After lunch we drove into the city and spent about three hours traversing the principal streets and viewing many places and buildings of historical fame. One of the most interesting of these is the state capitol, a two story plain brick building. It was designed by Thomas Jefferson, and remained unchanged until 1900 when wings were added. In front there is a flight of stone steps to a porch supported by colonial columns, which partially relieved the extreme plainness of the structure. The construction of the building was begun in 1785 and in addition being the capital of the state of Virginia, from July 20, 1861 to April 3, 1865 it was the capital of the Confederacy. We should have been glad to view the interior of their ancient structure but as it was Sunday when we were in Richmond, the building was closed and we could not have the pleasure of entering it. Another historically famous building which we saw was old St. John’s Church, near which was an ancient grave yard in which are many time etched grave stones upon which are quaint epitaphs that have been washed almost to obliteration by rains and snows of near two centuries. We did not enter the church but we learn from history in this old church occurred one of the most enthralling scenes in American history, in March, 1775, just a short time before the Revolutionary war began.

In this church in the presence of Washington, Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee and others, Patrick Henry at the age of 39, sounded liberty’s call to action in words that fell like bell strokes throughout the colonies. Though shrouded in the mists of receding years, as this scene is, its echoes still come thundering down to the present. Not for that hour alone did this Evangel of Liberty speak, but for all peoples of all time when he delivered his memorable and wonderfully patriotic address in which he said, "Give me liberty or give me death." This church is a plain weather beaten and very old building with a very tall spire, and is one of the oldest church edifices in the state of Virginia.

Another interesting place we visited was one of the parks of the city, the name of which I do not remember. It had a very lofty elevation almost, if not quite the highest point of Richmond. It was at the top of the hill below which, quite a distance, we saw the James River. On the other side of the river tram the park was a considerable town, the name of which for years I do not recall but which eventually became a part of the state capital. In this park was a large oval-topped stone with an inscription an it which said: "This stone came from the seat of Powhatan." This was the great Indian Chief of the time of John Smith, whose tribe inhabited the region near Jamestown and whose daughter Pocahantas saved the life of John Smith, and who later married John Rolfe. We saw many other interesting places, and many beautiful residences and large mercantile buildings. Many of the streets are wide and well paved, but in the older part of the city, the streets are narrow, and, if paved, it is with much worn bricks and stone.

After extending our stay as long as our limited time would permit, we returned home by the same route we had gone to Richmond. We liked the city very well. While not so beautiful as Washington, it has many picturesque and pleasing sights, and is one of the nicest cities we have seen in any of our tours over the country surrounding the nations capital. In returning we noticed in passing through Fredericksburg the grave of Betty Washington Lewis, the sister of George Washington and whose husband Colonel Fielding Lewis made the first guns used in the Revolutionary War. Near Fredericksburg one of the great battles of the Civil War was fought, but we did not have time to visit the battlefield. On our route, not very far from Richmond, we passed near the town of Ashland, near which Henry Clay, one of the great statesmen of Kentucky, was born. This was our little granddaughter Josephine Pitts’ first long automobile trip. She had been with us on several short rides near Washington, but this all day trip was a new experience for her. We arrived home late in the afternoon, tired but well-pleased with our trip.

About the middle of August, 1927, Carroll and Irene, Mary and I started early Sunday morning to go to Bay Shore on Chesapeake Bay a few miles east of Baltimore. We went by Baltimore and as we were passing through the city we stopped at the Home of the Friendless, where sister Laura White had been employed since the preceding April and she accompanied us the remainder of our journey to Bay Shore which we learned is seven miles from Baltimore. It was an exceedingly hot day and when we arrived at our destination the heat had become intense we discovered as soon as we stopped. Bay Shore is a pleasure resort and about the nearest point on the Chesapeake to Baltimore. There is an electric car line from the city to the bay, and many persons from Baltimore and other sections of the country came to the shore on the cars and by automobile transportation. There is no town, but there are a few houses, where refreshments are kept and cafes at which meals may be obtained. Near these buildings on the shore of the bay there is a boardwalk extending as much as a quarter of a mile along the shore of the bay, and along this walk there were seats for the accommodation of those who wish to rest. There were quite a number bathing in the bay, some of them out a considerable distance from the shore, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves fine. After viewing the bay, which seemed to extend to the limit of one's vision, and looked like I imagine that the sea or ocean does, we found a shady place under some large trees near the restaurant and other buildings and ate our lunch. There were quite a number of other visitors to the resort who were engaged in the same occupation. While we were eating, an electric car would come along near our improvised dinner table. These cars seemed to arrive and depart quite frequently, with passengers coming from and returning to Baltimore

