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Show THE Thursday. September 2, 1937 BARBARA FRIETCHIE """" By ELMO SCOTT WATSON 'i1""1 A SEPTEMBER morning 75 years ago. Through the streets of the little city of Frederick, Md., NEPHI. UTAH TIMES-NEW- HEROINE PAGE SEVEN OR MYTH? mmmm,, .1, Mmmmi mm. mil By JEANNE GENERAL WAS SCHOOL TEACHER .. tmall incident life's trend, and leadi to prominence beyond all previous dreams. We all recall one or two unexpected happenings In our own lives which changed their whole course. John J. Pershing, who rose to be general of all the United States army, might have had an entirely different life had he not taken advantage of lucky opportunity. He was born In 1860 at Laclede, Mo. His father was boss ot a railroad farmer. John gang and. later, quit school when he was thirteen to work on the farm, digging fence holes, herding sheep, planting corn, all the usual jobs that are the lot ot farm boy. Ambitious to be a lawyer, he studied night after night In 1879, he got a job as teacher In Prairie Mount. Mo., and saved most ot the $40 per month he re- - SOMETIMES marched a column of soldiers wearing the gray 1 uniform of the armies of the Confederate States v. of America. Their commander was Gen. Thomas J. Jackson, since the Battle of Bull Run, renowned as "Stonewall" Jackson. In Frederick lived a woman named Barbara Frietchie, ninety-si- x -i years old. At the outbreak of the Civil war she . j had declared "The Union of the States will be maintained. God takes care of His people and He will take care of this country." She had frequently repeated that belief. In a 1 3 city of divided allegiances she had remained Intensely loyal to the Union and as proof of her loyalty she frequently dis' I T if-i x: played an American flag from the window of her home. These statements can bet accepted as facts, as matters i Maryland, My Maryland!" The . of historical record. But main body camped at Frederick when you go beyond them, Junction, three miles south of but a large portion of i you find yourself in a maze Frederick, the army, including the forces . of fiction and fact, of asser- commanded by "Stonewall" Jack tions and denials, of contra-.rfictioson, marched through the town and controversy. All and camped at Worman'a Mill, This has resulted from a poem two miles north. For three days Restored home of Barbara Frietchie in Frederick, Bid. Shown Confederates renamed in is her grandniece, Mrs. Julia II. Abbott. written by John Greenleaf the and around Frederick. Then early at the window with the flat Whittier which has taken its on the morning of September 10 no more, but passed on tn were in the column which halted They fired and she secured the flag in its army broke camp and began in front of her house and wit silence, where place, along with Henry the It remained unmolested place, move west, marching out on Wadsworth Longfellow's to occupa nessed her Among during the whole of the rebel West took which street Patrick or the elty. "Stonewau ' would not "Paul Revere's Ride" and them was Capt. Frank Myers, tion them to troubled. be her home of Dame permit past the Vl y If vi i- .7 "- -- . J "' jm They're Cinches to Sew WayBackWhen - Jin ifiilU on ns flag-wavin- g. mem T. mm 1 BARBARA FRIETCHIE Buchanan Read's "Sheridan's Ride," among America's favorite "patriotic recitations." How much truth is there in Whittier' s poem? Did the incident described in it actually take place as he has told it? If not, on what basis of fact does his poetic version rest? This article, based upon a varied collection of evidence and an evaluation of that evi dence, is an attempt to an swer those questions. Thomas Barbara. But "Stonewall" Jackson was not with his troops when they reached her home. He had left the line at West Second street and ridden up to the Presby terian parsonage where lived the Rev. Dr. Ross. Under the door of the parsonage an orderly supped this note: "Regret not being permitted to see Dr. and Mrs. Ross, but could not expect to have that pleasure at so unseasonable an hour. T.J. Jackson, September 10, 18625:15 a. m." As he rejoined the column, which had halted, a sudden ex citement broke out toward the rear. The word passed up along the line that an old lady was shak ing a Yankee flag right in their faces and defying them to take it away from her. Order was soon restored and at the command "Forward march!" the long gray column filed out of town. What Happened. It was not until some time later that Dame Barbara confessed to her niece, Caroline Ebert, what had happened. Her account of this incident was substantially as First of all, let it be recorded that Dame Barbara's name was Fritchie despite the fact that common usage has made "Friet chie" the accepted spelling. (It is occasionally spelled "Freit-chiealso). She was born in Lan caster, Pa., on December 3, 1766, the daughter of Niclaus and Cath erine Zeiler Hauer, who had em igrated from Germany to Penn sylvania in 1754. She was baptized on December 