Evening star., 1932-02-21
Special Dispatch to The Star.


GARDEN CITY, Mo-. February 20
(N.ANAD.- If George Washington had
been king of America. and his crown
had been handed down in hereditary
succession, Thornton Augustin Wash
ington of this town would be king Of
the United States today.
Instead of living upon charity in
small, old and shaky house in Garden
City his home would be the White
House in the city of his own name.
Washington Instead of sitting in an
aged rocking chair, the joints of which
squeak with every move. he would be
seated on throne. and the verses writ
ten by his sister Minnie. which are con-
siGered 50 obscure that nobody prints
them, would be scrambled after by edi-
tors of the biggest magazines.
Too old to work. this nearest living
kin to the Father of His Country"
lives upon an allowance from the county
and upon the charity Of business men
of this town.
Line Is Followed.
Had George Washington been the
first of ali American dynasty. the
United States would have had six kings
or emperors George washington had
no child. When he died the crown
would have gene to his next OF kin. his
brother, Samuel Washington. The third
king of America would have been
Samuel's eldest son. Thornton Wash
ington. The fourth king would have
been the latter's eldest son, John Thorn
ton Augustin Washington; the fifth,
Johns son, Daniel Bedinger Washing
ton. and the sixth king of the United
States would be Thornton Augustin
Washington, the aged man who lives
here
With Thornton Washington lives his
maiden sister, Marion Wallace wash
ington, known to every one here as
Minnie" and she, too, is supported by
the county and the business men OF this
town. All that the county gives Mr..
Washington for the support Of himself
and his sister is $40 month. and out
of that he pays IS a month for ram
shackle little house, but the balance OF
their needs Is made UP by the people
here.
Mr.. Washington was a druggists
clerk all his life. His wages were al
ways small and he always had his two
maiden sister to care for. until one OF
them died q few years ago. That was
why he never married.
Never Outside Missouri.
Mr.. Washington sat In a rocking
chair He wore yellow flannel shirt
and over that a heavy woolen sweater.
Behind him stood his sister and it was
difficult to imagine that her great
great-great-granmoth was Mary Ball
Washington, the mother Of George
Washington. and such handsome and
accomplished woman that she was
known in Virginia as "the Rose OF Ep-
ping Forest" and the Belle Of North
ern Neck
Have you ever been back to the
home of your ancestors. Mount Vernon
or Wakefield?" she was asked.
I've never been outside of Missouri,
she replied.
wouldn't you like to see the old
mansions by the Potomac where your
distinguished forbears lived?"
II never had money enough to go
anywhere" she said.
"I've never been back there, either"
said Tony, as he is called by everyone
here. i've always had to work and
scratch and dig so hard to get along,
and the wages were so small l could
never go anywhere. I never had any
hankering to go to Mount Vernon until
lately. Now I'm too old" (He Is 78).
Maybe you don't care about your
ancestors. and that you are the near,
est relative Of George Washington"
the interviewer suggested.
"Yes. do care" he replied quickly.
II realize that it's fine thing to have
such a good ancestry. but realize also
that being related to George Washing
ton never buttered any bread for me:
He and teh others lived their lives; l
had to live mine I never tried to make
canital out of the fact that I was
Washington.
Looked Like George.
when I was Younger they used to
saw that I looked like George Washing
ton. but I never could trace any re-
semblance OF course. you understand,
that none of the portraits that you see
of Washington bears much resemblance
to him. You take that picture OF MIN
that have on the calendar on the wall.
That is an idealized portrait, ike all
the rest.
"The only portrait of Washington
that looked exactly like him Is the OIL
painting that hangs in the Masonic
Lodge In Alexandria. Va, of which he
used to be the worshipful master. So
nv father and grandfather used to say.
"Washington was feet inches, tall
and rawboned. Father was more than
G feet and rawboned and bore a strong
resemblance to George. I have often
heard father tell that his father, in
Virginia, had two suits OF clothes that
had been owned and worn by George
washington. One was a military uni
form with brass buttons; the other was
a i1ne dress suit, with brocaded silk
vest and knee breecheS.