Evening star., 1924-06-29

could show prosperity and call him
self a benefactor at no cost. But
now when any man who can write
his name on a promissory note drives
a car the fellow who walks seems
so abject that the motorist lets him
walk.
The road leads to Good Hope, but
before answering its call let me sit
in the shade of pine tree and tell
you a story about an old friend of
mine. His name is Herman Davis
Herman W. Davis is the full name.
think that everybody in Southeast
Washington knows Herman. He has
lived there long enough to get ac-
quainted. He was born there seventy
nine years ago and he has stuck
pretty close to the land of his birth.
There are many interesting things
about Herman, and one of them Is
that he has a good story about the
origin of the name Good Hope"
Herman's father, Addison L Davis,
was born at Fredericksburg in 1914
and was married there to Miss Anne
Dorothy Parrish, beautiful girl OF
that ancient city and of a family
whose family bore a brave part in
the American revolution.
Addison Davis was graduated by
the University of Virginia and was
skillful in the arts of constituting
Latin and speaking French. He had.
as Herman told me. learned some
thing Of the language of the Indians
of this region. He came to Wash
ington in 1s40. And here we will
let Herman take his place on this
page in quote marks: when I was
quite a small boy my father took
me walking to Good Hope, and on
the Ridge road We came to a place
where the woods had been cut away
and where we got a. fine view of the
Eastern Branch. My father stopped
and told me that the chief of the
Anacostia Indians had stood there
many years before and said in the
Anacostia language: Hope! Hope!
Good Hope! This is Good Hope! He
used the words the Indian had used,
but il ever knew them I have for
gotten them"
1t is an interesting story. That
savage did not, of course, say Good
Hope" in the way we say it. He
did not even say "spe animoque i'm
pletus," nor even "bonne esperance,"
but what he said sounded like "Ojibe-
waxon." The Indian stood there, pointed
to the shining. shimmering Eastern
Branch. then raised his arms as though
he would sake hands with heaven and
said "Ojibewaxon"' Perhaps it was
classic Anacostian for Good Hope"
Addison Davis had other. children
than Herman. The oldest was DAN
iel, who worked for years as a
molder in the navy yard and died
four years ago in California, at the
age OF eighty-four. The second son,
Philip, was a ship carpenter at the
navy yard and one of the ships he
helped to build was the Minnesota
He went to live in Richmond before
the civil war, and died in Washing
ton about thirty years ago. The
third child was Sarah Davis, who be-
came the wife of Louis Otterback, q
son of Philip Otterback, whom all
old Washingtonians remember. The
children Of Louis Otterback and Sa-
rah Davis, il the Rambler can make
out his notes, were Alice, who has
passed on; Louis, who is an employe
of the Pennsylvania Railroad; Rob-
ert Otterback Of the geological survey;
Guy Otterback, who lives in Balti-
more; DR.. Morgan Otterback of this
city and Miss Agnes Otterback of the
Treasury.
THEN there was another son of
= Addison Davis Of Fredericks-
burg and Washington, and whom all
knew and remem-