| Show WASHINGTON LETTER A Sunday Ramblo Arnong tlo Graves at Arlington Proont Appoarar > of the Homo Which Qonoral Robert E Leo Left to Cast His Fortunes With tho Confederacy How th ° Splendid Estate of a Thousand Acres WaD Bought by tho QovornrnOTt for 6580c Taxes 0cvrrespondewes I I f the New EP D C Dec 14 ian ashington n lent Improved the last cOI npomlent pleasant lour Sunday bY a wheeling rrptorae to pleR National l Cemetery on purpose 10 oar ot the New hOW 1t sett the n odors ttoe season of falling feane a k In tent 11000 ° and the fine estate of Arlington tho home thousand acre which was General George ashlngton of 1 from 1802 to the time ot ted son doP hill athIle on the Virginia d bust four miles from the Capitol dome reach It ou pose the rron 5105 To you through II quaint old Georgetownlis i down mansions built a century tumbledone tumble Its narroW teto nnd oil old enat i and the dilapidated warehouses port Ita great resolr of a bygone sad Lraml new powerhouse ot the ctrl rallwfY I and smettmarket I i In doublo sense Its t ancient I Catho herslll and community of priests lied nun and professors Its proud First Fnmlllcs and tho historic cemetery where many more of the F I B may be found Its swarms of darkeys and mongrel curs Its imMns franl squalor ana happy go lucky poverty Ul this is I Georgetown and I great deal more which can better be felt and emellellthn described The you cross the Ions wooden bridge on top of the canal acqueduct abide Pans tIgll Potomac where iIJ r rJ h ae quiet today ne during those weary months when McClelland foroe Iny long the placid river and then you are out of I > C and In THE Our AT STATL OF VIRGINIA Ie Inning with Rosslyn the little ham M at the farther end at tho bridge Pert you specll along l1n unfenced rod which Is IU I full of holes und lullles as only 0 Virginia road can be lire r s acre oil on end side lIB red u brick dust i en-d apparently Incapable of grow tag a wecd i past several negro settlements from the 0100 ° ot whose antles black faces < grin and yellow togs Iii out to np at your helD mile or co to the northe most entrance en-trance of the cemetery grounds Arlington House Is situated at tin highst point oC the ridge which over looks Washington BO that a straight line drawn from Its doorstep to the Capitol building woull bo bout on 11 Itul 1 1 wltll the plumed helmet of the Goddess of Liberty atop the dome 337 fed above low tide In tho river The < thole istotc of 1000 acres which Lea along the highway betweei Georgetown and Alexandria Is enclosed en-closed with a substantial wall of red freestone but only about 200 acres ot 14 Immediately surrounding the mansion lion arouse d for cemetery purposes There are three Imp ulng gateways In lbe wail and over the arch oC the pdncipnl > one Is cnRorlbll these words here rest 15585 01 the 315558 clll teot oho died In defense ot our country coun-try from 1SG1 to 1865 Lnterlng the gate nearest George toot you are nt once In the midst ot countless graves foot high marble headstones undulating uphill and dean tar as the eye can reach To the right and left ot the winding road fiteids the silent bivouac of the dead and Imagination Involuntarily conjures up the scene when Gabriel Won his trumpet In the morning and till Grand Army of our Republic Bet up In answer to the summons Each hltc stone tells Hi own brief but Wthetlo story They are Cmlllar tames which In most Instanccs peak of their Anglo Saxon origin on the farms and In the village workshops hops ot the North as for Instance here is I lImy HOblnon from the IIInnot volunteers besides George Long of lire Maine caalry with Charles Ulndo from an Ohio villogo t wi one bide and Jame r gtt from I Pnnslvla On the other There lire fw lorelg names to be seen but strange to ao3 those ot women nlleOr on many