Evening star., 1926-04-04

this that my old friend Bill likes ac-
curacy. If Bill were like most men
OF his years he would not have SAID
simply Il knew of him" He would
have said this: why. Prof. Brady.
OF course, l knew him well. We went
| to school together in the sixth ward
and ran with the same volunteer fire
| engine in the first ward, Prof
! Brady and | used to go every night to
the Canterbury Theater. on Louisiana
avenue near Sixth. and after the show
we would roll a little in La Truitt' 5
| Canterbury Bowling Saloon. Then
We would go to Gautier's restaurant.
on the Avenue between Twelfth and
/ Thirteenth, and eat a little and drink
| a. great deal" Most of our elderly
and respectable cits were intimately
acquainted" with every Storekeeper,
/ claim agent, government contractor.
/ boarding house keeper and Republican
office holder in Washington from 1860
! to 1870.
! Once. / invented the name Darn
| Igor and / said to an old WaShingto-
| nian, Il reckon you remember old Darn
! Lyor who used to hang around the bar
| of the Exchange Hotel. Ben Beve-
] ridges Washington House and Bun
! Bryan's saloon in the sos" And the
| old man answered: well. well, |
| haven't thought of him for To- these
many wears, He was sweet on my
sister Jemima and used to come to our
| house, on the Island. every Sunday for
! dinner. We were great friends. But
old Darny. as we used TO call him,
! has been dead these many years,
! Perhaps a thought like this comes
to you when you read of old men who
were intimate with Lincoln. Nearly
/ every old Yank one reads of was "a
! personal friend" of Abraham Lincoln.
| Lincoln invited him to supper at the
! White House, asked his counsel on the
war and sent for him when a momen-
| tous campaign was planning. Nearly
| every old Reb ] hear of was dis
patch bearer for Stonewall Jackson or
an aide of some kind TO Robert r.
/ Lee. The point l am trying to put
across is that Our Bill, when asked
about Prof. Brady, said no more than
that he knew of him. And there
| is no doubt about that.
I FIND Brady's Gymnasium in Boyd 5
Washington Directory for the
years 1S65-1S69. but not in the direc-
tory of 1870. Believing that by get
| ting the date of Abner Brady's death
l could find sketch of him in The
| Star, l went to the Health Office and
through the Index to Register 0f
Deaths" from 1874 to 1900 and
| through the record of interments
| from 1870 to August, 1874. l saw no
reference to Abner S. Brady. My in
| ference is that he closed his gym
| nasium early in 1870 and left Wash
| ington. There must be some old
timer who can tell the Rambler and
ramble readers about Prof. Brady. and
the number of his athletes must be
| greater than shown in the photo
graph.
With the names of the seven ath-
| letes before him, the Rambler took up
! the directory of 1865. The name
| Frank Saxton is not there, but you
may read CLAY Saxton, clerk, War
| Department, boards Coz New Jersey
avenue: Henry Saxton. clerk, depart
| ment (0, rooms 359 Eighteenth west;
| Joseph SaXton, house, COZ New Jersey
F., avenue" John Pugh is not in the
| 1865 directory, but there are d. H.
! Pugh. clerk. paymaster generals of
| flee, house Alt Pennsylvania avenue;
! Hugh Pugh, merchant tailor, shop and
| house 4T4 Fourteenth west: Joseph c.
! Pugh. clerk, War Department, boards
| 1874 F north, and Thomas Pugh, clerk,
| second auditors office, no house ad-
/ dress. Thomas Is. Nolan is not in the
! 1865 directory, but there are several
| Nolans-Bridget, keeping a variety
store on II near Twentieth west;
! James, a carpenter, at the same ad-
| dress; Richard, baker, at 1921 Tenth
west, and Samuel s. Nolan, 215 F
north. Edward Droop is in the direc-
! tory of that year as a clerk, boarding
at 2S5 E north between 14th and 15th).
| George w. Evans is in the 1865 direc-
! tory as messenger, Interior Depart
| ment" His home address is not
given. There are 43 Evanses in the
| 1865 directory. Lucian d. Alden is
| not in that directory, but there are
| four Aldens-Albert G.. Alden, clerk
)! Navy Department.; Capt. A. S. Alden,
| inspector generals office: John T..
| Alden, clerk, tquartermaster's office,
and William Alden, policeman. Will
| liam P. Colgate of Bfady's Gymnasium
| may be in the 1865 directory, for
/ find the entry "Wm. Colgate, clerk.
| Treasury, boards 441 f St north"
James Colgate is at the same address.
Turning to Boyd's Washington Di-
rectory for 1870. ] find that Frank
! Saxton is not named, but there are
these Saxtons: II. ID. Saxton, clerk
quartermaster generals office; Joseph
Saxton, Coast Survey; Maggie e. Sax
ton, teacher, boards / near Thirteenth
southeast; 8. w. SGxton, clerk, first
comptrollerse ONCE, Mount Pleasant;