After lunch we went back to the boardwalk and I got a seat and watched the various activities on the bay and on shore, while my companions joined the procession on the boardwalk. After I had sat there some time, Mary came back and I accompanied her in a stroll to the end of the boardwalk and back. Although it was a hot day, there was a good breeze coming off the bay which modified the intensity of the heat materially. After we had enjoyed ourselves on the bay shore until the lateness of the afternoon admonished us that the hour of our departure was at hand, we made the necessary preparations and were soon enroute home. By the time we reached Baltimore it was after dark and the electric lights were on. Leaving sister Laura White at "The Home" we pursued our journey via Laurel and other villages, arriving at our home about 10 o’clock P. M.

In the year 1927 some time during the summer, Mrs. Charlas Gage, who with her husband had been residing in Washington for some time, visited us. She was, before her marriage, Miss Belle Brown; a daughter of Mr. Matthew Brown of Hickory County, Missouri, whom I knew very well during the years they lived in Hickory County. When Mrs. Gage was a young girl living with her parents in the Washburn School District near Elkton, my wife taught school in that district and Miss Belle Brown was one of her pupils. We were pleased to see Mrs. Gage and talk over old times in Hickory County, Missouri.

Later Mr. and Mrs. Gage paid us a visit. This was the first time we had ever seen Mr. Gage and we were glad to form his acquaintance. He was a very genial, intelligent gentleman, and well-informed on many subjects. He was an inventor of considerable prominence and resided in Washington to look after his extensive patent business. He was a very entertaining conversationalist, had traveled all over the United States and many parts of the Old World and had a wonderful fund of information relative to the countries he and his wife, who was always with him on his tours, had visited. We enjoyed their visit very much. Later we heard of the sudden death of Mr. Gage and regretted to know of the passing of this talented man. He was a highly respected gentleman, a member of the Jewish Church and of the Masonic Order, and a publicist of more than ordinary ability.

Late in the fall of 1927, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Donohoe, Carroll, Mary and I made an afternoon trip in the section of parts of Montgomery and Prince Georges counties, Maryland, north of Washington, visiting several small villages, and also quite a good sized town about ten miles from Baltimore, known as Ellicot City. It is in a very rough, rocky locality and much of the main street is on ledges of solid rock, and close to the side of the street are large masses of stone. Near the town is a creek on which there is an old mill, which has been there for many years, and is still in operation, one of the few water mills that are still grinding the grain of the farmers of the surrounding county. This town was named in honor of an engineer of splendid ability who was an assistant to the famous civil engineer L’Enfant, who originated the unique plan of the streets and avenues of the city of Washington, D. C. Ellicott City is a very old town, having been founded soon after the Revolutionary War. Most of the houses look very weather beaten, and there are very few which appear to have been built in recent years. There is only one principal street in the town, which extends in a tortuous direction for a mile or more and, as far as I remember, most of it is unpaved and there are few sidewalks. But as the city is built on a stone foundation, paved streets and sidewalks are unnecessary. It is a peculiar looking city.

In the fall and winter of 1925, until after the holidays passed without any of family having any sickness except ordinary colds and minor ailments of the children, we all enjoyed the yuletide festivities and in addition to our own family who were all at home on Christmas, Miss Christine Riley visited us on that day and we had a good Christmas dinner, we were all the recipients of numerous presents from friends and reatives and were glad we were all in fairly good health and able to enjoy ourselves reasonably well.

