Evening star., 1940-10-27
home Of Judge Advocate Gen.

home of Judge Advocate Gen.
Joseph Holt in 1857. " was Judge
Holt who insisted upon a death SEN
tence for Mrs. Surratt, and he is
believed by some to have been in a
measure to blame for her execution.
Remorse, we are told, caused him to
return occasionally to this earth
after he had been transported TO
realms elsewhere. Other houses on
New Jersey avenue to the south of
the Holt house are declared to have
been visited by supernatural beings
also.
However, when ground was
broken in 1871, for a building TO
house the Coast and Geodetic Sur
vey, an old abandoned sewer was
discovered. 1t led down to the
river and was swarming with rats
of unusual size, and no doubt this
had much to do with the noises the
people of the neighborhood at
tributed to ghosts. Just when this
sewer was built along this avenue
no one seemed to know, but its
discovery and filling in had the
effect also Of doing away with the
bad spirits that at times annoyed
the guests of the old Varnum Hotel.
where, when it was known as Con-
rad & McMunn's, Thomas Jeffer-
son went to be sworn in as Presi-
dent in March, 1901.
Experiment Failed.
Another house where Thomas La
resided, at Sixth and N stree
S.W, was years ago given a bf
name by people who believed :
communing with spirits. After beir
vacated by Mr.. Law it was occupie
by Richard Bland Lee, uncle Of Ger.
Robert E. Lee. and later by E. c.
Wheeler. According to an old ac-
count in The Star German MT
sician once tried to allay the ghoe
with piano music all night. but sig
nally failed and left ingloriously
/ But since this building was close to
the river. rats no doubt were also To
blame for any strange sounds that
might have been heard hereabout
At any rate, when the writer visited
the house some years ago the oc-
cupants seemed to be happy and
contented.
Shows Tavern. that once stood
on the northwest corner of Penn
sylvania avenue and Sixth streets.
was said to be infested with spooks
and it was believed that Beau Hick-
man, a one-time habitue, used to
return and hang over the bar and
scrape his shoes on the brass rail.
Col. Hickman, as he was called.
was gentleman loafer who was
never known to work. but who lived
by his wits. He first came to Wash
ington about 1888, when nearly 20
years of age. He had some money
when he arrived, but he spent it all
within two years. This he had little
trouble in doing, since he loved to
follow the races. where he could
always be seen dressed in the most
approved style, sporting a diamond
pin, gold watch and massive fob.
a cane and beaver, which aft
erward became so characteristic Of
the individual.
Van Ness Tradition.
The old Van Ness residence is
listed In old writings as being
haunted. and so was the brick Cap
itol, where stands the Supreme
Court Building. And in Georgetown
We have the story of the Drummer
Boy of the Little Falls" and the
''Headless Man of K Street Bridge. :"
The tradition of the drummer boy
is, that during the early part of
the Revolutionary War he was
drowned in crossing the river while
proceeding to muster on the Vir-
ginia side. What caused the ap-
pearance of the headless man on
the K street bridge is not stated,
though an early writer tells us that
if he really did lose his head he
never made an effort to supply him.
self with that article at the ex-
pense Of any of those who have
had occasion to pass that locality,
and that the only losses of heads
which he had been known to have
caused have been of q purely fig
urative character.
After all, however, ghosts will
come and ghosts will go. and hob
goblins will cut up all sorts Of
didos and play all kinds of pranks,
and the children Of today like the
children of the past will disguise
themselves with hideous false faces
resembling witches, wizards and
hobgoblins and what not. But for
tunately we have arrived at a Pc
Rod of civilization where we well
know Just who these little rascals
are.
But even those who today are
several years beyond the draft age,
do love to look back upon their
youthful days when they were little
devils, too, and dream, as did Long
fellow, Of those good old days Of
yore, as he expressed it in the fol-
lowing lines:
"Oh, fruit loved of boyhood! The
old days recalling,
When wood-grapes were purling
and brown nuts we're falling!
When wild, ugly faces we carved IN
its skin,
Glaring out through the dark with
candle within!
When we laughed round the corn
heap, with hearts all in tune,
Our chair a broad pumpkin-our
lantern the moon,
Telling tales Of the fairy who trav-
eled like steam,