14, 1766, and given the name of Barbara for her sponsor, Barbara Gamber. Niclaus moved with his family (his wife, another daughter, Catherine, and a son, Jacob), to Frederick, Md., in 1767 or 1768 and there Barbara Hauer grew up. One of the great events ina her early life, according to tradition, was a visit by George Washington to Frederick in 1791. The first President spent the night at the tavern there and his dinner was served to him by the prettiest girls of the village, among them Barbara Hauer. According to the story, Washington was so impressed by her appearance and pleasant her lfftanners that he presented with a beautiful china bowl which 6he treasured as long as she lived. asserted that he was the officer who forbade the soldiers to who fire upon Three days after the Confed erates left Frederick, Union troops commanded by Gen. A. E. Burnside, the advance of army, entered the city. Dame Barbara's feat was common talk among the citizens and when Gen. Jesse Lee Reno heard about it he called on the old lady, who showed him two flags. One of them was the small silk flag which she had waved at the Con federates and the other was a large cotton banner which she had, on occasion, displayed from a window in the attic of her home. Her Flags Preserved. She gave General Reno the large cotton flag and, after he was killed at the Battle of South Mountain the next day, it was sent with his body to his home in Boston. Later members of the Reno family presented it to the Massachusetts commandery of the Loyal Legion of the United States and it is still on display in the headquarters of that or ganization in Boston. The little silk flag is now in the possession follows : of Miss Abbott who lives in the Early that morning some peo- reconstructed Barbara Frietchie ple had rushed up to her door and home in Frederick. told her to get out her flag be cause the soldiers were coming Those who have doubted the Hearing the tramp of marching Barbara Frietchie legend" have were men and believing that they asserted that "Stonewall" Jack Union soldiers, she took her little son did not pass her house and silk flag from between the leaves had no part in the of her Bible and stepped out on incident, which is true. the porch where she began to In the opinion of this writer wave the banner. the story as told by Dame Bar Immediately an officer rode up, bara to Catherine Ebert, pre saying "Granny, give me your served in Miss Abbott s booklet You can t nave it, re and substantiated by Confederate nag. plied Dame Barbara, then notic soldiers who were there at the ing the gray uniforms, she began time and by Union soldiers who waving it more energetically than heard of the incident three days ever. The officer spoke to his men after it happened, is more con and they turned facing her. For a vincing than the statement at moment she believed that they tributed to Valerius Ebert. How, were going to fire on her, but then, does it happen that there she continued to wave her flag has been and still is so mucn controversy over the "Barbara Frietchie legend"? That is due to the inaccuracies in Whittier's poem but he is not so much responsible for those errors as is Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth, a famous American novelist of those days. Her part in it came about in this manner: mi Catherine Ebert told the story of her aunt's heroic deed to her cous in, a Mr. Ramsberg, who was liv ing in Washington, D. C. He re-in turn told it to a newspaper porter and it subsequently appeared in a Washington newspa per. He also told the story to his neighbor, Mrs. Southworth, who was then living in oeorge-towD. C, and she wrote to tin: Whittier at his home in Ames-burMass., as follows: ninety-six-year-o- ld es J' n, y, "When Lee s army occupied Fred- erlck the only Union flag displayed In the city was held by Mrs. Barbara Fritchie. a widow lady of ninety-siyears." Such was the paragraph which went the rounds ol the wasmngton paSome time pers last September. who were in. Fred from friends I heard the whole the time, erick at story of a woman's story. It was the when heard, seemed heroism, which, .1 much to belong to you as aonbook the picked up with your autograph So here It is: feWi i Ir ately its accuracy was questioned and in reply to a friend who want ed to know if Barbara was a myth Whittier wrote: "I had a portrait of the good Lady Barbara from the saintly hand of Dorothea Dix, and a cane from Barbara s cottage sent me by Doctor Steiner of the Maryland senate. Wheth er she did all that my poem ascribed to her, or not, she was a brave, true woman. I followed the account given me in a private letter, and in the papers of the on. This is the story which is given in "A Sketch of Barbara Frietchie," a booklet written by Miss Eleanor D. Abbott, a great grand and it is niece substantiated by the later testi mony of Confederate soldiers who. of Dame-Barbar- a, three-quarte- not more venerable than your flag. ccived to study law at Kirksville