Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-14

Eleventh street.
The Fountain Inn was small building and
not equal to Mr.. Fuller's patronage and so M
1S47 we find him removing the old building and
replacing it with one more modern and up-to.
date, five stories high, with 70 rooms Two
years later J. Thomas of the Howard House.
New York, was operating, the name having been
changed to Irving HOTEL
Just IL years later we find another change
taking place J. H. and A. W. Kirkwood were
then engaged in operating the "Kirkwood
House" and The Star of September Is, 1855,
gives this information:
"A force Of mechanics is busily engaged maxi
ing alterations in the Kirkwood House at the
northeast corner Of Pennsylvania avenue and
Twelfth street northwest, embellishing ana
otherwise improving it. In recent years this
has grown to be one of the most popular hotels
in the United States and its proprietors have
gained Nationwide regulations.
ct was suggested in The Evening Star today
that it would be profitable for the owners %
the property adjoining the Kirkwood House ID
form joint stock company, embracing IN is
possessions their houses and lots. as well as The
present hotel all Of which could with conn
paratively little expense be so remodeled as 20
quadruple the capacity of the hotel.
Throughout the recess of Congress this
Summer the Kirkwood House has been crowded
with guests. If its capacity had been much
greater it would doubtless have been kept fur
for no other public house is better established
among the habitual visitors to the FederNo
metropolis.
This hotel, now known as the Kirkwood
House, was erected in 1347. In that year q
building on this site, occupied by the Fountain
Inn, was torn down and four-story hotel
building was put up. 1t was first known g
Fuller's House, later as the Irving House and
finally as the Kirkwood House"
OF course, of the earlier hotels which have
occupied this corner the Kirkwood WaA
the most historic and yet as early as 1850 while
the Irving House was still there the City DteCa
tory gives the names of the following members
of Congress who made this hotel their homos
Senator William Upham of Vermont, Repre-
sentative George A. Caldwell of Kentuckv
Charles E. Clark Of New York, Andrew Ewing
OF Tennessee, William Hebard of Vermont John
c. Mason of Kentucky, Joseph E. Mcdonald Of
Iowa, j. K. McLanahan of Pennsylvania and
Lucus B. Peck of Vermont.
Naturally the connection of the Kirkwootl
House with the assassination of President
Lincoln has given it its most historic phase
and yet there was nothing that occurred here
to the discredit of the house, though It was
entirely through good fortune that ancthef
murder was not committed beneath its roof &C
the time, for Vice President johnson was also
marked for assassination by the conspiratorS
on the evening Of April H. 1855
johnson was then making the Kirkwood
House his home and, according to the cons
ASSSNOl Oh ACzeEOOC, the pan was CnaC BOOCn-~s
VINO made all the plans-waS to kill the Presfs
dent and Gen. Grant Payne should murder
Secretary Seward, while Atzerodt would either
kidnap or dispatch the Vice President.
Booth and Payne Carried out their part "a
the conspiracy as the circumstances permitted
but aside from the renting of a room in the
Kirkwood House by Atzerodt on the mornlnH
OF April IA, that person seems to have done
nothing worse than to have carried message
for Booth to Oyster Bay. Indeed, he even
denied that he had rented the room in the
hotel and said that the firearms and black coat
left there did not belong to him.
Booth, it would seem, was not alto0etheR
satisfied with the alertness of his fellow COM
spirators, and not only looked after his own
plans for the tragic event set for that mem.
orable Good Friday night, but even sought
to check up on the dastardly job given 10
Atzerodt to perform, and so we find him stop.
ping in ct the Kirkwood House on that aftena
noon and sending card up to the Vice Pregaa
dents suite on which was written:
Don't wish to disturb you: are you at homsa
~ Wilkes Booth"
Mr.. johnson was not in, and the note wAH
returned to the sender. This, together with the
fact that Atzerodt got "cold feet" or relenteA
disrupted the plans and saved the life Of The
Vice President, and, incidentally permitted Ms
johnson TO be sworn in there as President a
the United States the following morning a
about IL o'clock by Chief Justice Of the "a.
preme Court Salmon P. Chase.
A FER taking the oath of Office the PresH-
dent remained at the Kirkwood but short
while, and then, according to Ben: PexlaN
Poore, became the guest of Representative
Samuel Hooper Of Massachusetts,, whose home
was where the old Shoreham used TO stand q
the northwest corner OF H and Fifteenth streets
which Mr.. Hooper had purchased in 1858 fronS
J. H. B. Smith, the son of Samuel HArrisou
Smith, founder Of the National IntelligenceN
The President carried on the work Of his once
in rooms assigned him in the Treasury De-