Evening star., 1925-10-08

winchester recently, found the bones
OK Lord Fairfax, who at one time
owned more than 100000 acres of
land in America, IT recalled his asso.
washington. 1t was Lord Fairfax
more than any other man who
trained and nodded" the youth
who was destined to lead the Colonial
Army to victory.
Originally Lord Fairfax was buried
In an old cemetery. which is now In
the business section Of Winchester. in
1929. his bones deposited under the
Christ Episcopal Church. which he
had endowed In his will. Owing to
changes in the church building the ex-
sight Of until the recent discovery
The present plan is to have the bones
of the old baron placed in Il mahog
any coffin and laid In a crypt near the
entrance to the church.
Thomas Fairfax, sixth Baron of
Cameron, was born in Yorkshire. Eng
land, in 1891. He was IL cousin OF
Gen. Lord Fairfax. who led the
"round-head" armies OF Oliver Crom-
well. After leaving Oxford Lord Fair.
fax became a friend of Joseph Addi-
son: he belonged to the same literary
club and even contributed papers to
the famous Spectator. But he was
not long content to spend his hours in
classical pursuits. Tradition says that
in his salad days there was no gayer
nor more abandoned young nobleman
in London than Lord Fairfax. He
lived for pleasure alone and permitted
no social conventions to stand in the
way of his indulgences. He was
wealthy, handsome, daShing. the youth
of the day admired and envied him.
the ladies loved him. He coquetted
with the bellies of the court, danced
with princesses, kissed the jeweled
hand OF Queen Anne herself.
Tires of Social Life.
But years fitted by, and he who had
longer so. Lord Fairfax longed for
peace and quiet. for a home and hap
piness. According to tradition he fell
hOpelesSly In love with a beautiful
woman of the court. She seemed to
return his love with sincerity, and he
forsook all his dissipations, all the
frivolities of social life and began to
make preparations for the time when
he could spend his days with his love
on his broad English estate. His
wealth and time and love he lavished
freely upon the darling of his heart.
But his idol had a heart of clay; she
title and wealth; she Tilted him shortly
before the marriage was to take place.
Humiliated and rt-broken. Lord
Fairfax soured on society and de-
spised the people by whom he had
been Honized. He began to cast long
ing eyes toward the vast estate which
he had inherited In the New World
through his mother, daughter OF
Lord Culpeper. These lands consist
ed Of that part Of Virginia known
as the Northern Neck" more
than 5000. 900 acres lying between
the Rappahannock and Potomac Riv-
ers and stretching north to the Shen-
andoah Valley. Altogether the tract
composed 81 modern counties-nearly
q quarter Of the State OF Virginia.
Cousin Builds Mansion.
In 1882 Robert Carter, the steward
of this region. died. Lord Fairfax had
q cousin, Sir William Fairfax. who
had settled in Massachusetts,. Him he
induced to remove to Virginia and
take over the stewardship of the
Northern Neck. Sir William built a
colonial mansion on the Potomac near
Mount Vernon and called it "Belvoir,"
which literally means beautiful to
see." Lawrence Washington, Georges
daughter, Anne, who became the first
mistress Of Mount Vernon.
Lord Fairfax made his first visit to
America in 1889. He came over to
adjust certain boundary disputes and
to learn at first hand whether he
would like Virginia as place OF final
settlement. He remained a year with
his cousin at Belvoir. He seems to
have fallen in love with Virginia as
thoroughly as he did with the English
beauty a few years before. Lord Fair
fax was fond Of the chase and ne
especially liked the great Virginia for
ests. boundless stretches Of wilder
ness, where he could hunt to his
hearts content-whole days without
ever encountering single human
being.
He went back to England deter
mined to set his affairs in order there
80 he could pass the remainder OF MS
days in the New World. But a num-
Der of years elapsed while he was
making arrangements. He gave away
most Of his English lands and castles
to relatives; he resigned his commls.
sion in the Royal Blues" and in l74o
he embarked for America, never again
to see his native land.
Builds Greenway Court.
Six wears Lord Fairfax lived at
Belyoir. Then he built Greenway
Court in the Shenandoah Valley not
far from Winchester. The building
which was on a green knoll In the
wilderness, was made Of limestone. a
material common in the region. This
structure was intended merely to be
Temporary. In time Lord Fairfax
dreamed Of building permanent cas-:
tie In the valley Of the beautiful
Shenandoah. But that time never
came. The temporary dwelling was
so comfortable that the more preten-
tious castle was never begun. Green
way Court was a long, low building
with a steep roof broken by several
massive chimneys, a row of dormer
windows and two lookout towers as
a precaution against savages. who still
inhabited that part Of the colony.
When the lord Of the Northern Neck
settled in Greenway Court he was
already past middle life. He was no
longer the dashing dandy who had
kissed the hand of Queen Anne. He
was gaunt. raw-boned and near
sighted. He lived a solitary. care
free and eccentric life in the rustic
palace he had erected in the forest.
In a little stone house near the man
sion he transacted. the business of his
almost unlimited estate; there he
sold lands, collected rents, adjusted
boundaries and negotiated with the
Indians. The proprietor of Greenway
Court did not sleep in the larger
house; he preferred to sleep in a lit
tie log cabin with his hounds. of which
he had many. They were part and
parcel Of his life; without them life
would not have been worth living.
All Welcomed at Mansion.
The hospitality Of Greenway Court
was as boundless as the acres of the
Northern Neck. Travellers. refugees,