Evening star., 1938-12-18


ing, and so we find that Thomas B.
Reed-or Gar Reed, as the Demo-
Gratis called him-resided here while
Speaker of the House of Representa-
tives, and it was also probably about
this time that he was trying to round
up the absent members of the House
for majority of votes for some
pending Republican measure and
when, it is said, a certain Northern
member wired in: Cant get there,
washout on the line" Reed promptly
wired back in his Enthusiastically
humorous vein: Buy another shirt
and come on!"
When Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, the
Consul General to Cuba, returned
to Washington at the outbreak of
the Spanish-American War, he
made an address from the balcony of
this hotel, and on January IL, 1895,
F. Marion Crawford, the novelist,
entertained here the celebrated Eng
lish actor and actress, Sir Henry
Irving and Miss Ellen Terry. One
of the sad events which occurred
here, on March l, 1899, was the
death of Lord Farrer Herschell,
member from Great Britain of the
Joint High Commission.
Representative Hooper, who owned
this site before it went into the
hands of Vice President Morton, ap-
pears to have been a warm supporter
of James Wormley, who for num-
ber of years was the owner and pro-
prietor Of the Wormley Hotel, that
occupied the site where is now the
Union Trust Building, at the south
west corner Of H and Fifteenth
streets.
Mr.. Wormley was very highly
esteemed colored man, whose nu-
merous friends drew no line Of dis
tinction on account of race or creed.
He was born on Fourteenth street in
this city Of free parents.
His mother was nearly white" we
are told. His father kept a liv-
cry stable near Wizards Hotel, and
the young man began life as the
driver of a hack. Through some
friendly and influential acquaint-
ances thus made he was selected
to take charge of clubhouse on G.
street, and he soon distinguished
himself as caterer. Steward at
some Of the leading clubs. he at
tracted the attention of the late
Reverdy johnson, who, when United
States Minister, carried him to Eng
land as 'diplomatist on Dishes and
he used terrapin and canvasback to
the same end that the Ambassador
used notes and protocols.
HE opened Wormleys Hotel, on
Fifteenth and H streets, in the win
ter of 1871 and conducted 1t for 13
years.
"Mr. Wormley was present at the
deathbed of Lincoln, and he appears
as the only colored man in Little
fields picture of the death Of the
President. He was also present at
the deathbed of Sumner. He was
noted for charity to the benevolent
institutions here.
"At the time of his death he was
probably worth not less than
100000"
He died on Saturday, October 18,
1884, at the Massachusetts General
Hospital in Boston, calculus" being
given as the cause of death. At his
funeral, which took place from the
Wormley Hotel, the Rev. DR.. Sunder-
land-who few years later
married President Cleveland and
Miss Frances Folsom-and Rev. Drs.
Waring and Grimke were the
officiating clergymen, while the
active pallbearers were John F.
Cook, John T. Given, Isaac Lands,
M. w. Gait, James G.. Berret, a
former Mayor of the city: B. K.
Bruce, a former colored Senator
from Mississippi, then register Of
the Treasury; Henry Burch and
R. H. Cleaves. The honorary pail
bearers we're T. E. Roessle, C.. w.
Spofford, C. C. Willard, o. G.
Staples, Franklin Tenney, Theophile
Felter, George S. Kraft and William
Henry Smith.
The Mclean town house, which
covers the northern part Of the
square to be improved, and which
faces I street, was purchased by
John r. Mclean about 1885 or 1886,
or not long after he was married
to Emily T. Beale, at the home OF
her father, Gen. Edward Beale, In
the old Decatur house, reminiscent
of the duel between Commodore
Barron and Stephen Decatur, In
which the latter was mortally
wounded and died soon afterward
Thirty-five years ago, w. w. Birth
then somewhere In his COS, made
reference in his recollection to the
famous duel, and the old Decatur
house, and said:
"The other house was the larga
double dwelling erected by Com
modore Stephen Decatur on tht
northeast corner Of the square, and
occupied by him up to the time of hi
death. This courageous, gallant, and
very popular officer fell in a duel, al
is well known, at the hand of Com.
modore Barron. was then a school.
boy at the Western Academy, which
was about $50 yards northwest d
the Decatur house, and clearly re.
member the great excitement wher
the commodore was brought from
the Bladensburg field. There was
very large gathering there, but tn,
assemblage on the occasion of th
funeral, a day or two after, was per
! (See PROCTOR page C-S0-