Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-11-14
GEN. CooMBs ON STORY TELLING.

Few men nave ever gone to Congress
with more fun and popularity than the
Hon. Leslie Coombs, of Kentucky. In
the way of anecdote, he is unequalled,
while bis mode of telling stories imparts
tone to them that no one can appreciate
who has not made his acquaintance.
Among the characters that Mr..
Coomhs knows like book, is old Major
Luckey, whose taste for Dragging amounts
at times to the sublime. Whenever the
Major has stranger in the neighborhood,
he "opens wide and spreads himself, !"
and with success that leaves us nothing
to desire. The following scene took place
between the Major and Col. Peters, "a
late arrival from Illinois ~
Major, | understand from General
Coombs, that shortly after the Revolution
you visited England; how did you like
the jaunt -
"Capitally! l had not been in London
five hours before Rex sent for me to play
whist, and a devil of time we had of
it,"
Rex what Rex"
Why, Rex the King-George the
Third. The game came off at Windsor
Castle-Rex and played against Billy
Pitt and Edmund Burke-and resulted
rather comicalIy."
How so 2"
I" As we were playing the last game,
Rex said III rather familiar manner,
Major, L suppose you know George
Washington, the Father of his country.
Father be ID, says he, he was a
cursed rebel, and had / served him right,
he would have been hung long ago.
This of course, riled me, and to that de-
gree, that just drew back, and gave
him blow between the eyes, that felled
him like bullock. The next moment
Pitt and Burke mounstcd me, and in less
than ten minutes my shirt and breeches
were so torn and tattered, that | looked
like Lazarus. This gave me rather dis
taste for English society, and on the next
morning | Set sail for America. Six
weeks afterward landed at Washington.
The first person | met, after entering the
city was o.
%! what O."
"Why, that id old federalist,
Quincy Adams. He wanted me to play
ninepins with him, and | did SO. Won
5000 at two shillings game, and then
had a row."
about what %
" He wanted to pay me off in CONT
mental money, worth about a shilling a
peck. l got angry, and knocked him
into q spittoon. Whilst | still had him
down, Jim came in and dragged me off
to the White House."
What Jim 2" q.
q" Why, Jim Madison. went, played
euchre for two hours, when Tom came in
and insisted that should go home with
him."
"What Tom ?''
"Why, Tom Jefferson. Jim, however,
would not listen to it, and the consequence
was that they went into fight. In the
midst of it they fell over the bannisters,
and dropped about fifty feet. When
left, they were giving each other hell in
the coal cellar. How it terminated I
never could learn, as just then Martha
ran in, and said l must accompany her
up to Mount Vernon, to see George.
"What Martha do you mean? z"
" Martha Washington, wife to George,
the old boy that gave Jessy to the Hes
slams"
About here, Coombs said the stranger
began to discover that he was swallow
ing things" The next stage that come
along he took passage in it for an adjacent
town. The Major, we believe, is still
living, and still believes that the wallop.
ing he gave Louis the Eighteenth is thu
d-st best thing on record.-Neu Yorl
Dmchmdn. 7