| Show 1 1 Landmer M c t 1 1 r rs ri r s i 4 3 a 1 1 a r r 5 r 1 9 xi f sa 4 k I t J Jrr s 4 I r t rr tl g gr t 4 YA 6 4 1 t t try 1 x ar GAS ruc r WA OCD NeECK K- K W i A 1 U q- q d o T By ELMO SCOTT WATSON HE lIE United States Supreme court is soon to ha have hae e a anew anew anew I new home In the rational r Capital befitting the dig dignity dignity pity of oC that Important branch of oC the federal gov government but the selection t I of a site for tor this temple of Justice has meant the passing of one of oC the most ost historic buildings in W ashington For or years rears there stood tood at the cor corner corner corner ner of or Mar Maryland avenue l and First street N Eo E in the block adjoining the Library ary of Con ess a building known as the Old Crick Brick Capitol beL because be because cause cauce it a critical period in our history his history history L V tory it housed the gO of the United States But ut now v it Is no more It has lias been torn down so that upon its site may ma mn be Le erected the stately new nev home of the national Judiciary The Old Brick Capitol came Into be beIng log Ing as the result of one of the great greatest great est cst catastrophes which e ewer ever er befell the the republic the burning of the Capitol and other government go buildings in Washington by the British during the War Var of 1812 As we e look 1001 back bach upon It now It seems stems strange that our gOY gov government government should have base been so apathetic and the citizens of Washington so in indifferent indifferent different to danger as ns they were ere In August 1814 1813 when a British fleet sailed into Chesapeake bay and an anchored anchored off I lort ort If It they gl gaffe gle e the matter any thought at all it was as that flew eW lork or B might be attacked but it seemed to occur to no one that the National CapItal Cap CapItal Hal Ital was In any serious danger For one thing using they counte 1 on Fort Mchenry to keep heep the Invaders im aders from coming up the bay Lay and If it the enemy should attempt a naval nasal al attack attach on Washington by way sway ay of the Potomac rIver they seemed to believe that the antiquated cannon placed at se points below the city would hold them oft It It was as no tribute to the Intelli Intelli- Intelligence intelligence Intelligence gence of the British leaders to belle bellese bellee e this and as might have hae e been expected the enemy did dill exactly what no one seems to have hale thought they would do They Tile launched a land attack attach from theother the theother theother other direction and so 50 swift s were sere their and so inadequate the mo preparations bv by the Americans Americana for guarding against such an nn emergency that the red costs coits were almost upon the city before they were ere discovered ered Then Ihen 1 hen there was a great scum Ing around and General W Hinder Inder hastily assembled a force torce of some mien men mento mento to halt baIt the Inv aders rive Five hundred of oC bailors sailors but the tho remain remainder remainder hIs men were ere Tore and undisciplined ml der were ere raw this force that lie he with litia and it w was as of fj British mostly mostly most faced an army and marines under Admiral ly sailors Cockburn and General Koss Hoss at nt maden ma llIn Bladen Americans to this day re remember remember denbur den burg the Bladensburg member with Ith shame of the day races as the newspapers ne called the rout which tollo followed ed l For or although the GOO SOO American sailors made a brave stand the militia run ran and President Madison who was with Ith was swept along with them the troops troop panicky flight In Iu the meantime mean in their time Dolly DoHy Madison the wife wite of the Pre President was as proving herself a lie he Whoa hoo ne news s of oC the burg disaster reached W ashington most of ot the government go officials and 1 hundreds or of o citizens fled Incontinently thought of ot trying to sire sive an- an un- un with no from rom the Invaders In But hut Dally D Dollye ly l zed the tho Declaration of ot tf M Constitution of oC the Lilted t ochre the e States and other priceless s documents l lauded cd them and other valuables ot of the government In a n farm tarm wagon agon and tool took them across the 1 Potomac Into Ir where here she was as later Inter joined b the President who U was Sus forced to hide woods 11 at s a-s the he ou oU rn tn t the o enemy the Capital r Into N Nf Nf f f rA r 1 B r The British made a n triumphal entry of It on August 24 T 4 Entering the LX Es Mansion the British officers according to their own account drank the British h kings s health In the Amerlean Amerlean Amer AmerIcan lean Ican Pr Presidents President's Ident's wine wIDe and then set fire to the building r e fleet ext t they visited the Capitol and Admiral Cockburn took his seat In n the chair of the speaker of the heuse h use of representatives es Spring SpringIng Springing SpringIng Ing to his feet teet he shouted Shall this hathor of Democracy be burned ill 11 11 for tor It will m say sa e I Shouts of Aye el e I Aye e filled the room and a few minutes later tho the torch was applied r e Ret t they destroyed the tre building set lire lre to other gos gO government structures and when they de departed departed departed parted they left behind them a city virtually in ashes W ashington with Its smoking ruins was as In a critical situation Miny members member of congress had nc newer never er been full fully reconciled to mowing moving the Na Capital from old established Philadelphia to this hach backwoods sit II lage and after the scattered sc legisla legislators tors had reassembled a movement mo was started to abandon Washington and re reestablish reestablish establish the seat scat of or government go In Philadelphia Then a group of le d ledIng le leadIng td lag Ing W Washington ashington citizens got ot busy bucy They determined to pro provide Ide at their own expense a suitable meeting place when hen the new congress com convened It was as this structure e which for tor the nest four y