davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1941-10-26

John Randolph Of Roanoke,
Uho stopped at the Union Ho-
tel Uhen q member of Con-
gress.
hunger and desperation which he prob
ably more than once had to endure.
w. S. jackson is responsible for several
stories on the old doctor-one to the
effect that: He was friend Of George
town College in its infancy, and was
a frequent visitor to the institution and
often dined with the priests Of Catholic
Trinity Church"
A good story on matrimony goes like
this: "On one occasion this worthy
man related that couple from Cooney
"a district on the south side Of the
Potomac. mostly inhabited by the labor
ing classes, and called Cooney Neck
called at his house at midnight. He had
retired to his bedroom, and as he un-
dressed preparatory to lying down. ne
heard a rap at the front door. He raised
the window and was Informed that q
couple at the door desired to be united
in wedlock. He requested them to make
ready and he would marry them from
the window. The service performed he
wished them good luck and goodnight
and requested them to leave the fee un-
der the front door. and sure enough In
the morning he found tucked under the
door 2 shillings and sxpence.
Evening star., 1941-10-26

OF the rivers. And usually they are
small, not to be compared with their
husky, pot bellied brothers Of more
Northern climates. For fresh water
fishing the territory around Washington
is bass country and hardly trout country.
And don't, if some secretlve small
mouth man lets you into his private
or the Shenandoah is any sissy game.
You will. if you are smart, go up the
river equipped with spikes in your
waders. A bathing suit or q pair OF
bathing trunks is the usual garb. 50
dunking hurts no one. But slippery
rocks and swift water make combina-
ton which isn't pleasant sometimes.
You can twist and break an ankle II
you aren't wary. know of more pleas
ant places to have a sprained or broken
ankle than the middle of a river with
the current rushing by at the rate of 10
miles an hour.
You will take along both fly and plug
casting tackle. for you can't tell, from
the range of so or so miles, just how
you'll find the river.
Some obscure little creek 100 miles
away may have had thunderstorm
over it last night and pour thousands OF
gallons Of muddy water into the big
river, raising the level and coloring the
water. II it's low and clear sinking flies
are the ticket for the fly fisherman.
Streamers seem to do the most damage
on the upper river. If the river is high
and clear and you want to get away out
there into the holes and riffles, the plug
casting outfit is the killer. Generally
the latter outfit is the best, for you cam
not toss . fly very far under the best
conditions and usually there's q breeze
within the rock walls which hug the
river banks. Casting q light fly against
. wind is murderous business, and not
for the bass.
But wading the Potomac River is hard
Evening star., 1941-10-26
By Walter McCaIIum.

tacular ribbon anywhere from Great
Falls on up to Cumberland, haven't seen
the Potomac. There's a stretch from
Seneca up to Harpers Ferry that is
BREATH taking. And up around Shep-
herdstoWn, w. Va where the river makes
a tremendous bend covering a stretch of
about Is miles to compass about miles
of land travel $50 does It pend and twist
between high cliffs it is river that
challenges any stream in the East for
scenery. And for good small-mouth bass
fishing the Potomac cannot be whipped.
The Shenandoah has its points, too.
Smaller than the Potomac, with less
water and water more easily rolled, the
Shenandoah is beautiful stream. And
full of bass, if you know where to CO.
But try to get fisherman to tell you,
if he thinks you aren't one of the crowd
Potomac and Shenandoah both clear
this am" So read the daily telegraph
report from Harpers Ferry to The Star
almost every day during the summer. 1t
has been bass anglers dream. And it
hasn't happened so often for many a
year.
One of the better points about the
Potomac as a bass stream is that it can
be fished in every way known to bass
anglers. 1t can be flshed from a poled
punt, manipulated between the rocks by
a husky helper. Or the punt can be
anchored near favorite bass hole and
the bait allowed to drift down into the
pool. 1t can be waded along almost its
entire length and breadth, for in few
places is the water normally over wading
depth.
Trout fishermen may scoff at this busi-
ness of wading the Potomac flycasting
for bass. Theirs is the delicate fly pat
termed after a hatch, intended to fool
the trout into striking. But trout around
Washington do not amount to much.
Usually they are hatchery fish, strikingly
different from the now-native black bass
Evening star., 1941-10-26
Bass Anglers Dream Comes True in Swift Potomac