of the slabs Why thc > are here ills I impossible to understand To be sure there were Bell Bods std female spies In the wnrhut all these eoulll not hate been ot that dcrlpllon Perhaps they avers nurses In the h8pltrls around Washington where they riled ot dlsenses contracted from thr slrk and wounded soldlr or mb ° they were daughters ot the regiment and a few mny have been those ltango characters who h1 the habIlRmnl ot their eon < lamed the aarrlorn garb and matehod Amzon like to t their grnvee In either case the i spirit of heroism was within them and they deserve to slumber with the Grand Arm The colored trooo two or three thousand l of them nre en cmnpel ly themselves In one corner and like there white romplnlons tens the majority went to glory from Mrclnli battlefields and Washington hospitals At length wearied of Interminable h l t w rl1 iraastoiea you turn to lire left by tome leit trewn pathway under the and down oak worlc Boulh ttrd up Mdown jhe gentle hulls I cross twn or item little rrecksalwoye with graves 05 either hand till suddenly an open ken the 11 pri discloses AlLIf > aTON HOUSr Jt he ul 1 1 looking cn much as It tlt1IIy t In I Its halcyon das beto the v ah as they my In Irslnla l from Walhlnlton lice mansion niw rear tt000cehlte md lire surround wt iff green but a nearer Other uiuiIt t is he jell w It lulit In the was li frrnnli r nIg j fed in ptjje detlgnatcl from draw ttge of tiro temple of oestum near fJ Ufhn Siaples 1r f m ll I The central portion i > f lire Odrfce h I eh6010 square with two t 1 tinTs each 40 feet square giving n mntaw or 140 feet This Is I faced bs e pal tb I o II fret deep l nlth eight mug I Oh I lg tt silo nt Doric rMumn 6 feet high taplOrttng toot its Pediment TJ1 figure y ro den of Oho 011gnItY I and togjntife pretensions o th0 Pince bor Igrrt of the clr of snug comfort and tenewos good cheer which yet lingers eIJhh Ng around the dlsmontlcd hence ll > tho boas m1 Ihe I general Impression that this I the 005 owned bs Robert 13 lee nt iVt1 ot the late unpleasnatness of tote that It was confiscated on account ht nr rtl fl lartlelpmcy In floe nel elllon la rclstal n one General 1 ce never 1 5sed so rearloots I brick In Its walls r hobo + d to his wife who was a CaeUn Vlft 001 Inherltcl It from George thln ton rarle Custus the adept ton of our first Iiesblent And d Only aillii in lerost In lh0 t which I at her deuth wouhl have J vtrted lrtteo to Gen Castle Lee the next dstvndnnt In line The Lee romlly uaed if I till lm nllen Obey went kvOb CwLto last their fortunes thW theM Colfedrrac the-M i In lire foil toot ng jenr It tr lien tak fns the military head Barters ri i McDowell u of floe v P army M I4I I ccuplfd by the re lernl forpen acid ir n wh It ns sold ly the gov to I meat under the direct tax act torT tor-T sum of E65 over due truce teflbe money wn tendered again and fated Y cg eral Lees frlen Is but 1 was e Iti I lri rhea hoso wets troubi o il Umee tad inluetlco J ran clot on booth sides Ibs frm eh Lnrbarttlos we arc now con hmtiog In Cuba were root wholly l un s 500 In our mcro nllghtene lend I tor example l the execution of Mrs Oral I for the crime I of kecplns I a joanllng house < After the war Airs Lea brought tall against the government govern-ment for the recovery ot the properly or the value bi It DS i the government had nlrallY turned It Into n burl1 ground which ot course ruined It so tr nn the ramllY wns eoneerneel Irlnolly TUG SUl RLML COURT Dl CIDU TON CAS1 In favor ot the Ie heirs whereupon a bill was Introduced In the Sent tby Senator Ldmunds of Vermont to pay Mri Lee the sum of I2HOOOO for the Property Thc bill was passed and 1 the money was turned over to General Culls Lee bloc heir at law tinder the will of his grandfathel as recorded In I the lalrfnx county court house all but TOClOO