Part 14 (1/2)

Next door to us lived Mrs Graharandmother and mother respectively of Commodore Richard G Davenport, USN Mrs Graha Monroe's administration, acted as Secretary of War

While he was serving in this capacity, his brother, John Graha as Secretary of State Mrs

Davenport was the hborhood as Tom, dick and Harry In the same block lived Mr

Jefferson Davis, as then in the Senate fro Mrs Davis say that it orth paying additional rent to live near Mrs Graham, as she had such an attractive personality and was such a kind and attentive neighbor A few doors the other side of us resided Captain and Mrs Henry C Wayne, the former of as in the Aria, a Justice of the Supreation Next door, at the corner of G and Eighteenth Streets, lived Edward Everett Mr and Mrs Robert D Wainwright lived on the next block in a house now occupied by General and Mrs A W Greely I attended the wedding of Miss Henrietta Wainwright, soon after we arrived in Washi+ngton, to Williaation She was the aunt of Rear-Ad Officer of the _Gloucester_, rendered such conspicuous service at the battle of Santiago Not far away, on the corner of Twenty-first and G Streets, lived Lieutenant Maxwell Woodhull of the Navy and his wife; and their children still reside in the same house On F Street, near Twenty-first Street, was the home of Colonel Williae Douglas Ratonians General Ramsay was very social in his tastes, and roo at the White House when John Adams, the son of John Quincy Adams, married his first cousin, Miss Mary hellen General and Mrs Ramsay lived on Twenty-first Street, not far from his sister, Mrs William Turnbull Mrs John Farley (Anna Pearson), a half-sister of Mrs Carlisle P Patterson, lived on F Street, near Twenty-first Street, and the latter's sister, Mrs Peter Augustus Jay (Josephine Pearson), began her matrimonial life on the northwest corner of F and Twenty-first Streets

Williahteenth and F Streets witnessed a continuous scene of hospitality Mrs Carroll was never happier than when entertaining She lived to an advanced age, and until aluests I have heard that she retained two sets of servants, one for the dayti many portraits of family ancestors arrayed in the antique dress of olden ti of Maryland and was a handsohters, whohospitality, were very popular young women

Violetta Lansdale, the oldest, inia family; Sally is the present Countess Esterhazy; Carrie married the late T Dix Bolles of the Navy; and Alida is the wife of the late John Marshall Brown of Portland, Maine The Carroll house is still standing and became the residence of the late Chief Justice Melville Fuller of the US Supreme Court I have always heard that the Carroll house, a substantial structure with large rooold, as US Marshal of the District of Coluer than any of his predecessors He occupied this position during the whole of President Monroe's administration, and I have heard it related in the Gouverneur fa from office, he asked his successor, John Quincy Adaold This request was granted and Mr Monroe made the sauration, and received the cordial response, ”Don't th of this interview, Ringgold naturally assumed he was safe for another term, but, to the surprise of many, he was succeeded two years later by Henry Ashton, who retained the office for about three years

”Old Hickory,” as everybody knows, had a mind of his own

It was often very pleasant in ton so these none wereof Troy My intioes back as far aswas a boarding pupil and in a class higher than mine when I was a day-scholar It was the habit of these sisters to spend their winters in Washi+ngton and their su their sojourn at the latter place that Frances becah a Virginian by birth, rendered such distinguished services during our Civil War as Commander of the Army of the cumberland Many years after General Thomas's death, hisbuilt a house on I Street, where she and Miss Kellogg presided during the re one of our many conversations, Mrs Thomas told me that when her husband was infor friends, in recognition of his conspicuous services during the Civil War, he at once declined the offer, saying that he had been sufficiently remunerated, and requested that the iven in charity A distinguished Union General, who had already accepted a house, remonstrated with him and said: ”Thomas, if you refuse to accept that house it will make it aard for us” General Thomas's characteristic response was: ”You may take as many houses as you please, but I shall accept none”

At this time the house 14 Lafayette Square, now Jackson Place, still standing but very much altered, ned and occupied by Purser and Mrs Francis B Stockton and the latter's sister, daughters of Captain Jaht of the Marine Corps and nieces of Commodore Stephen Decatur Purser Stockton once told me that he had purchased this home for seven thousand dollars The house prior to his ownershi+p had been the residence of a nu others the Southards and Monroes

After giving up our home in New York I made a visit of some weeks to my friends, the fa on St

John's Park in New York While there ere invited to an old-fashi+oned supper at the home of Mr Peter Goelet, a bachelor, on the corner of Nineteenth Street and Broadway, presided over by his sister, Mrs Hannah Greene Gerry Upon the lawn of this house Mr Goelet indulged his ornithological tastes by a remarkable display of various species of turkeys with their broods, together with peacocks and silver and golden pheasants As can be readily understood, this was a rereat city, and caused much admiration from passers-by

