OCR Text |
Show Saved the " Declaration " I From British Comparatively few of the present generation know how nenr to being lost was onco tho most precious of our national documents, tho Declaration of Independence. It was during the war of 1812. Tho Declaration or Independence Independ-ence hung, for mnny years, In a framo In tho state department In tho room then occupied by Stephen Pleaaonton, who moved to Washington In 1800 with thn government. Mr. Monroe, when he was elected president, created cre-ated n new office, which waB conferred upon Mr. Plcasonton, that Of chief of tho lighthouse establishment, to which wna added tho auditing of tho ministerial minis-terial and consular accounts. Mr. Beaselcy, commissary of prisoners prison-ers of war in London, forwarded to the stato dopartmont somo London I newspapers stating that tho English fleets nnd transports wero receiving troops nt Bordeaux. Franco, with tho intention of oporntlng against Washington Wash-ington and Baltimore. Upon receipt of this information, which was a few days betore tho eno-j eno-j my entered Washington, Mr. Monroo, j then secretary of state, Jamc3 Mndlson j being president, mounted his horse, rode to Bonedict, a small vlllago on tho Patuxent, where tho British forces were being landed, nnd climbed an ' eminence within n quarter of a mllo of tho village, In order to ascertain tho strength of tho enomy. Being con-l con-l vlnccd after his Inspection that wo had no force available that could successfully suc-cessfully resist them; ho sent a note to i Mr. Plcasonton by a vldetto, advising . ". him to so that tho best caro was taken ( of tho books nnd papers of tho stato ' dopartmont. , I Acting at onco upon this authority ,! "Mr. Pleasonton purchased somo coarso linen nnd had It made Into bags of -AP vr.-v... sultnblo size, In which ho, nsslstod by K the others of tho ofllce, plnced tho U books and other papers. Mr. Plcasonton hnd tho bags carted I to a grist mill which hcj selected as a wb suitable depository. Tho mill, which K was unoccupied, belonged to Edrar Paterson, and wns situated on the Vir- ginln side of the Potomac, beyond tho m Chain bridge, two miles above Georgo- j ' town. ' Tho Inst load had left and Mr. Ploas-; Ploas-; onton wns just quitting tho vacant ' rooms, when, turning back suddenly to 8co whethor nnythlng hnd been left B behind, to his consternation he saw W tho Declaration of Indopondenco, which hnd been overlooked, still hang-B hang-B Ing upon tho wall. Ho hastily cut It B out of tho framo and carried It nway B with tho other papers. B Ho then began to bo uneasy about B tho placo he nnd chosen, for If tho K British took Washington, which ho (Irmly believed they would do. nnd B very soon at that, they would In nil B probability detach a forco for tho pur- pose of destroying a foundry for tho B' making of cannon and shot In tho B neighborhood, nnd of course would B consider a grist mill too vnlunblo a B' thing to bo left stnndlng In a country B' they meant to subdue. Mr. Plcasonton B tho'reforo visited somo of the Virginia B farm houses, whoso owncrB wore only B' too willing to loan him wngons In B which to convoy the documents to B Lecsburg, a distance of 35 miles. Then) B they wero deposited In an empty B house, tho keys of which wero given B to Rev, Mr. Llttlejohn. who was ono V of the collectors of lnternnl revenue. B Worn out with his labors, Mr. Pleas-B Pleas-B onton states In n lottcr, ho retired B early to bod that night nnd slept B soundly. Next morning he was in-B in-B formed by the j)eoplo of the little tav-B tav-B orn where he had stayed that evening B thnt they had Been during the night, B the same being tho 24th of August, a K large Are In the direction of Wnshlng-H Wnshlng-H ton. which proved to bo tho light from H the public buildings, which the enemy B' had set on fire and burned to tho B. ground. B When he returned to Washington on Mm the 20th he found the public bulld- H Ings still burning, and learned that tho B British army had evacuated tho city H tho preceding evening, in tho belief B that the Americans were again assem- B bling In the rear for the purpose of B cutting off their retreat. B But as tho British fleet still hovered B n the neighborhood nnd threatened B Washington with a second Invasion, B It was not considered safe to bring tho jB papers of the state department back B for somo weeks In the meantime Mr. B Pleasonton made occasional trips to B Leesburg for particular papers to B -which the secretary of state had occa- B slon to refer lu the transaction of busi- jB new. gBBtfx mmWmmfmjammmmmammmgamm |