Normal school. Then came the incident which changed his whole life. Jack Pershing saw an advertisement announc ing competitive examinations for West Point He had only two weeks he won the appoint to prepare,-bu- t ment. At West Point he won prom inence as president of his class and as first captain of the corps of ca dets. Possessing the characteristics of a perfect soldier, his assignments after graduation Into the army were marked with success. While a military instructor at the Univer sity of Nebraska, he resumed his low studies and took his degree. Since the army conducts Us own military courts, this gave Pershing an opportunity to combine his business love with his soldierly success When the World war broke out, he was made general of the U. S. army. parents despair about their children. Just because a youngster shows no aptitude for the job his parents may choose for him is no indication that failure awaits him. If John McCormack had followed the plans of his father he might have been a Catholic priest The famous tenor was born in Athlone, Ireland, in 1884, fourth of eleven children. His father worked in the woolen mills of the town and the family was very poor. John at tended the Catholic schools and was an excellent student winning a scholarship to college. There he studied for the priesthood. At an early age John McCor- mack's voice showed promise and t the age of nine he sang In a school entertainment Music was not one of the subjects ottered at 1 i -- I rs 4) Western Newspapet i Sew-Your-O- Temple Square 39-in- 35-m- mm Tiztrotite Keclpa of) the Week DREPARE apple sauce by your favorite method and then try this delicious summer recipe. Frozen Apple Pudding. cups unsweetened apple sauce. cup orange marmalade. $i cup cream, whipped 2 4 tablespoons sugar OGDEN, UTAH 850 Room. 350 Baths - $2.09 to 14.09 Family Booma for 4 persons . . St. 00 4 in the Century magazine denying that the poem had any foundation in fact and to this Whittier re- plied: "Barbara Frietchie was written in good faith. The story was no invention of mine. It came to me from sources which I re garded as entirely reliable. I had no reason to doubt its accuracy then, and I am still constrained to believe that it had foundation in fact. If I thought otherwise, should not hesitate to express it. an Mrs. Southworth then gave I have no pride of authorship to account of the entrance of Lee's interfere with my allegiance to and their Frederick into army truth." cool reception, quoting the official Barbara Frietchie was stricken record that "the town wore a She con- with pneumonia soon after the churchyard aspect." celebration of her ninety-sixt- h tinued: and died two weeks later. But Mrs. Barbara Fritchie, taking birthday 1862. If, as the one of the Union flags, went up to the on December 18, nt th house, ooened a garret win familiar song has it, "John tn Th rebel army Brown's dow, and held It forth. body lies marched up the street, saw the flag; his soul goes the order was given, "Haiti Fire!" and in his grave, but on" then it is equally a volley was discharged at the window marching The flag true that "Barbara Frietchie's from which it was displayed. staff was partly broken, so that the in her body lies Raff droooed: the old lady drew it in. broke off the fragment, and. taking the grave" in Mount Olivet cemetery to still attached it the flag with tump in Frederick. But the controversy In ber hand, stretched herself as far out of the window as she could, held over her deed, as reported in h si.it and Strloes it arm's length. Whittier's poem, goes merrily on cried out of a waving over the rebels, and even after In a voice of maignauon ann ,orrow: "Fire at this old head, then, boys; It is century. Union young ladyl And when it does material. Send your order to The Sewing there will be a hum in your life (and we don't mean head noises). Circle Pattern Dept., 149 New Right now is the time to begin; Montgomery Ave., San Francisco, right here is the place to get your Calif. Patterns 15 cents (in coins) inspiration. So all together, girls: each. ' e Bell Syndicate. WNU Service. it's sew, sew, 1. Inspiration Number The vivacious model at the left Is the number 1 piece for your new autumn advance. It calls for BLACK LEAF 40 taffeta, embellished, as you might Keens Dogs Away from expect, with grosgrain. You may Evergreens, Shrubs etc use vivid colors too, Milady, for ""thm lttTaasooonM Fashion has gone color mad this par CalHHi at Spray. fall. Reds of every hue, bright blues, lavender, warm browns, all are being featured in smart ave nue shops along the Rue de la SALT LAKE'S NEWEST HOSTELRY Paix. Morning Frock. Our lobby la delightfully air For most of us, each day. decooled daring the summer months mands that a little work be done. Radio for Evory Room appreciates this 200 Rooms 2O0 Batha and the need for frocks that are practical, pretty, and easy to keep that way, hence the new utility frock in the center. Five pieces are its sum and total; seven morn ings