It has been said that at one tietown, and that the son, one of the ton, was very proud of the fact I have also heard it said, although I cannot vouch for the truth of the staten as one of his valued possessions Whether or not these allegations agree or conflict with the explicit state his father made by Williae The latter wrote concerning his father: ”Thomas Corcoran came to Baltimore in 1783, and entered into the service of his uncle, Willia with a salary of fifty pounds sterling a year He brought his faetown and coress Street,” etc, etc Be the facts as they may, a witticism of Williao in Washi+ngton Upon being asked upon one occasion whether he knew the elder Mr Corcoran, he replied: ”I have known him from first to _last_ and from _last_ to first” Mr Carroll for thirty-six years was Clerk of the Supreer B Taney paid him a well-earned tribute when he stated that he was ”an accomplished and faithful officer, pro the whole period of his judicial life discharged the duties of his office with justice to the public and the suitors, and to the entire satisfaction of every me, some of the clerical positions in the various departovernment were filled by members of families socially prominent Francis S Markoe and Robert S Chew, for example, were clerks in the State Department, and Archibald Campbell and James Madison Cutts held similar positions For overnularly appointed was Miss Jennie Douglas, and that she received her position through the instrumentality of Salmon P Chase, Secretary of the Treasury, at the request of General Francis E Spinner, Treasurer of the United States She was assigned to the duty of cutting and tri treasury-notes, a task that had hitherto been performed with shears by men General Spinner subsequently stated that her first day's work ”settled the matter in her and in women's favor” James Madison Cutts, at one time Second Comptroller of the Treasury under Buchanan, married Ellen Elisabeth O'Neill, ith her sister Rose, subsequently Mrs

Robert Greenhow, resided in the vicinity of Washi+ngton Both sisters possessed enerally called, was a nephew of ”Dolly” Madison, and his father, Richard Cutts, was once a Meress from New Hampshi+re

It is to the kindness of Mrs Madison Cutts that I owe the memory of a pleasant visit to Mrs Madison She took et the is Her surroundings were of a htly presence, even in extre picture uponwith her at her residence on the corner of H Street and Madison Place, now for a part of the Cosmos Club Todd Paine, her son, unfortunately did not prove to be a source of much satisfaction to her He survived his mother some years and eventually the valuable Madison manuscripts and relics becainia this interesting collection was brought to Washi+ngton, where, I am informed, some of it still remains as the cherished possession of the McGuire family Mr and Mrs Madison Cutts were devotees of society and consequently they and Mrs Madison round The afternoon of my memorable visit to this for quite a nu-room, as teer to ured so conspicuously in the social history of the country

I knew Madison Cutts's daughter, Rose Adele Cutts, or ”Addie” Cutts, as she was invariably called, when she first entered society Her reputation for beauty is well known I always associate her with japonicas, which she usually wore in her hair and of which her numerous bouquets were chiefly composed Her father frequently accompanied her to balls, and in the wee sht, as he became weary, I have often been amused at his su wolas, the ”Little Giant,” whom Lincoln defeated in the memorable presidential election of 1860 It is said that her arace the White House had much to do with the disruption of the Delas onward; and everyone knows that the division of the Delas and John C Breckenridge resulted in the election of Lincoln Solas's death, hismarried General Robert Williams, USA, by whom she had a number of children, one of whom is the wife of Lieutenant Commander John B Patton, USN

Mrs Madison Cutts's sister, Mrs Robert Greenhoas a woman of attractive appearance and unusual ability Her husband was a Virginian by birth and a man of decided literary tastes When I first knew her she was a , and but few romances can excel in interest one period of her career She was a social favorite and her house was the rendezvous of the prominent Southern politicians of the day This, of course, was before the Civil War, during a portion of which she made herself conspicuous as a Southern spy At the cole her zeal for the Southern cause became so conspicuous and offensive to the authorities in Washi+ngton that she was arrested and imprisoned in her own house on Sixteenth Street, near K Street Later she was confined in the ”Old Capitol Prison” General Andrew Porter, USA, whosestill resides in Washi+ngton and is one of my cherished friends, was Provost Marshal of the District of Colue during her imprisonment This duty was made so irksome to him that, upon one occasion, he exclain his position rather than to continue such an uncongenial task It has been stated that information conveyed by her to the Confederates precipitated the Battle of Bull Run, which was so disastrous to the Union Arovernerous a character to rely sent her, accohter Rose, within the Southern lines, fearing that even behind prison bars her ingenuitywith the enemy From the South she went to London, where she published, in 1863, a volume entitled, ”My Imprisonton,” to which I have already referred I have heard that this book had quite a circulation in Great Britain, but that an attempt was made to suppress it in the United States The last year of the war, Mrs Greenhoas returning to America with considerable money acquired by the sale of her book, which she carried with her in gold She took passage upon a blockade-runner which, after pursuit, succeeded in reaching the port of Wil froo on shore when she old tied around her neck held her down and she was drowned

