Evening star., 1938-10-09

ing Of their artistic merits would pro
ceed to give biographical sketches OF
the originals. together with brief his
tories Of the times in which they lived,
thus making each picture the text of
a historical and biographical discourse
to which it was both pleasant and in
structive to listen.
His love for children is said to have
been prominent trait of his char
acter. and few men possessed happier
faculty Of inspiring their confidence
and winning their affection. His in
fiuence over them is believed to have
been truly magnetic.
Other residents of the Sumner house
were Walter @. Gresham, Secretary of
State under President Cleveland. whose
remains now lie in Arlington National
Cemetery, and Henry c. Payne, POST
master General in Thodore Roosevelt's
cabinet.
A DJoINING the Sumner residence
to the west was the home Of Sem
ator Samuel C. Pomeroy OF Kansas,
dllOUllCl AO1AC
time after the Arlington Hotel was
built these two residences were COM
bined and formed the H street en-
trance, though they were not part
Of the main building.
When the Arlington Hotel was erect
ed it was considered an uptown hotel.
and, indeed, judging from the follow
ing description Of the neighborhood.
made by George Alfred Townsend, a.
it appeared in 1865, We might even be
justified in calling 1t suburban. Mr..
Townsend in speaking Of the assassina-
ton OF President Lincoln and the at
tempt made upon the life OF his Sec
retary Of State, William H. Seward,
says:
Vermont avenue was such sluice
OF desolation that in 1865, after stab
bing Mr.. Seward, the assassin, Payne,
galloped half a block and disappeared
out this street among the stables,
shanties, dumping piles and bitches
which pressed close up to Lafayette
Square"
Ill dOQlllOIl W Lllc liUuSCS uh Chuy
mentioned on H street near Vermont
avenue, there was also the home Of
Mrs. Ann Cazanave, the widowed
daughter of Motley Young, one OF the
city's original proprietors. This house
was probably erected shortly after the
year 1900, though Mrs. Cazanave, be-
coming homesick for South Wash
ington. sold the property to John D.
Barclay about 1911 and subsequently
it was occupied by Fielder r. Dorsett,
. well-known carpenter of that period
Benjamin Gilpin is said to have
owned the lot adjoining the one men
toned, which he bought about 1918.
Soon, however, it passed into the
hands of George Hay, q prominent
lawyer, who built a home and lived
there some years with his brother
Charles Hay OF the Navy Department
The next owner Of this property was
Matthew st. Clair Clarke, clerk OF
the House of Representatives, 1922
1884, and he, We are told. rebuilt the
house then on the ground, the builder
being John c. Harkness. 1t was the
eighth house built on Lafayette Park,
and Mr.. Clarke had planned erecting
on the front q pretentious $1,000
marble portico. But due to the loss
of a fortune of 100000 the stone
ordered was left in the marble yard
in Baltimore. Mr.. Clarke resided here
at least until 1846.
This house, which is numbered 1925
H street, subsequently became the
home of Joseph Gales, editor Of the
National Intelligencer, and later Of
Lord Alexander Barring Ashburton,
when the Webster -Ashburton treaty
was drafted defining the present
Canadian boundary. This treaty was
later signed in the old State De-
partment, which stood at the north
end Of the Treasury Building, the lite
Of which was marked q decade ago
with . bronze tablet by the Kiwanis
Club, under the auspices Of the Per.
manent Committee on Marking Points
OF Historic Interest in the District of
Columbia.
The house was also the home Of the
British Legation while Lord Da.ling,
otherwise known as sir Henry Bulwer-
Lytton, was Envoy Extraordinary and
Minister Plenipotentiary to the United
States, l849-l852. There his talented
nephew and secretary. Edward Robert
Bulwer-Lytton. later Lord Lytton,
whose pen name was Owen Meredith,
began his celebrated poem. Lucille"
1t was during Lord Dallings term
(see PROCTOR, Page C-S.)