873
National Bank Of the Metropolis, chartered
Oct. 4, 1864; voluntary liquidation, Nov. gS
1863.
Merchants National Bank Of Washington.
chartered Doe 4. 1854; receiver, May ., 1859.
chartered Dee. 81, 1864; voluntary liquidation,
oct -. 1869.
National Bank of the Republic. chartered
IL, 1897.
National Metropolitan Bank of Washington,
chartered April ~, 1885
On the organization of the Bank
of the Metropolis Gen. John T. Van
Ness was elected president at an an
nual salary OF 5000 and Alexander
Kerr was, made cashier at a salary
of 81 ,650<and q house to live in" The
bank was organized at a meeting OF
the board of directors on January II,
1914, at Davis Hotel. Those partici-
pating were William Brent, James II.
Blake. Alexander Mccormick. John l..
Van Ness, David OFT, John Graham,
Walter Jones' jr.. Moses Young. John
McGowan. Edmund Law, James $.
Lane, Gabriel Duvall and BENJAMIN
Oden. The building at the northeast