Her reht to the town hall, where they laid in state prior to an ihout the South as a tonians who recall Mrs Greenhow's eventful career will associate with her, in a way, Mrs Philip Phillips, as also active in the Southern cause, and whose husband represented Alabaress He subsequently reuished advocate before the Supreme Court Mrs Phillips's enthusiastic friendshi+p for the South made serious trouble for herself and family The first year of the war, all of them were sent across the Union lines, and went to New Orleans, where General Benjamin F Butler was in coht before hi funeral of Captain George Coleman De Kay of New York, an officer in the Union Arhed, she replied: ”Because I was in a good hunation, Butler exclaimed: ”If such women as you and Mrs Greenhow are let loose, our lives are in jeopardy” Mrs Phillips's reply was: ”We of the South hire butchers to kill our swine” Another day a search wasthe Confederacy which she was thought to have When personally searched and coested that it was iet his hand inside a Southern woman's shoe General Butler finally ordered Mrs Phillips to be confined on an island near New Orleans, and placed over her a guard whose duty it was to watch her night and day I have often heard her give an account of her life under these trying circue ”shoe box”--whatever that meant--and that her meals were served to her three times a day upon a tin plate From what I have already said, it is apparent that she was an exceedingly witty woton, she was joined by a distinguished prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, and inquired whether he could lay aside his cloth long enough to listen to a conundru a favorable response, she asked: ”Why is His Holiness, the Pope, like a goose?” The reply was: ”Because he sticks to his Propaganda!”

I shall always recall with pleasure a dinner party I attended at the residence of Edward Everett As Mrs Everett was in very delicate health and seldom appeared in public, Mr Everett presided alone The invitations were for six o'clock, and dinner was served pro-room by Mr Philip Griffith, one of the Secretaries of the British Legation We had just finished our second course when, to the surprise of everyone, a tall and gaunt gentle-rooia, then a ress and subsequently Vice-President of the Southern Confederacy Mr Everett at once arose and shook hands with Mr

Stephens and with an imperturbable expression of countenance motioned the butler to provide another seat at the table For a uests were obliged towas speedily arranged and Mr Stephens began his dinner with the third course No explanation was offered at theour coffee in the drawing-rooed in conversation

A few days later, through Mr Colin M Ingersoll, a Representative in Congress from Connecticut, the cause of Mr Stephens' late appearance at the dinner was made clear to me It seeene de Sartiges, his next door neighbor, were giving dinner parties the saation was half-past six o'clock, while Mr Everett's was half an hour earlier Through the mistake of a stupid coaches's home and entered it under the impression that it was Mr Everett's residence He walked into the drawing-roouests were faes, however, surprised at the presence of an unbidden guest, anxiously inquired of Mr Ingersoll the na infor himself by Mr Stephens' side, an aniuests arrived and the Count de Sartiges became diverted, while Mr Stephens, still unconscious of his ersoll, who stood near, and in an irritated tone of voice said: ”Who is this Frenchersoll explained that the Frenches, and that Mr Everett was probably presiding over his own dinner in the adjoining house

My _vis a vis_ at Mr Everett's table was Miss Ann G Wight, a woomery County, Maryland, and as a child was placed in a convent She eventually became a nun and an inetohere she assumed the name of ”Sister Gertrude” She was an intellectual woman and was deeply beloved by her associates Without any apparent cause, however, she planned an escape froht the residence of her relative, General John P Van Ness, dropping her keys, as I have understood, in Rock Creek as she passed over the Georgetown bridge Mrs

Charles Worthington, a Catholic friend of aveexplanation of her conduct: There was an election for Mother Superior, and Miss Wight, deeply disappointed that she was not chosen to fill the position, was dissatisfied and when it became her turn to answer the front-door bell, suddenly deternized by one of the priests, who followed her to General Van Ness's residence, where he insisted upon seeing her

At first she refused tothe General that he must learn from her own lips whether her departure was voluntary, she consented to see him in the presence of her relative She admitted that she had in no way been influenced When I first ht she was more devoted to ”the pride, pomp and circumstance” of the world than ious lives She was still living at the residence of General Van Ness, and I have heard that she always re the Everett dinner my escort, Mr

Philip Griffith, remarked toto have an _auto da fe_?” I responded that I believed it to be a matter of record that _autos da fe_ were solely a courtly amusement

Mrs Sidney Brooks, formerly Miss fanny Dehon of Boston, was another of Mr Everett's guests She was a relative of our host, and it was her custoed visits to the Everett hoton was always hailed with delight She was a pronounced blonde, and her reputation as a brilliant conversationalist idely extended