Evening star., 1936-09-06

HERO OF CIVIL WAR INCIDENT
State Of Washington Has Joined With District Of Columbia in
Paying Honor Man of Talent and Bravery Who Left
Mark Period of American Expansion

go into retiracy when you choose, and
can again at any moment mingle
with the crowd"
A year later, the major moved his
family to the Capital, and took quar-
ters at Mrs. Keller's on Lafayette
Square, in large spacious brick house
known as the clubhouse" and which
may easily be recognized as the WASH
ington Club, into which Philip Bar
ton Key was carried and died after
having been shot by Daniel E. Sickles,
a representative in Congress and later
a distinguished officer in the Union
Army.
THE house, the site Of which Is now
occupied by the .Belasco Theater,
in Madison place, was built by Com
modore John Rodgers in 1891 It was
a large residence, with more than two
dozen rooms, and the commodore,
finding its upkeep required more than
he could afford, moved elsewhere. It
became, for a time, a fashionable
boarding house in which lived a num-
ber of distinguished people, includ-
ing John C. Calhoun and Henry
Clay.
After ceasing to be boarding house
it was taken over as a club house
and took the name, Washington
Club" Daniel E. Sickles and Philip
Barton Key belonged to this club at
the time of the tragedy mentioned.
The next event of importance
which occurred in the house was the
attempted assassination of Secretary
Seward on the same night Lincoln
was shot by John Wilkes Booth at
Ford's Theater. Seward, who had
taken over the house for himself
and family, and was living there at
the time, was i'll in bed and occupying
the south front room in the third
story of the mansion. His son Fred
erick and wife, who had retired, oc-
cupied the adjoining room. In the
room with the Secretary at the time
of the attack were his daughter
Fanny and a male nurse. Mrs. Seward,
the mother, had retired for the night,
and Maj. Seward, another son, was
lying on a lounge, the better to be
in readiness later to relieve one Of
the watchers at his fathers bedside.
Lewis Payne, who afterward was tried
for his part in the conspiracy, and
executed, proved to be the one who
made the assault on Secretary Seward.
On the night of the assault he
rode up to the mansion and hitched
his horse to a lamp post. Under the
to the i'll Secretary, Payne gained ad-
mittance to the house and, being
confronted by Frederick Seward. pro-
ceeded to cut his way through to
Mr.. Stewards chamber. There he Sc
verely slashed the Secretary, who only
saved his life by rolling from the
wall side Of the bed onto the floor.
In addition to cutting the Secretary
seriously, he left Frederick Seward
in an unconscious and helpless con-
dition, but both the Secretary and
his son soon recovered from the
attack.
A FTER the Inauguration Of Presi-
dent Benjamin Harrison, when
James G. Blaine was looking for
home, he selected the old Seward
Mansion, and, after making extensive
repairs and improvements. moved in.
AS Harrison's Secretary of State (the
second time he had been called to
occupy this high Office, having previ-
ously been in Garfleld's cabinet) he
desired a residence close by, and this
admirably suited his needs. There
happiness and sadness were mingled
together for Blaine, for there his son
and almost constant companion, Wal
ker Blaine. passed away. and there
he himself died on January q, 1893,
at the age of So. The United States
gave to Blaine about everything but
the presidency. Indeed, he was even
given the nomination to this high
Office, but was defeated by Grover
Cleveland in the election of 1884.
In his time no man was more powerful
politically.
When Maj. Stevens moved here,
he records that Gen. Talcott also
lived here, as did Col. Ethan Allen