vvhlili was retained by the government until the state ot Vir glnla bal hen I pall all taxes due At will Ie 1 seen there was sonlo InJustlcu veil In this specially litter the direct lax law had been repealed making tho rlghteul ownel i of the place pay for It during the time II wa forcibly held by other parUs The notional cemetery tons tormally ostubllVheTt the government In1861 upon 200 acres ot the land besides the 1I0Y In Iliac a few hundI who wore thc Gray are alsO burled here and back ot the man Ion Is a much oilier family graveyard grave-yard enclosel within a cocoon lb In the latter lice Jlary Itai lo ph one ot the proud Hand ilphl of the Hoanocke valley and mother it hits Robert L I te Near the beginning I of the century cen-tury sbe corn up front filehmond 10 Ihe with her daughter Colon I 1 irke Cuitls wit who tone then too mls trees at Arlington nod there she found a final resting place the first occupan of the family burial ground Belde her lie Colonel nrke cuU and loo nor his lovely wife who was once the gayest belle of all the surroundlng region Close by this tiny godsDcre i 10 anoh Ject of great Interest to the country at Iarge the great granite larcophgu under which no mny mother born sleep In one grave four cannon are mounted on top with n prumlll ot alls I between and the polished Cc ot the monument bears this Inscrlptloni I1eneath thus stone repose town hone ot 2111 t-own sol Hers gathered after af-ter the war from the Held of Dull Hun and the route to the Hnpphnnocl Their bodies could not be Idcntliled 1 but their names and deaths orone corded In the archives of their country and Its grateful citizens honor them 00 Its noble army of martyr May they rest In Ieaee In the rear ot this Is the amphlthe 11ler tahero ever year the service ot emorlal I Day are performed It Is covered with 11 large circular arbor over which a variety oC grope cIarn and flower Ong creepers furnish dense shade In their season All about err lag staffs and 1 eautlfully kept flowerbeds flower-beds and benches scattered upon green Inwn and lathvvavs leading to shady nooks beneath grand old treeSl1 very paradise for a summer day a loitering The Interior of Arlington house 51111 tours somo resemblance to the time then > Its great room t were famous for elegant hospitality and the flrnt society so-cIety of the Infant republic ate drank danced and made merry within them From the day ot Its building the proud olll mansion always shellered some oC tho noulest men and most bellutltul women of mcrlca and no other of the elcral historic houses of the country line so plainly retained the savor ot greatness Montlcello nourished l only while Jefferson lived The lIrltage tell Into ohscur hands coon after Jckson died Ashland Sunnyslde Murshileld shared the tame Ignoble fat J Ptaunt Vernon had no succesaIon of tam the illustrious Washington ot long ago coot enough I1eneath the cornices ot Arlington parlors my yet be seen the hooks that once held the lebrated pictures which George Washington adopted on brought from It Vernon Include Ing several original nrtralts of Oho Wfthltl r g lt Father of Ills Country dating Roar 1772 to 179G Thre Ivan also tbe equestrian statue by Trumbull the William crayon from actual slltings three orlglnnl by Stuart the but a mntr plce from which so man copies have been made the full length portroll made by order from < the marquis ot inidoune and nnother painted ex prely for Martha Washington the widow Thero wet many mlscellne ous pictin too some of thm ot great vllle which had been prente1 to Washington by I eminent people atone at-one time or another and the quaint high postell bedstead upon which hr died lheso are nil gone now with the cttered remnant ot his deeenll ont ont only 11 shadow ot departed glory mantles the edifice Ilchlnl the house