Take fisherman, by and large lean
or hefty, and he's usually a pretty gen.
erous gent with invitations to visit his
favorite fishing hole. That Is, he is
inclined to generosity if he's a salt
water fisherman. But a bass fisherman
and particularly man who angles for
the elusive will-o'-the-wisp Of the swift
rivers-the small-mouth basis of a
different breed.
Your salt water angler is generous by
nature. He realizes that no matter
whether he becomes a fish hog and
takes hundreds of pounds Of hardhead,
or even rockhsh, from Chesapeake Bay,
he isn't doing one thousandth the dam
age to fish life one surreptitiously tossed
purse net can do. But the bass fisher
man is something else. And the small
mouth bass fisherman is the most
secretive of them all.
Right now the boys who angle for old
Micropterus Salmoides or Micropterus
Dolomieu are right in the middle Of the
best season they've had in many years.
The names, don't let 'em stump you, are
highbrow for bass. The first one means
large mouth. the finny fellow who gangs
up on minnows in pond or moderately
still water. The second one refers to
the creme de la creme, or ne plus ultra
of bass fishing, the small mouth. Under
proper environment there's little to
choose between them, but the boys who
know claim the river small mouth,
caught in swift water, is the finest fish
that swims.
Rated as Interloper
For months now, with rare and short
exceptions, the Potomac River has been
clear and low. Usually it's high and
muddy in midsummer and we'll into the
fall. And have you ever noticed that
for weeks before the opening Of the bass
season the river is in perfect condition,
and that the night before opening day
it rains and next day at dawn you could
walk across it on the mud? But this
year, barring very few days. conditions
for bass fishing in the Potomac River
have been ideal. The hauls in the
Potomac and the Shenandoah have
been good, and for the bass fisherman
all is clear and sunny.
The small-mouth bass, Of course, Is
more or less a recent interloper to the
Potomac, the Shenandoah and their
tributaries. The large mouth is not
The latter scrapper has been around for
centuries. Probably Powhatsn had
meal of fried large mouth before he
ordered Capt. John Smith to the chop
ping block.
But the small mouth, Micropterus
Dolomieu to you. came to these parts
about three-quarters of q century ago
from his native f1aunts in the Middle
West. The story land 1t hasn't been
refuted by the scientific gents over at
the Bureau of Fisheries) is this: A
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad engineer. a
fisherman from away back, pushed his
coal burner along the placid reaches OF
the Potomac in the Harper's Ferry
region. THAT looks to be great bass
river" he told himself. But there were
no small mouth there he found on
inquiring Of the river folk. Plenty &
big mouth but no small mouth.
Evening star., 1941-10-26

many years the Old Bridge Street Pres
byterian Church.
This church, which was founded by
the Rev. Stephen Bloomer Balch, one Of
Georgetowns early divines, had its be-
ginning in 1870, when its members wor-
SHIPPED in the woods skirting the settle
ment, land subsequently" says the Rev.
Benjamin F.. Bittinger, 'in a log build
Ing at the corner of Wisconsin avenue
and Volta place.
Later the congregation worshiped in
rented room on Thirty-third street,
and finally in a permanent location at
the corner Of Bridge and Washington
streets now M and Thirtieth). This
temporary building was displaced in
1921 by a large and commodious struc-
ture. which remained standing until 1873.
Toward the erection Of the Bridge Street
Church President Jefferson contributed,
while he and Presidents Washington and
Jackson were occasional hearers OF DR..
Balch. At the first communion observed,
there were only seven persons present,
including the ruling elder. a Mr.. Orme,
the first and for many years the only
elder.
Such was the growing popularity OF
DR.. Balch that it was not long before it
became necessary to enlarge the build
ing; so that in 1921 larger building
was erected on the corner Of now M and
Thirtieth streets, which remained until
1873, when it was demolished and part
OF its material used in the construction
of the Georgetown Presbyterian Church,
3l15 P street NV"
The old Bridge Street Church had
gallery on three sides. one gallery tthe
one opposite to the pulpit being used
for the choir, which, in my day, was
without an organ, the only instrument
being formidable bass viol, whose
strings were manipulated by Mr.. Mar
den, Capt. Noyes being the leader of the
Evening star., 1941-10-26