a week its cycle. Any tub- well fabric will do nicely as the material try one version in printed rayon. Tailored Charm. HOTEL The waistcoat used to be a gentleman's identification, but, alas, like many another smart idea, womankind has copped it. Here Rates $1.5Q to S3.0Q you see an attractive example of The Hotel Temple Stur hum m this modern contraband. Not only tmot-p- h friendly highly desirables ere. You will alwaTsfinditlmmae-ulat- e, does it have suavity, but it is en com fortable, and supremely tirely femmine, as well. The exthoroughly agreeable. You can there forts understand why thla hotel iai quisite waist line, sweet little col HIGHLY RECOMMENDED lar, and puff sleeves, make this You can also appreciate why t a number you can't afford to pass of distinction to atop If aatmark this beautiful hostelry up. The Patterns. ERNEST C ROSSITER, Mgr. Pattern 1363 is designed for sizes 12 to 20 (30 to 40 bust). Size 14 requires 37s yards of HOTEL BEN LOMOND material, plus 18 yards of ribbon for trimming, as pictured. Pattern 1354 is designed for sizes 34 to 46. Size 36 requires 4 material. yards of Pattern 1252 is designed for n! time." Later an article was published after-ward- please," and a moment later gave the order for the troops to march 39-in- ch SOMETIMES a x Then the officer rode on a short distance and returned with an other officer. This officer said to her "Give me your flag, Granny, and I'll stick it in my horse's head." "No, you can't have it," replied Dame Barbara, where upon one of the soldiers shouted "Shoot her damned head off! The officer turned angrily upon him. saying "If you harm a hair of her head, I'll shoot you down like a dog!" Then, turning to the old lady, he said "Go on, Granny, wave your flag as much as you the sewing bug will get sizes 12 to 20 (30 to 38 bust). Size YES, you, if you don't watch out. 14 requires 31s yards ot FAMED TENOR MIGHT HAVE BEEN A CLERK flag-wavi- An Old Maid. Despite Barbara Hauer's beauty, however, she does not seem to have been much sought after by the young men of Frederick. At any rate, in an era of early marriages, she postponed hers until she was an "old maid" of forty. On May 6, 1806, she was married to John Casper Fritchie, who was the proprietor of a glove factory and, incidentally, 14 years younger than his bride. Shortly before the Civil war, when Dame Barbara was past ninety years of age, her cousin, Miss Harriet Yoner, was installed in her home as a companion, prob- bly by her nieces, Mrs. Kitty anshew and Miss Caroline As previously related, Ebert. Dame Barbara was intensely loyal to the Union. Lee' Iavasion. On September S Lee's army crossed the Potomac, singing her. Garbled Versions. From this it will be observed that Mrs. Southworth had re ceived from "friends who were in Frederick at the time" a garbled version of what had actually taken place or perhaps had reported it inaccurately herself in writing to Whittier. She has Barbara climbing "up to the top of the house" (something of a feat in itself for a woman!), whereas the testimony is that the old of woman stood on her front porch. She has the Confederates firing at the flag, whereas their testi mony is that not a shot was fired Then Whittier, either relying on the Southworth version of the yarn or adding some imaginary details of his own, transforms Barbara's "Fire at this old head then, bovs: it is not more vener able than your flag" into "Shoot," if you must, this old gray head but spare your country s flag. Whittier's poem appeared in the October. 1862. issue of the At lantic Monthly. Almost immedi- Combine apple sauce, sugar and college, and so John had no opportunity to receive training for his voice. It did not occur to him at that time that singing would be his profession. However, he did decide against becoming a priest, which must have been a hard blow for his father. But the man did not lack understanding and he encouraged the boy in his desire to become a civil service clerk. When John failed in the entrance examinations at the school where he would receive his training, and when given a second chance forgot the appointment, his father must have truly despaired. Then it began to dawn on John McCormack that singing was his true vocation. He had loved to sing all his life. He went to Dublin and got a Job in the Marlborough Street cathedral choir at $125 a year. He began to gain more and more recognition, sang for recordings cf the Edison and Gramaphone companies, and eventually became a star of opera. Today he Is known the world over for his golden tenor. WNU Service. marmalade. If apple sauce has already been sweetened, omit sugar. Fold in whipped cream. Turn into freezing tray of automatic refrigerator and freeze without stirring until firm (about 2 hours), using low cold control for freezing. Yield: Vz pints or 6 servings. Air Cooled Loans mni Lobby Grill Room . . Coffee shop . . Tap Room noma of Rotary Klwanli Exchange ot . 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