Then soon after the New Year, 1926 was ushered in an epidemic of influenza spread over Washington and a good many of its residents became afflicted with the disease. But fortunately none of our family had any illness except mild cases of Ia grippe, except my wife. She contracted a very severe cold soon after Christmas and about the middle of January she became very seriously ill one night soon after she retired. We immediately summoned Dr. John F. Walsh and after he came and carefully examined her, he told us that in addition to a bad attack of la grippe she had a heart affliction and was greatly prostrated. He gave her treatment, and gave her case close attention every day for a week or more. She was very ill for almost a month and required constant attention day and night. But after the lapse at ten days the heart trouble began to gradually improve and in the course of a month that complication of her ailment was practically eliminated but she was exceedingly weak, and almost devoid of appetite. During the worst stage of her illness she suffered excruciating pains in her limbs, back and shoulders, and could hardly bear to be turned in bed. Her feet and ankles became badly swollen and so very painful we feared she would never be able to walk again, even with help. A year or so before this illness she had a fall and hurt one of her hips pretty badly. Up to that time, she had been able to walk around the room and to go to the bathroom, sometimes by herself. She had been in this improved condition for probably a year or more before she fell and hurt herself. After that she had to have assistance to walk. Then after her serious illness began to abate, in the course of three or four months she could sit up some, and finally got so she could walk slowly and painfully, a little every day, but she had very little use of her lower limbs and poor use of her hands and arms. After something like a year, the painful condition of her affliction measurably subsided and her appetite got better and she began to gain in flesh. She never did regain the use of herself so that she could turn herself in bed or walk as well as before her illness, but has gained very much in general health.

During the fall and early winter of 1927, we all had fairly good health except my wife who was still weak from the effects of her long illness though for several months she had been very slowly improving. At Christmas we had a Christmas tree for the children, Bethel was too small to pay much attention to the tree but it was a wonderful sight to John and he viewed it with great delight. There were many presents for the children such as miniature automobiles, various toys and dolls. As usual we received presents from near and distant relatives and friends.

With the advent of mild spring weather, we made frequent weekend and Sunday trips by auto to points adjacent to Washington. Most of these were to places we had more or less frequently visited before. I think one of them was to the old Pohick Church in Virginia and another to Rockville and other small towns in Montgomery County, Maryland, and a time or two went to Balling and Hoover fields to view airplane flights.

The health of the family continued about as usual until about the beginning of summer when on the second day of June, 1928, our son-in-law, Carroll Donohoe, had an acute and very sudden attack of appendicitis. About a year previous to this attack he had what seemed like rheumatism of the back or lumbago, and the doctor who treated him said there were some symptoms of appendicitis then. But the ailment yielded to treatment and he seemed to have entirely regained his health. As far as I remember there were no premonitory warnings of the attack of appendicitis but it came suddenly. He had been to work during the day, and cane home late in the afternoon, feeling very bad, could eat but very little dinner, complained of pain in the abdomen and went to his room and lay dawn. But the pain became more intense and a physician was summoned who pronounced the trouble to be acute appendicitis, and recommended an immediate operation. Having been notified of their son’s serious condition his father and mother arrived about the time of the doctor‘s visit, and his father took him in his car to Providence Hospital, Washington. He was also accompanied to the hospital by his wife and his mother. Soon after they arrived at the hospital, as it was diagnosed as an emergency case, he was successfully operated upon. The excised appendix was punctured, swollen and in bad condition. The surgeon said if there had been a delay of two hours, perforation of the appendix would have occurred, and there would have been much doubt whether an operation would have been successful, However, he rallied from the operation, and considering that the appendix was so badly affected that a drain tube had to be put in, which is only necessitated in bad cases, he made a very good recovery, and after 17 days in the hospital he was able to be brought home. And after he had been at home about two weeks he was able to resume work as a government accountant.

Chapter twenty-eight continued...