Evening star., 1939-03-19
John Marshall Place. Old Center of Succeeded Area
Noted Places
Retain Many
Memories
Famous Duel Holds
Picturesque Part
In History
Bv John Clafet Proctor.
By John Claeeff Proctor.

permanent building for the Dis
trict government is under way, and
though the progress being made
seems slow yet it will not be long
before there will be another fine
building in Washington to be add
I'd to those erected here by the
Federal Government during the last
few years.
The present District Building, at
Fourteenth street and Pennsylvania
avenue, according to the views of
many Is a fine, attractive building,
and it is not very old building,
either. But undoubtedly the new
one will contain much more floor
space, and then, too, it will be closer
to other District activities from
which 1t is now separated, and, come
to think of it, it will be returning
to the vicinity of four of its earlier
former homes, namely, the court
house, which, as the City Hall, it
vacated in 1874 and moved to the
Columbia or Morrison Building at
2l4-216 John Marshall place the
same year, thence to First street
and later to Louisiana, now Indiana,
avenue.
Meeting at Hotel
DR.. William Tindall. who served
as secretary to the Board Of Com
missioners for so many years and
who died only a few years ago. told
us that the first meeting Of the
Commissioners, held under the act
of June 20, 1874, was in the H
street parlor of the Arlington Ho-
tel, the site now being occupied
by the Arlington Building, where is
located the United States Veterans
Bureau. From here they went to
the northwest corner of Pennsyl-
vania avenue and Seventeenth street
for several meetings and thence
to the Morrison Building, on the
west side of John Marshall place,
between Pennsylvania avenue and
c street, where they stayed until
June %, 1887, when they moved
to the large lumber warehouse
building then owned by Thomas w.
Smith, a well-known lumberman.
Before being removed, this build
ing was numbered 228-232 First
street, and here was later conducted
the first Business High School, dur
ing and for a while subsequent to
1896, it having been organized in
1890 in the old Thompson Building.
The following two years 1t was To-
Gated in the Franklin Building, and
for three years occupied the old
Minor Building, formerly the col
ored normal school.
From the Thomas w. Smith Build
ing the Commissioners moved-be-
tween 1895 and 1896-to 462 Indiana
avenue, where the police headquar-
ters is now located. From here the
District onices were moved to the
present municipal or District Build
ing. The Smith Building Is no
longer standing.
The Morrison Building on John
Marshall place is today just about
as it was when it was occupied by
the Commissioners Of the District
of Columbia, though 1t is doomed
to be removed when the improve
ments planned for this area are car
ried out. Allen c. Clark, president
of the Columbia Historical Society, in
writing Of this old building, tells us
that many years ago he was clerk
in the Office of the collector of taxes
on the first floor of the building, and
that he nightly saw Gov. Shepherd,
Henry A. Willard, Col. John A. Ma
gruder, the treasurer and other off,
cials pass his way to their periodi-
cal conferences.
In Garfield Tragedy.
DR.. William Tindall, the secre-
tary Of the Commissioners, also re-
fers to this building when he refers
to the assassination of President
Garfield. while being at my desk"
he says, Gin the Office Of the Com
missioners of the District of Co.
lumbia, which was then housed in
the Morrison Building on the west
side of Four-and-a-Half street. now
John Marshall place, few minutes
before 10 o'clock on the, morning
of July 2, 1881, I was startled by
the abrupt entrance of the Office
messenger and his excited exclama-
ton that Vice President Arthur has
just been killed at the Baltimore &
Potomac Railroad station
IT Immediately left the building
to go to the station. but upon
reaching the northwest corner of
Four -and-a-haf street and Penn
sylvania avenue, where the police
headquarters was then situated, was
attracted by two detectives leading
man up to the outside steps of the
-Four and -a-half street side of the
building, by means of which access
was had to the second story where
the Office of the superintendent Of
police was quartered.
Mistaken Identity.
IT followed them up the steps,
and when I reached the top. the
man in custody of the officers
turned his face toward me. and
smiled at me with a silly sort of
leer. Some years before, when the
territorial form of government for
the District of Columbia was in
force, one of the prominent partici-
pants in the local political gather
ings In the voting district in which
I then resided, was a highly nerv-
Gus, excitable man named Snod-
grass, of more than ordinary mental
culture. but regarded as somewhat
eccentric. The man under arrest so
nearly resembled Snodgrass In ap-
pearance that I thought It was he.
and was about to address him as
such and ask him why he was un-
der police restraint, when one Of
the officers whispered to me, This
is Guiteau, the man who shot the
President It was Charles j. Gui-
teau. I visited this man at the
District Jail several weeks later,
where his conversation with me
confirmed the impression made
upon me by the self satisfied simper
which I had noted on his face on
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