THE

IV

THE MARSHALL HOUSE

HE house built by John Marshall,-United States Envoy to France 1797-98; Member of Congress from Virginia 1799-1800; Secretary of State, 1800-1801, and Chief-Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court 1801-35,and in which he resided until his death, except when the duties of his office called him to Washington, is still standing in Richmond, Virginia, on the corner of Marshall and Ninth Streets. The ownership has remained in the family for almost a century, although the dwelling has had other tenants, among them. the late Henry A. Wise.

The whole block was covered by a famous fruit and vegetable garden when the house was erected. The exterior has never been remodelled, and there have been few changes

within. By an odd, and what seems to us an inexplicable, mischance, the architect, in Judge Marshall's prolonged absence, built the whole mansion "hind-side before." A handsome en

trance-hall and staircase, the balusters of which are of carved cherry, dark with age, are at the back, opening toward the garden and domestic offices. Directly in front of this is the diningroom, looking upon Marshall Street. What

was meant in the plan to be the back-door, in the wall opposite the fireplace, gives upon a porch on the same thoroughfare. The general entrance for visitors is by a smaller door on the side street. Turning to the right from this. through another door which is a modern affair, one finds himself in what was, at first, a second hall, lighted by two windows and warmed by an open fireplace. This was the family sittingroom in olden times, although open on two sides to the view of all who might enter by front or back door.

Altogether, the architectural and domestic arrangements of the interior are refreshingly novel to one used to the jealous privacies and labor-saving conveniences of the modern home. We reflect at once that every dish of the great dinners, which were the salient feature of hospitality then, must have been brought by hand across the kitchen-yard, up the back steps through the misplaced hall, and put upon the table which, we are told, was set diagonally across the room to accommodate the guests at Judge Marshall's celebrated "lawyers' dinners."

The Marshall House is now the property of Mr. F. G. Ruffin, whose wife is a granddaughter of the Chief-Justice, his only daugh

ter having married the late Gen. Jaquelin Burwell Harvie.

Mrs. Ruffin gives a graphic description of these feasts, as beheld by her, then a child, peeping surreptitiously through the door left ajar by the passing servants. The ChiefJustice sat at the head of the long board nearest the fireplace, his son-in-law, Mr. Harvie, at the foot. Between them were never less than thirty members of the Virginia Bar, and the sons of such as had grown, or nearly grown lads. The damask cloth was covered with good things; big barons of beef, joints of mutton; poultry of all kinds; vegetables, pickles, etc., and the second course was as profuse. The witty things said, the roars of laughter that applauded them, the succession of humorous and wise talk, having, for the centre of all, the distinguished master of the feast, have no written record, but were never forgotten by the participants in the mighty banquets.

Besides his daughter, the Chief-Justice had five sons; Thomas, for whom his father built the house opposite his own, which is still standing; Jaquelin, the namesake of his Huguenot ancestor; John, James, and Edward. The last-named died in Washington a few

years ago, at the age of eighty, a clerk in one of the government offices.

Judge Marshall lived so near our day, and bore so conspicuous a part in the history of a country which cherishes his fame, that every tolerably well-educated person is familiar with his name and public services.

Old residents of the Virginian capital like to tell stories of the well-beloved eccentric who made the modest building on Marshall Street historical. The quarter was aristocratic then. The stately residences of Amblers, Wickhams, and Leighs claimed and made exclusiveness, which in her later march Fashion laughs to scorn. Nothing could make Judge Marshall fashionable. His disregard of prevailing styles, or even neatness in apparel, was so well known that these peculiarities attracted no attention from his fellow-citizens. He was a law unto himself in dress and habits. His cravat-white by courtesywas twisted into a creased wisp by his nervous fingers, and the knot was usually under his ear. He wore his coat threadbare without having it brushed, his shoes were untied and the lacings trailed in the dust, and his hat was pushed to the back of his head.