cars housed the government go of the United States President Tames James Monroe took tooh the oath of o office on a platform erected on the north side of oC the building the first outdoor Inauguration ceremonies since a W Washington's tons tong in ew cw ew lock and the one which established the precedent for the induction In Induction Into office of later PresIdents nut But even eHn more Important durIn during the tour four e eventful 5 ears cars of ot the Old Brick Capitols Capitol's early history were ere the acts or of the Fourteenth and nd Fifteenth con congresses congresses which bleh met In It They granted u a charter for tor 20 O 0 years to that bank of or the United States against which Andrew Jackson swaged aged his famous They appropriated a million a year for tor eight ears cars for tor torna na nasal al construction They authorized the President to engage n age John Trum Trumbull Trumbull Trumbull bull to make his four big paintings for tor the tho new Capitol that was to 10 beThey be beThey beThey They granted to wet veterans et erans pensions of 20 0 a n month to cers and 8 S to privates on proof ot of ne need d They enacted on April I 1 1813 the law adopting Capt Samuel Chester Chster Holds Ikid s b design sign for the national flag The ratified the treaty with Great Britain for tor the restriction of or na nasal naval sal al forces on tho the Great Lakes The They authorized the President to take tue pos possession of rat rast at and West rest Florida l they hey admitted Mississippi Indiana and Illinois Into the Union made or territories of co c Alabama and Arkansas and authorized Alabama ma to total total total tal c e steps tep for tor statehood Perhaps mo mot Important of all was wac the lon long Ions debate 0 over cr the request of Missouri JI to bo admitted as a state The request was vas not granted at that I time But John W Taylor Ta lor a n representative e from new r York Introduced an amendment to the bill for the nd ad admission admission ml mission lon of or Missouri pro providing that thit no sla ery nor Involuntary In servitude should exist north of the line Hue of a degrees 30 39 minutes north latitude This he was as finally pre prevailed pred ailed upon to But In the next neat congress It was t Ihen ken up again b by bv Henry Clay tad was pressed to adoption as ns the famous Missouri compromise In the meantime work was as going forward on the rebuilding of the Cupl tol and on December G Ii 1819 1St just four years ears and t two 0 days davs after the Fourteenth Four Fourteenth congress assembled In the thc Old Brick Capitol the Sixteenth congre congress s sas assembled as in m the new mal maible ble Capitol the first unit of the great structure which luch houses our gO government toda today The Old Buck Capitol wa was turned over overto overto overto to the Circuit court for tor its use use-an use appropriate predecessor of the tho new home of the eme court which Is Isto isto Isto to be bo built on Its site Later the Old Brick Capitol became a fashionable boarding house and served as a 1 t home for many notables during the next nest three decades In It John Jolin 0 Calhoun Colhoun statesman senator and Ice PresIdent Ili Ih ed for near nearl a t quarter of a century and he died In one of the rooms on the second floor In 1841 The Cull Civil war brought to the Old Brick Capitol Its second era of oC tame fame Commandeered by the War department tameI I for use as a house of detention It be became became carne came known as Old Capitol Pilson Prison and I held within its walls ills scores of so I called prisoners of state blockade runners foreign army officers cap captured while serving sering sen Ing In the Confederate capI I forces conscientious objectors Union deserters and Confederate spies Undoubtedly Un the most famous of all the these c cI I was as the bet itching woman spy forthe for forthe forthe the men In Belle gray gra Belle Loyd Bo d While Belle Bod Bo d was as incarcerated there after her first firt capture she was accustomed to give gl a concert In her room C CelY elY night for the benefit of other prisoners and this Ins began with the singing of oC Maryland My Maryland She was released In Ine e change for a Union general and cent South under a flag slag of truce But she was as soon at her lier wor work again was again captured and once more sent to Old C Capitol During this period the lie prison wis also the scene of one grim event e ent- ent the execution of or Maj Henry W keeper of the Confederate prison campit camp campit It Anderson Ga Tried fried by a mil military military Hary tribunal pre presided 0 over or er by Gen Lew Wallace allace W allace later famous as the au author author I thor of or lien Ben Ben Bur W was as cons com convict convicted let let- ed of conspiracy to undermine the of or Union prisoners and of vie violating I lating the lie rules of ch civilized warfare I and was as hanged on a gallows In the I prIson courtyard on sow O Oember ember 10 I After the war the Old Brick Capitol I as remodeled and com converted concerted Into three private dwellings d which were I occupIed by Associate Justice I lell of the Supreme court General Dunn and I Mrs Condit Smith In this period It was as the scene of one more e ot off I historic interest In one of or the draw drawIng I lag Ing rooms room Miss lIss Louisa Condit Smith became the wife Ife of ot Maj Gen Leonard soldier territorial a administrator I tor and candidate for the for tor the Presidency I In 1921 Mrs 0 II P Belmont bought bou ht the building and presented it to the tare rational Womans Woman's Woman oman party for its It l headquarter headquarters It became n a nI I gathering place for tor the feminists noti not i only of ot America but of or the time hole world orld and there was carried on the work ork for the tha freedom and equality or of I women ODlen Finally the government o In I seeking a n site for tor the new Supreme court selected this one lust I toted condemnation proc proceedings ln t ty o 0 cars ago and this ear the work ot of razIng it began otI I G by Wi n esters t w per Unload Union |