work. II you happen to know where to
toss your fly or your plug, you'll get along
all right with minimum Of effort. But
if you don't know you can fish all day
and get only an occasional strike. That
again is where the bass fishermans re-
luctance to talk comes in. He might
invite novice to go along but that
novice might cast 10000 times without
much luck unless he knew where TO cast.
Game fish swim up stream goes the
adage. And the small mouth bass is
strictly game fish. Generally he lies
at the head or the tail Of deep pools.
waiting for the bounty the moving water
brings him. If he isn't there he may be
lying in that deep hole up against that
rock jutting out of the water.
The rifles will produce few fish. But
generally rifle bass are juniors, around
10 inches or less And 10 inches, in case
you don't know, happens to be the
legal minimum in Maryland. So don't
look for jumbo bass in the rifles. They
have their own holes, in swift, deep
water, and no one that is, no other bass
Is going to take them away.
1t seems strange, too, that a Mary
land fishing license is required to fish
the Potomac, even though you may enter
the river from Virginia or West Vir-
ginia. The reason is that the States,
by mutual agreement, have made the
high-water mark on the shore opposite
the Maryland bank the legal dividing
line. Legally. the Potomac River is all
in Maryland.
Use of License
Down the river, along the creeks which
harbor the big mouth, YOU don't need
a license. But you do from tidewater
up. Tidewater, loosely, is above Little
Falls. Below that you can fish without
a license. But don't get caught above 1t
without one. Aqua Creek, OccoQuan
Creek, Nanjemoy, Piscataway, and sew
eral other brackish water streams below
Washington all have been in past years
or are now good black bass streams.
We say "have been," for lately the water
chestnut has moved into some of them,
and hasn't done lot of good. Aqua
and Piscataway have just about been
ruined as fishing holes although the
bass still are there. The main trouble
is to get through the water growths with
your boat But above tidewater, in the
upper Potomac, and in the Shenandoah
and the tributary streams there is no
such thing as the water chestnut. Only
one factor throws the bass man out Of
gear. That's heavy downpour up above
along the watershed, bringing in its wake
muddy water and q condition where no
bass lacking argus eyes could see bait
more than two feet in front Of his blunt,
scrappy nose.
Happily that condition hasn't existed
over long stretches this year, and the
bass man has been in his own special
corner of heaven. 1t has been the
finest bass season in a long while, and
the best of 1t is just around the corner.
For where bass are on the sluggish side
in July. August and early September,
they become their own scrappy, ven-
turesome selves In the cool nights Of
late October.
Evening star., 1941-10-26

A history Of the District of Columbia
would surely not be a complete one
without mentioning some of the early
taverns or hotels, such as Suffers, Tunni-
cliffs, Stell's and Blodgetts. However.
Of these, Suffers Tavern was the only
one standing at the time the Federal
District came into being in 1871. The
old Union Hotel or Tavern, located at
Thirtieth and M street NV, which has
recently been entirely removed, came
into existence in 1896 only five years
later, and, as the late w. B. Bryan tells
us, it was built by subscription = was
60 feet front, three stories in height, and
contained only 13 bedrooms" What it
lacked in size it made up in pl ominence,
for many important events took place
there, and many outstanding persons
made it their stopping place when visit
Ing Washington.
When John Adams first came to Wash
ington to look over the city and later
to take up his residence in the White
House. Georgetown was accredited with
. population of 2948, but by 1911 this
had increased to 4948.
Besides Suter's Tavern, or the Foun-
tain Inn, which was its real name, and
the Union Hotel there was in George
town prior to 1900, Clement Sewells
Hostelry, near Suter's Tavern. Later
there was opened the City Tavern ad-
Joining the Bank of Columbia on M or
Bridge street, which in 1900 was being
conducted by a Mr.. Mclaughlin.
: But these were all small places, and so,
when President Adams came to the Dis
trict on June 3 1900 he was met at the
District line by citizens on horseback
and escorted to the Union Tavern, then
the newest and most attractive hotel IN
Georgetown where the President re-
manned that night. On June 6, follow
ing, MI Adams was entertained at
dinner at McLaughlin's City Tavern, on
M street The next time he came to
the city, when Congress was assembling
in Washington for the first time, he went
directly to the unfinished White House.
This tavern is said to have had its
official opening some time shortly after
February %, 1899, when birthnight ball
was given there in honor OF the nrSt
President, which Gen. Washington is
said to have attended, but George Wash
ington Parke Custis the generals foster
son. in his "Recollections and Private
Memoirs" SAYS: The last birthnight
attended by the venerable chief was in
Alexandria, % February, 1898, and We
we'll know that the following February
22, the marriage of Maj. Lawrence Lewis,
q favorite nephew of Gen. Washington
to the first Presidents adopted daughter
Nellie Gusts, took place at Mount Ver-
non, with Washington in attendance.
Preferred Old Uniform
ut was the wish of the young bride"
says G. W. P. Gusts, that the General
of the Armies of the United States ap-
pear in the splendidly embroidered uni
form the costume assigned him by the
Evening star., 1941-10-26

