Evening star., 1934-09-23
COMPLETING MONUMENT
DURING THE EIGHTIES
Carpenter Describes Memorial Stones
Used in Construction of Famous
Shaft to George Washington.

Of each other. Mr.. Corcoran has the
finer house and its furniture perhaps
cost more. but Bancroft's residence
is a mansion, and his library, ven-
ture, he would not trade for all
CorcoranS millions. Mr.. Corcoran
has big, fleShy head, covered with
thin gray hair, and the short-trimmed
mustache over his determined mouth
is iron gray. A pair of iron trimmed
spcctacleS covers his eyes and he wore
Saturday a black scarf ornamented
with simple coral button, which
was his only jewelry.
Mr.. Corcoran is now nearly 86
years old. He was a cobbler's son
in Georgetown before the Capital was
laid out. He has lived to see Wash
ington City born, to watch its growth
into the social, political and intel
lectual Capital of the Nation. He
commenced life as merchant, failed
in that and turned to banking. Dur
ing the War with Mexico he became
the financier for the Government and
here it was that he laid the founda-
ton for his fortune. He has always
been liberal in his giving and has. it
is estimated. given away not less than
four million dollars. No one knows
how much he has left. An old Wash
ingtonian once told me that Mr. Cor
Coran is proud of being selfmade
man and that, so far from trying to
conceal the fact that his father was
a shoemaker, he boasts of it and
treasures his fathers old cobbler'S
sign as one of his choicest posses
SionS.
The other man of this trio, ex-
Gov. Winthrop, though he looked the
oldest. is the youngest. Born in 1909,
his life has been full of history. He
has long been one of the leading lit
erary characters of Massachusetts,
and when the Washington Monu-
ment was commenced, in 1848, he de-
livered the address of the day. If he
lives to see its completion he will
probably be selected to speak at its
dedication.
Directly back of George Bancroft
was the noble head of Judge Stephen
J. Field, and Speaker Carlisle, chew
ing tobacco as usual. sat in the front
lON. IIOUtll Was III llIt
midst of them all, attracting more
attention than any. His face is not
perhaps so intellectual as that of
Judge Edmunds, so judicial as Judge
Field nor so dignified as that of Sher-
man. but it has look of good old
horse sense about its square features
and his actions are entirely free of
SnObbishneSS or self-consciOuSneSS
He has a broad forehead. not overly
high, deep blue eyes, and his dress
was in strange contrast with that of
Attorney General Brewster, who sat
just beside him.
The latter wore his usual old-time
dress at the national celebration. His
rotund form of medium height was
clothed in a brown oadcloth coat,
with a wide velvet collar, out of the
front of which peeped yellow satin
vest. He had on pair of pantaloonS
of brown tweed, evidently just taken
out of the trunk, for the creases had
not yet worn away. His shirt was
rufled and a fringe of fluted white
lace ornamented his sleeves. His
patent leather shoes were covered
with black overgaiterS, his red SCARED
face was surrounded by an old-fash-
ioned collar, which made it look like
the head of John the Baptist on a
charger. Between his knees he held
MS famous white hat with its rough
plush-like nap. His appearance was
more like that of comic old squire
of the stage than that of one of the
most noted society men of the day.
Just back Of him sat his beautiful
wife. Mrs. Brewster is perhaps the
handSomeSt woman of the cabinet
circle. She has a plump unwrinkled
face, rich growth of silvery hair
and a pleasant smile. She is the
daughter of Robert j. Walker, at one
time Secretary of the Treasury, and
after an unhappy marriage with a
Frenchman she was employed in the
Treasury Department here. Her first
husband having died. Brewster mar
ried her and the two are. 1 under
stand, most happily mated. Mr..
Brewster, homely as he is, has moth
ing uncouth in his manners. He is
the prince of courtiers and was,
strange to say, a Philadelphia beau
in his youth.
The new statue is said to be an
excellent likeness of Chief Justice
Marshall. 1t certainly represents a
remarkable face. The forehead is
broad and high, the eyes brave and
open, and the head very large and
rather long Judge Marshall was evi-
IDENTIFY man of powerful frame and
had constitution strong enough to
support the great mind which all
acknowledge him to have possessed
Like most of our Chief Justices, he
was long-lived man. He died at the
age of 81, having been on the Su-
preme bench about IS years.