Evening star., 1933-07-16
./aMes McKcHNa
X eMeM bercd as
ONcWho Sold First
Lots III This City.
Philip Mnnro and
ThoMns Do7vHng
Aiso PMcrdAmong
PioNcers in That
Business.
By JOIN CLlGETT PROCTOR.

By JOIN CL1GETT PROCIOR.
v---. ROM tic time the City CT Washington
4 waS designated by LEnfant aucti1neers
D. have .cu:.d the Capital good business
place il which to live. although Their
oCcugrt:on IS not always as pleasant
i. j: varied To be sure, they see many
phase Of lie. bat i'll the long the sad
incidents ther encounter are about cTsct b.
these Of an aIr"sillg character
In the carl DAY of Washington doubt
the selling OF slaves was at times distressing
to the auctic-,cr with soul, and as some
very fine people were at times called upon
to perform this duty. i: surely be assumed
that there were men thus employed IN slavery
days who were no. only sympathetic but had
real hear. cs well. Recently the writer
came across. in the National Intelligencer of
July IL 1921. case that would appeal to the
better side Of most any one, irrespective of
occupation II for the sale OF a little girl
and lead
FEMALE SLAVE FOR SALE.
A likely female slave, about - years
OLD, will be held at private sale till my
auction on Saturday, the 9th inst. when.
If not disposed Of she will be offered at
auction NJ. POOR, Auct
What pathetic thing this was. when one
stop; to reflect Here child being sold
and it made difference to whom-at time
when she needed the greatest amount of pro-
on Pennsylvania avenue, over which all the
Presidents have gone to their inauguration.
excep. the first two.
Auctioneers sold everything in those days,
just as they 90 today. and the first sale of
lots IN the Federal district made Oc
tOber IT, 1871. at the Fountain Inn of John
Suter. over in Georgetown. By Auctioneer
James McKenna. with President Washington.
Secretary of State Thomas jefferson and James
Madison present. 1t had been intended to
hold the sale where the property was located.
but on account of the prevailing bad weather
Suffers Tavern was used for the purpose in
stead. and. although few lots were sold, it is
probable everybody went away happy. for bill
was presented and paid for food and wine
furnished at the sale" Two days later 35
lots sold in the vicinity of the White House.
brought an average of $3.50 each. The high
price obtained for lot was 1894 and the
lowest s162. The lots contained average
OF 5.265 square feet, and the prices would be
less than 5 cents foot.
The writer knows nothing further of Auc-
tioneer McKenna, but he was soon followed
by others in the same line of business. In
many sales of real and personal property. made
subsequent to 1904, one of the most promi-
nent names is that of Philip Mauro. This
pioneer auctioneer was born in 1899 in Stutt-
CART, Germany where he was highly educated
and where he lived until he was about 25
years of age. when he came to this country and
his residence in Washington.
In Georgetown he met his future wife,
Elizabeth Ann OFT, sister to DR.. Off, the
family having moved here from Philadelphia.
In 1884 Mr. Mauro moved with his family
to ST. Louis. Mo-. where he opened school
and engaged in teaching. He died in that city
in November 1858. He was the father of a
family of 10 children, six daughters. who never
married and four sons-William Henry. Philip,
died young; a second Philip. who became a
10 Io,,icx xrifh hiS foth
and Charles c. William Henry Mauro at first
engaged in business in st Louis with his
father later going to Burlington. Iowa, where
he died in 1896 at the advanced age of 80
years. said at the time to have been the Oldest
member of the Masonic fraternity in that
State Before going West he married in this
city Mrs. Eliza Wharton, by whom he had
one daughter.
with his father to ST. Louis and became a
lawyer there.
Charles c. Mauro youngest of the children,
West with his father as a child. When grown
served for while as prosecuting attorney of
ington he :-aet here Charlotte Davis, youngest
sister to the banker, Lewis j. Davis. and they
were married soon afterward. He returned
to ST. Louis. where his wife died and where
he passed away in 1873. leaving widow and
four children by the first wife-Lewis Johnson
Maurc Philip Mauro Mrs Mary Mauro Ryan
Burlington, Iowa. Philip Mauro son OF