That's a shame" he told himself.
Think I'll do something about it." He
was a generous, small-mouth fisherman,
but he wasn't running his own private
fishing hole. Next trip down the eastern
slopes of the Alleghanies he carried in
the water tender of his locomotive few
mature small mouth. Tenderly he
dumped them in the Potomac History
tells us 1t was near Harpers Ferry
Thousands Of anglers rise to bless this
thoughtful and kindly gent of the fisher
mans breed, for from those few small
mouth bass have come the present crop
of bass. Now the rivers-the Potomac
and Shenandoah and their tributaries
aren't crammed full Of small-mouth
You couldn't walk across on their backs,
nor could you catch bass with every
cast. But the hard working fisherman
who knows where to go and where to
cast or toes helgramite or minnow, can
(if he's lucky catch his limit of 10 fish
almost any day.
Where to go? All, there's the rub.
And that's where this secretiveness OF
the small-mouth bass fisherman comes
in. No one knows how many skilled bass
fishermen there are in and around
Washington. But it's a cast-iron, nickel
plated cinch that there wouldn't be
enough bass to go around if all Of
them knew the good spots and f1shed
them at least once a week Bass don't
breed that fast. So the smal-mouth man
who knows good spot keeps mum about
it, or tells the location only to favored
few of his real pals.
Along the stretch of beautiful Potomac
and equally beautiful Shenandoah are
many swift, rocky runs, deep holes and
murmuring rifles which shelter that
prince of the fast-moving rivers-the
small-mouth bass. And the Potomac is
beautiful river. Those Washingtonians
who haven't seen its placid, rock-ribbed
stretches, or its swiftly flowing, spec
Evening star., 1941-10-26

choir. assisted by Mr.. Richard Cruik-
shanks.
THE gallery on the west side of the
church was occupied by the colored con-
tingent present at times of public wor-
ship. The pews were unvarnished,
rather oldfashioned, yet not uncom-
Portable. The floors were innocent Of
carpets, being laid with squares Of brick,
while large stoves, located at the en-
trance, furnished the heat, instead Of
furnaces, as in the present day.
AT that time the Lords Supper was
observed, not to communicates sitting
Evening star., 1941-10-26
New Church Used Old Material

1t was Joseph F. Birch father of Isaac,
who removed the remains of DR.. Balch
from the wall of the Bridge Street
Church TO the Presbyterian Cemetery in
May, 1873, an event we'll recalled now by
the son, Isaac Birch. who says that the
thing that particularly impressed him at
the time was the pulling down OF the
steeple, for much of the material was
wanted for use in building the West, or
P Street Church.
The seeds of religion soWn by DR..
Balch, and which proved so fruitful
in Georgetown, did not come without
effort and hardships upon his part.
Indeed, many a man less resolute would
have quailed under the burden. In 1899
he was even made homeless by the grad
ing of a street through the hill on
which his dwelling stood.
This home, which he called Mamre,
and which he built in 1913, stood on
round, green hill near the river, on the
east side of Duck lane, now Thirty-third
street, south Of what was then known as
Scotch row, where the canal crosses that
street. 1t was surrounded by few cot
tages. we are told, and close by was a
running brook that made its way to
the river Perhaps there are but a very
few people in Georgetown today who
ever heard Of Duck lane or Scotch row.
and many other places which were fami.
liar to the early inhabitants Of this
place.
Evening star., 1941-10-26
Overcame Hardships