rant tho wellworn path beneath the oaks which Robe D Lee paced all night long so It Is ald while MUClKo UP HIS MINI > I which way duty lay whether to est his fortunes with his kindred of the South or to remain loyal to the government gov-ernment to which he owl his educll I tlon na 11 soldier 110 ws n IImyertol I 1 uiTlBhtinwi who dnultleet noted upon i up-on his honest convlcttoni of right un lased I by Interest U 1 any late he niched from that niggard rime on Immortal tame though be died In I loveits pelf exiled from bole one beautiful horn 1 Ills descendant mourn for thlr beloved Arllnlton and like I Uachel mourning for her children I refuse to be comforted but It Is to be I I 1 hoped 1 that when they come here to visit the groves ot Sheer ancestors Ind Ito I I ewall 1 the grn deur which coon I once theirs they will also remember I the more than 15000 homs nnll the many times 15000 hearts mad dew late by the ileath of the men who now occupy the estate I Genernl Robert r Leoe irldeet eon Gto 1Jtbee r nrla1 loot present one of the ulstnnlli tormers 01 Fairfax county Vn The I other flay I rind nn Item In 0 local paper which spol < 01 him lIS hnlng jut posed our omcp setllnu behind a line stair ot mules which nrnsorl 10 know loot a manter hand hell the rib bon Mrs Smith i I ee mother ot i Gneral Ittzhullh Leo and olterln law of lloietl II 01011 Sloe I It Cole Irrrn i Sloe 011 hcmestcad near Alrxen l I drill She 10 ns proud and exelulw D I 1 grand dom of the old glne us one mny find In n weeks Journeycn 111 I IrKlnla Hefore tho war ton which I unhappj epoeli date tho winter or thelt dloronlent Cor nil Sheer people ohe was a famllHr J1Imre In Wnhlng ton society os poor ot Its mot consplcu I sue leRcler tf lute year oho loon llvel In strict retirement Scooted to floe memorle of better day Another memhr ot the family Char ben II lee I Is a Wqphlnglon attorney find one ot the local Mnner or nn aflrulurRI Insuronce emnpDny ut WDtertown N Y I InlerUn qs AllInton Flowe 1 snob l crowlo1 with hltorlo rmlnls I emcee tho Mew from Its portlo corn i mnndo l loaner and morn plen1 Dttn I lion i On the SundAY of my xlslt with the trees nhowerlnB their nutumn trlh ute ot rebel son nod Inlll upon Ihe RTav beorn nml etb seemed In have cononlr1 to add 1 1 rhlfnmto lhw tlomnln 01 the lend ink and paper rnnnot elo falntfFt Juollro to the scene Directly In front the great green Continued on page thirteen WASHINGTON IMEli Continued from page I eleven = = Z = = lawn ret with hamlinme nlirul bors Slopes to the nil turnpike ever which our nrmlc mirchcl to balllc far le low tM historic Potomac stretches like a silver ribbon on Its other shore the 0 Ity of Washington spreads out Ilko u panorama i nil Its magnificent public buildings In full army the Washington monument plerclntf the Hut with heaven i Inilntr finger and the bronze Gollfsn of Liberty keeping I guard over all from her perch on the Capitol dome On the north lion < the beautiful Sol ill e rot Home on the noulh the Bloomy red brick towers nl that nl vdeoOf tragedy St rilznlelhs Inspno Asylum Near b > splltllm tho lordly river In tWllln In I Analoatln Wan l Mill cum hrr1 with Its oulnt Uev ilutlonnry form houe and ollthnlhllnga nod hp yona aU novena the Ba I torn Branch are i the lluo hills of llarjland my Marylnn In the National Cemetery only entity and silence reign There Is I n hush I In the nlr and o In ah In the heart as you etraeo l Your steps between I cot ninns of Immortal dead 1 when the short afternoon draws time Its c1nae leaving the Iraneell ponulalcd 11 ico to Ve guarded In the coming darkness hy IInen sentinels from root Beyond Sleep nh Heepl The Shepherd loveth Ills sheep Vast Bpceelclh the night Away i liMn cometh the glorious day Sleep Weary on 0 while > e may Steel oh start TANMH nlUGIIAM WAnD |
