Evening star., 1919-03-30
Vile. Branchville. Uorsehead. Oxon
iiill, Cheltenham or Seat Pleasant

When beautiful Montgomery
county woman-and there are no
women In Montgomery county who
are not beautiful--says that Braddock
marched over the River road. the
Rambler bows low. lays his thread-
bare overcoat In the mud for her to
walk on and says in accents mild.
Yes ma'am. Gen. Braddock marched
over the River road" When an en-.
chanting Montgomery woman-and
there are no women in Montgomery
county who are not enchanting-l
says that Braddock marched over tha
Georgetown-R Rockville road, the
rambler bows low. takes oft his,
piumed chapeau and says Yes ma'am
zen. Braddock marched over the
georgetown Rockville road" It ia
.ne only way to keep out of war OF
course, the fact that Braddock ghosts
nareh p;. nightly along that part OF the
hlver road which parallels Cabin
John creek is evidence that Braddock
passed that way but 1t is not proof.
Ihere Is nothing in "feld service
regulations" Maj. John Morrison's,
studies In Minor Tactics" or Can't,
w Westervelts "Gunnery and Elk.
pioslves' directing that soldier
aLter becoming ghost shall follow
the same line of march he passed
over In his ante -ghostal days. ON
the other hand-and on the other road
-mllitary ghosts just as grim and
Just aspT1e, have been seen marching
on the Georgetown-R Rockville road by
persons who have special optical
quallncatlons for seeing such things.
- soi.ie ol these poor ghosts could
De put on the witness stand to give
thelr testimony as to which road
Braddock marched over. it might
help the case some, but Montgomery
county ladies'. just like other ladies',
coulo never be convinced either by
the testimony Of ghosts or mortals
1nat their particular theory is wrong.
Then, there can be no assurance thet
man makes any better or mora
lrutnru! witness after becoming a
shost than before. Nor can there be
any assurance that ghost witnesses
,'io wouio agree any better than other
Nlnds OF witnesses. and to have enc
set se OF % ghosts testifying in behalf Of
the River road and another set testi.
tying In favor of the Georeetovn.
Hockvlile road would be unseemly
Besides. how could these ghosts be
brought into court? Would the
court have to hold midnight sessions7
IS Wen known that ghost can
appear at any place it wishes hut
suppose. Just for the sake Of sun.
posing. that these ghosts shoula d..
sire to avoid service?
But now TO bid adieu to the ghosts.
though the Rambler thinks IL is
handsomer English to SAY goodbye
than to IBID adieu." Living in a fne
stone house on hill that rises in
the northwest angle Of the crossing
OF the River and Seven Locks roads
Is Mrs. Frank Pelman Stone who, II
the Rambler's memory is working
on schedule, is the historian of Janet
Montgomery Chapter. d. A. r. A few
years ago. in the course of a long
series Of longer walks up and down
the Seven Locks road Cedar lane and
the Beane-Bells mill road. the Ram
bier borrowed from Mrs. Stone some
notes which she had collected on the
subject Of the Braddock road. He
promised to return them the next
years asS s while Vri Writing as''s Of '"e the
ghosts to whom. or to which. he bads
adieu few lines above, he thought
Of those notes and after search
taking up more time than has been
given to the writing Of this tale, he
found them. Among the papers is
the following letter:
ANNAPOLIS. Srd January. 1SlA
Mrs. F. P. Stone.
102 Bethesda
Montgomery County, Md.
My Dear Madam
Your letter to hand and following is q list
of the land owned by the parties you mention
in 1853. taken from the debt books. These.
books do not go back any further in this
county than the year lI53.
To John Needham. Frederick county, 1753:--
To Forrest R12 acres; part Huntington, 308
acres: Pritchards Purchase, 40 acres part OF
Forrest, 100 acres.
John Hawkins. jr., Frederick county. Md.
1753:-To part of Beall and Magruder's Hon.
esty, 10l acres Coyons Rest. 800 acres; For.
acres. Yours, truly.
JOHN J. HANSON
Commissioner of Land Office.
The notes of Mrs. Stone follow: Tho
estate of John Needham was situated
near Bethesda Md; the Spencer Watt
kins farm. with the Old Stone Tavern
nearby. was from Pritchett's Pur-
chase. u. IT. Ownes Cor Owens) farm
was from Pritchetts Purchase and
Huntington. Part of the Nailor farm
was Huntington. Part of Pritchetts
Purchase is between the old George
town road and the pike just north OF
Bethesda. while Needham's Discovery,
eleven acres. is in Bethesda Park.
Refuse lies off near Wheaton. and
Bealrs and Magruder's Honesty is
northwest of Bethesda. part Of
which was owned By John Hawkins.
These estates were at and near Be-