DR.. Balch lad humor as well as reli.
gion in his soul, and it is well that he
did, for in his early days in the ministry
in Georgetown it required cheerful
disposition to overcome the hardships Of
Evening star., 1941-10-26
Had Many Rooms

idA
1t is described as having had complete
units of private apartments and bed
rooms, numerous drawing rooms, private
parlors, receiving rooms for company
large dining room and splendid BALL
room, which was once the scene of the
brightest and gayest festivity ever wit
messed in this District Other attrac-
tions were two large refectories, house.
keepers and servants apartments, pri-
vate dwelling house, wine cellar, dairy,
meat and ice houses, with stabling for
100 horses.
The lower part of this old tavern was
years ago converted into stores, which
included Nos 1921 to 1929 M street. and
the upper floors were divided into apart
ments, and those who resided here little
suspected that they were living beneath
the roof which once sheltered so many
representative men. Indeed, besides
those mentioned, other guests here in
cluded Louis Philippe, Count Volney,
Baron Humboldt, Fulton Ohe INVENTOR,
Tallyrand, Washington Irving, Gen. st.
Clair, Lorenzo Dow and Francis Scott
Key.
Jerome Bonaparte, the youngest BROTH
er of Napoleon I and King of West
phalia also was a guest at the old Union
at the period of his marriage to Miss
Elizabeth Patterson, the Baltimore
beauty, in 1903
Miss Phoebe Morris. who was a guest
at the White House in 1912, summarizes
Nine. Bonapartes beauty in the follow
ing words, written to her sister, Rebecca,
in Philadelphia:
How I wish you could see Nine.
Bonaparte in all the splendor Of dress
and all the attractions of beauty. I think
1 never beheld human form so fault
less To the utmost symmetry of fea-
lures is added so much vivacity, such
captivating sweetness! And her sylphic
form, thinly veiled. displays all the
graces OF Venus. She appears particu-
larly lovely in fine crepe robe of beau
tiful azure color interviewer with silver.
In this attire she is truly celestial, and it
is impossible to look on any one else
when she is present"
The married life of Jerome Bonaparte
and Miss Patterson did not cover a long
Evening star., 1941-10-26
History of Old Union Hotel
By John Ciagen Proctor.

Rensselaer, of New York used to reside
here when in Washington.
For awhile it was the general residence
Of the foreign ministers, the officers of
the Army, and, in fact, large number
OF the eminent strangers whose business
called them to the seat of Government
An early account tells us: Many of
these gentlemen used to live in the
splendid style of the time. Rufus King,
Mr.. Otis of Boston, Mr. Murray, the first
British Minister sent to this country, and
many Of the Southern members were
remarkable for their fine equipages and
high manner Of living. A stage was
always in waiting to convey the men,
bers of Congress to and from the Capitol
and every night the apartments of the
house were wont to echo with the ready
wit and the pregnant jest or with ami
mated discussions on the political oc-
currences of the day"
Evening star., 1941-10-26

though the next year only Frank Keyser
was engaged there. BY 1873 it was being
run under the name of West End Hotel
by w. Shinn, who announced that:
This hotel is conveniently located,
being situated on the line Of the Wash
ington and Georgetown City Passenger
Railroad, the cars of which, from the
railroad and steamer depots pass the
door every two or three minutes. The
guests of this hotel can reach any of the
public buildings of the National Cap
ital, or any place of amusement, etc, by
a pleasant ride of few minutes Board
per day, $500. BY the month at reduced
rates"
Founded in 1880
Parker H. Sweet was the proprietor in
1879, and William c. Davis was probably
eking out living there in 1883.
Besides the Union Hotel, there were
other buildings in Georgetown used for
military hospitals during the Civil War.
Dumbarton Street Hospital was in Dunn
barton Street NJ E. Church, Waters
Warehouse Hospital, Georgetown COL
ege Hospital, Trinity Church Hospital,
and on the south side OF M street oppo-
site the Union Hotel, was the Presbyte-
rian Church Hospital, where stood for
Evening star., 1941-10-26

received the wine from the same cup
instead Of, as at present. individual
cups"
In talk had by the writer some years
ago with the late Isaac Birch, that vet
eran undertaken and vell-knoWn
Georgetown citizen he said that he re-
membered we'll the Bridge Street
Church that stood for so many years on
the southeast corner of Thirtieth and M
streets NV, exactly opposite the old
Union Hotel.
Mr.. Birch also said that during the
Civil War the church was used as hos
pital for wounded soldiers and that he
remembered at the close of the war
some boys getting into part OF the
steeple and throwing out some military
equipment, mainly clothing, that had
been removed from the wounded men
and stored thTe. He said, when the
fact leaked out, that it created much re-
sentiment and excitement in Georgetown.
He said he further recalled the placing
in the church of the manned soldiers,
returned. no doubt, from the Second
Battle Of Manassas.