Evening star., 1936-01-19

It is probable that even old Davie
Burnes would say so If he could com,
back again and view from the window
Of his little cottage the changes nov
being made, as well as these which
have taken place since he passed from
earth nearly 1877 years ago, or. more
particularly. on May z, 1899, abou
seven months before the death O.
George Washington. If there ever wa:
any dispute between the Two men, they
probably had an opportunity to settle
their differences in the great beyond
Up to the time of Burnes' death, anc
TOR some years thereafter, the north.
ern part Of the Mall, from Second
street, west to the Potomac River, was
largely covered by Tiber Creek, which
at Sixth street was about block wide
and as much as 800 or 1000 feet al
Fourteenth street, and, following heavy
rains or thaws, covered even more ter
titory than this.
THERE were probably several rea-
sons why Mr. Burnes built his
cottage where is now the Pan-Amer-
ican Building. Principally, no doubt
because it was close to the water
where fishing would be profitable, and
where there was some good, rich farm
land beyond the area where the creek
over1lowed. This early Scotch pro-
prietor Of District Of Columbia
land did not live long enough to see
the stream that flowed by his cottage
(Which was more like q cabin) con-
veFted into q canal, and probably
would not have appreciated it had he
lived until the change was made.
Nor was the Capitol or the White
House completed at that time, and
though. in 1892, orders were given by
the Commissioners to have breadth
Of two perches (about 80 feet) cleared
along the center of Pennsylvania ave-
nue., yet up to 1896 nothing further
had been done, and Mr.. Burnes was
still planting his crops on the line Of
this now famous thoroughfare about
where Is now Fourteenth street.
Indeed, David Burnes left this earth
before Congress first convened here,
and even before John Adams took up
his residence in the White House, and
the District was still being governed
by the laws Of Maryland and Virginia
In the respective sections they had set
aside for the Federal Capital of the
Nation.
It does seem pity that the old
gentleman could not have lived a little
longer, but then, after all, maybe 1t is
best he did not, since the magnitude
Of the mansion that his son-in-law,
John P. Van Ness, later erected
probably with the old Scotchman's
money-close to the old mans humble
cottage, might have broken his heart.
But Marcia, his only child and
daughter, who married the member
Of Congress from the State Of New
York in 1902, moved from the little
cottage Of her childhood snd early
womanhood to rented house that
occupied site on Pennsylvania ave-
nue. little to the west of The Star
office. and from here to 1902 D street,
where the mothers death most likely |
look place, on January %. 1907.
1t must be borne in mind, however,
that Marcia Burnes received lib
eral education for that period of |
the new Republic, being sent both to |
Georgetown and to Baltimore. She |
was q handsome young woman when |
she married Gen. Van Ness, who was
then about IL years her senior. /
CHRISTIAN HINES. who, in his
"Early Recollections" refers to ;
Miss Burnes as "the heiress," has
this to say about that young lady:
.'.Now, the only child that David
Rurnes had was . daughter named
Marcia, who. at that time, might
have been about is years Of age, and
was just springing into womanhood.
I only recollect seeing her once while
she was single, and this was. think,
In 179S. I had just returned from
school and was standing at the door
Of the residence Of MI. Green, with
whom I then lived, when . young
man. and young lady rode up to the
door Of Mrs. Green's milliner shop.
The young lady jumped from her
horse and went into the house to buy
or to have her measure
AIKEN, and the young man was left
1t the door with the horse until she
returned, when she remounted and
hey rode Oh together. /
AFTER they had gone I heard, by
he conversation of the family, who
he parties were. The young lady
vas Miss Marcia Burnes, the rich
1eiress, rs she was called. and the
'otf lg man was her cousin, named
doees Orme. What causes me to
,ecollect 50 well that this was In the
'ear 1888 Is the fact that I went to
choM in Georgetown in that year