Evening star., 1927-02-16

4 remarkable collection Of Wash
| ingtona. which preserves the color
and intimate details OF days long
dead has been assembled into bound
| volumes at the Public Library and
promises 10 he an invaluable refer
ence mine for historians OF the future.
1t consists largely OF clippings from
newspapers and magazines arranged
| in topical volumes These clippings
have been accommodating for the past
% wears. The majority of them are
from The Evening Star. They have
been arranged by Miss katharine Pat
ten of the Library staff
The collection is increasing so rap
idly. according to DR.. George r. Bow
erman. the librarian, that II is plan.
ned to set aside n special room next
year where II will he kept for the con
venience of writer's and students of
Washington history. Formerly the
clippings were kept loose in boxes, but
there we're so many calls for them. and
they became SO disordered after they
We're consulted. that it was necessary
10 bind them in order to assure their
preservation.
Deals With Disappearing City.
The old Washington dealt with in
hne old mansions which persisted
from the days Of Thomas jefferson
well into the present century--is dis
appearing very rapidly One by one
ancient houses with rich historical
associations disappear. II is to pre-
serve the memory of these that DR..
Eowerman has directed his labors The
legends OF the past have been pre-
served largely In perishable newspaper
accounts. difficult to reach and to
study.
A casual survey of the volumes al.
ready prepared reveals a wealth of
obscure material not only for the his
torian, but for the romanticist. His
torlans have touched only the high
lights of the days when Robert Fulton
sailed his first tiny models of the
steamboat on Rock Creek. when Jeffer.
son tramped about the outlying pas
lures collecting botanical material: of
the dueis, the love matches and the
weddings.
Take, for instance, the story of
Philip Spencer. He was the son of
Canfleid Spencer and grandson of
Dewitt Clinton. His father came to
washington as member of Jeffer-
sons cabinet. Philip was a ne'erdo-
well, who had left behind him a, long
trail of escapades. Through his
fathers influence he secured q COM
mission as midshipman In the Navy.
When the ship lay off the coast of
Brazil. he formed. with two sailors. a
plot to seize it, kill the officers and
about half the crew and turn to tho
life Of a pirate. The plot was discov-
cred, and the midshipman hanged
from the yardarrn-an incident which
forced his fathers resdgna ton from
the cabinet and was the sensation of
Washington at the time.
Senator's Daughters Romance.
Then there is the romance of John
c. Fremont and Jessie Benton. She
was the daughter of a distinguished
Senator. He was a poor Army lieu
tenant. They set out to get married.
The irate Senator saw them slip from
the house and followed them. Sena-
tor Benton was a power in Washing
ton, and he was confident that no
clergyman would marry them. They
went from one parsonage to another
about the city, the father following
close behind.
But Senator Benton was an old
man. He grew tired with the long
chase. When the couple went to
the home of a Catholic priest on
Capitol Hill he slipped into the
church next door to rest-confident
that the priest would not consent
to perform the ceremony without
first consulting him. He planned to
follow them again as soon as they
came out of the rectory But he
feel asleep in the pew. The priest
brought the couple to the church
and married them while the old
Senator SnOred
Those were the days when G.
street between John Marshall place
and Third street was the elite sec