Evening star., 1939-03-12
First Baltimore & Ohio Rail-
road depot in Washington,
7Ohich opened in 1885. 1t stood
on the northwest corner of
Pennsylvania aUenue and Sec
Ond street NV. until 1869.

Gen. Robert E. Lee bade farewell to
his old commander, Gen. Winfield
Scott, when the former withdrew
from the Union Army to Join that
OF the Con1ederates. During the first
TWO years Of the war Gen. McClel-
Ian and others came here regularly
10 purchase and inspect horses, it
being at that time a sort of horse
market"
In connection with these old
hltchlng posts an amusing story is
told about one that stood in the
nelghborhood of Seventeenth and
streets NV. 1t seems that an in
eorlated major, back in August. 1865.
dressed in full regimentals, rode up
10 the curb, and. dismounting. threw
the relns to colored boy apparently
some IL years old, standing bv. On
MS return. with difficulty he re-
gained the reins and mounted, and.
handlng a l0-cent postal note to
the would be- boy, who falling to
reach his hand to receive if the
major lnsulted in an oath. telling
the iron boy" if he was too law to
reach for it he should not have it.
Other reminders of the horse-and.
buggy days were the carriage Step
ping stones, which stood at the
curb, principally in front of resi-.
dences, though they were also placed
IN front OF many business houses.
AS late as 1895 the Supreme Court
OF the United States decided that
such stones were conveniences and
not nuisances, though it is quite
PROBABLE the Commissioners of the
District of Columbia would not per.
NIT one to be placed on or near
the curbing today.
Nuisance Claim Fails.
The case the court decided was
the one affirming the judgment of
the Court of Appeals in the case
OF Abraham Wolff, plaintiff in
error. against the District of Co.
lumbia. defendant in error. In this
case Wolff alleged that on the
night OF October T. 1895 when going
from house 3l4 c street in this
city to a carriage in front of the
mouse, he stumbled over large
carriage step and fractured his
right leg above the knee. The
INJURY was so serious as to necessi-
tate amputation. He claimed that
the accident was through no neg
hgence on his part. He claimed
damages from the District of Co.
lumbia in the sum of S25.OOO. He
lost his case in the lower court
and today in the United States
Supreme Court the decision was
affirmed.
Justice McKenna delivered the
opinion of the court, saying that
stepping stones are conveniences
and not nuisances"
Horse racing on the streets Of
Washington was then just as much
OF a violation of law as automobile
speeding is today though the in
cllnatlon to do so must have been
just as great However, the law
regarding the speed of horses was
rarely ever strictly carried out. for
it provided that Ito drive any horse,
mare or gelding in or on any street,
avenue or alley of this city at a
pace faster than a moderate trot or
gallop, or to make any attempt
or trial of speed between two or
more horses was violation of law,
subject to a fine of $40 and in
generation in the workhouse for
not less than 80 nor more than 80
days.
Grants Driving.
President Grant was one of those
who loved good horses and fast
driving, and the statement is made:
president Grant was arrested in
Washington for fast driving, while
driving west on M street between
Eleventh and Twelfth streets. Will
liam H. West, Negro policeman,
ran out in the street, grabbed the
bride and was dragged half a block
before he brought the horse and
buggy to stop. When West recog-
nized President Grant he apolo-
gized. President Grant said, OFF,
GER. do your duty
The policeman took the horse
and buggy to the police station on
Massachusetts avenue, from which
place the horse and buggy were
driven to the White House stables.
The Negro policeman was shortly
thereafter made a mounted police
man at additional pay.
"On April II, 1866, Gen. U. g.
Grant was arrested by Officer S. A.
Bailey for fast driving and was fined
S.. On July l, 1866, he was arrested
by Officer S. T. Crown for fast driv-
ing and again fined $5.",
The writer always understood
that Officer West arrested President
Grant for fast driving on Boundary
street-now Florida avenue-and
took him to the old second precinct
on Seventh street, where he dis.
closed his identity and was released,
afterward highly complimenting
West for doing his duty. West was
then attached to this precinct, and
1t is quite unlikely he would take q
person outside of his own precinct.
The dates as given for the forego-
Ing arrests indicate that they oc-
CURED before Gen. Grant became
President, since Andrew johnson was
President from 1865 to 1869.
Upon one occasion President
Pierce, while returning on horse
back from the home of William
Morgan. accidentally ran down the
wife of Nathan Lewis. A constable
named Stanley Edelin, placed Presi-
dent Pierce under arrest. He was