Evening star., 1941-05-11

down the whisky insurrection. In July,
1899, he had the supreme pleasure of
being appointed second lieutenant in
the Regular Army, the commission be-
ing handed him by Gen. Washington at
Mount Vernon and when the Army was
reorganized in 1901 he was appointed a
lieutenant from Maryland In 1905 he
was in the artillery and stationed at st.
Louis. In 1906 he was first lieutenant,
United States regular artillery, and in
1907 was serving as captain. He re-
signed from the service July II, 1909
However, his military training was
taken advantage of few years later,
when the British invaded the Capital
and burned the public buildings, on Au-
gust "a. 1914. 1t was then that Maj.
Peter was offered a commission as
colonel to command the Volunteers in
the District of Columbia" but feeling
that his acceptance would create jeal-
ousy in the Army, he declined to accept
the Office. At this time he was in COM
mand of an artillery company and the
two rife companies commanded by
Capts Stull and Davidson, and made
1t known that he preferred this assign
ment.
Mason and Slidell
In 1916 he was elected a member
OF Congress from the State of Mary
land and served in the House of Rep
resentatives for three years, after which
he continued in State politics. He died
June %, 1851, and is buried in Oak
Hill Cemetery.
James Alfred Pearce, whose residence
was ChestertoWn, Md, when he entered
Congress, was born in Alexandria, a
part of the District from 1871 to 1846
He graduated from Princeton College
in 1922, studied law, and commenced
practice in Cambridge, Dorchester
County Md. in 1924. He served in the
House of Representatives from 1885 to
1889 and 1841 to 1843, and represented
Maryland in the upper branch of Con-
gress from 1843 to 1862.
No doubt many will recall the Mason
Slidell incident of the Civil War period,
but few, perhaps, will include James
Murray Mason, one of the leading char
acters in this drama, as among the
prominent natives of the District. Yet
he was born on Analostan Island (now
Theodore Roosevelt Islan6 November 8,
1913. He became a member of the
House from Virginia in 1887, entered the
Senate in 1847, and served until he
withdrew March %, 1861.
Lived on Lafayette Square.
James Murray Mason was the son of
Gen. John Mason and grandson Of
George Mason of Gunston Hall, and his
wife, Anna Maria Murray Mason.
After leaving the Federal Congress in
1861, Mr.. Mason became a delegate
from Virginia to the Provisional Con-
gress of the Confederacy. A short while
afterward, he was appointed a COM
missioner of the Confederacy to Great
Britain and France, along with John
Slidell, former Senator from Louisiana.
At the time of the capture of the Con-
federate commissioners, the British mail
steamer Trent was in the Bahama
Channel, as reported by Capt Taylor
of the San Jacinto, who said: "The
San JacintC stopped at Cienfuegos, the
escape OF Slidell and Mason was ascer-
tanned Proceeding thence to Havana, it
was understood they had taken passage
on the 7th instant on the British mail
steamship Trent, plying between Vera
Cruz, by way of Havana and st. Thomas
and Southampton. While the San
Jacinto was in the narrowest part of the
Bahama Channel, about "a miles to the
westward, she met the packet and, as
usual In such cases, fired shot across
her bow and brought her to. Two boats
were sent to her under the command Of
1t. Fairfax, who. boarding the packet,