Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-20
ST. JAMES HOTEL
!. FURNISHINGS SOLD
Memories of Mecca for
Honeymooners Recalled as
Auction Starts.

The loud. impatient voice of the
auctioneer exercised phantoms of
young love grown gray when the fur
nishings of the st. James Hotel. once
Washington honeymoon house, to.
day went under the hammer.
The old hosiery at Sixth street and
Pennsylvania avenue, built shortly
after the Civil War. has housed states.
men. diplomats and soldiers. Distin-
guished figures of the last half of the
past century oft reused the echoes of
it's barroom with the sentimental
ballads of the day, and probably his
tory has been plotted in some of its
shadowy bedrooms, most of them
with the big beds set back out of
sight in roomy alcove.
Famed Wedding Parlor.
But the prettiest chapter in the
history of the house is it's wedding
parlor. to which came clipping couples
from all over the United States. The
st. James had enough business to keep
minister fairly busy, but it never
kept clergyman on it's staff as an
accommodation to the public. In
stead the proprietor had a next-door
neighbor. living in one Of his rented
houses, who was a pastor. He off.
| ciated at most of the weddings. File
was always available at a few min
utes' notice. The vicinity Of the
courthouse. where licenses could
be obtained, was an added feature of
service.
The oldest employee Of the hosiery
is one of the colored walters, Peter
Wilkins, who has served food and
drinks under the same rooftree for
AZ years and now looks back pensively
on the glories that have gone The
highwater mark in the history of the
establishment as Cupid's hosiery,
says Mr.. wilkins. was on THANKSGIVING
night rs years ago. when 30 newly
weds were under it's roof. But 20 or
more couples were not unusual during
the Spring and Fall months.
After 40 Years.
DAY after day." said Mrs. Grace
Holt, housekeeper for % years, I'VE
would get orders to have the parlor
ready for a wedding that night. I
don't know why the house became so
popular with newlyweds, but it Ger.
| tainly was the case.
They used to come back to us
year after year. Only the other day
an old couple came In and told us
that they were married here 40 years
before. Now they were going back
over the scenes of their honeymoon. -
There was a special parlor on the
| second floor, obviously intended for
newly married couples, hung with
ornate tapestries and with rich orien.
| tai wall paintings.
Old Bar Famous.
The old bar, dismantled since pro.
| hibition. used to be a favorite stop.
| ping-off place for Representatives and
| Senators on their way uptown from
| the Capitol. and many debates of con.
| sequence to the Nation have taken
| place over the tables. "Uncle Joe'
| Cannon was often a guest, taking par.
| ticular delight in the duck dinners.
Then there was the market gang
-- wilkins remembers them who
would drink until midnight every Sat.
urday night and then, ordered out OF
the bar, would retire to a private din.
| ing room and sing and drink until
dawn. They called themselves the St
James Club and were noted for their
voices.
| Antique hunters and curiosity seek
ers thronged the Railways and cham
| bers today. but little Of real antiquity
was disposed Of. Most of the old beds
have been replaced during the past
few years. Some of the walnut bu
reaus, however. were installed when
the hosiery was built.
The last guest left on June 16.
1