Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-02-19
The Career of a "Man About Town.

The Career of a 'sMan About Town..
The death of General Charretic in Lon
don, in his eighty-third year, has fur
nished plenty of table-talk in St James
street and Pail Mall. Reared in a loose
school, that of thirty years ago, the Gen
eral shared in all the sports and pastimes
of the watering-places. In all manly
sports he exeelled, being a dead shot, a
bold rider, a still holder better, a clever
poet, and a skillful musician. As a com
panion, none corld be more amusing, and
his sang froid was amazing. Once when
shooting in HertfOrdshire, where he had
hired a manor, he trespa5sed on the estate
of a deceased nobleman. The keeper re-
monstrated with him in vain, and at last
one morning, while out with his master,
he heard the General blazing awav ut the
pheasants in an adjoining cover, and di-
rected his lordship's attention to him. The
latter, naturally i~rritated beyond measure
at the occurrence, desired his keeper to go
and turn him off and shoot one of his dogs,
and added, as he was hurrying away 10
obey him: "Here, you had better take my
pony, and then you will get back quicker
and he handed to him, at the same time,
Il very fsvorite shooting pony, for which
he would not have taken any money. The
keeper. cantering way on him, soon came
up with the Genercl, and told him to cease
firing, for if he did not he should have to
kill one of his dogs By his lordship's or
ders. "Very well" replied the General,
One of my dogs is an old one, and the
other a young one; you had better shoot
the oldest: but mind, if you do, l shoot
your pony; and, as l am not sure where
my manor finishes, l don't see why l
should go away"
The keeper, rendered more irate than
ever by this cool speech, shot the dog in
simultaneously; but before he could turn
round, the treasure of a pony was only hit
for the next kennel. Then addressing the
terrified keeper he said, " If you shoot
again, the next barrel is for yourself But
the servant would stop to listen to moth
ing else, and took to his heels to tell his
master, who could not understand his not
riding back on the pony, and was Mortified
at his fate. Before, however, he could re-
solve in his own mind what course he
should adopt towards the General, ne
was still more surprised at receiv-
ing a challenge from the General for
the insult that had been offered him
by the shooting of his setter. OF course
g the noble lord" did not accept it, for the
fame of his antagonist had reac ed him
but, to prevent further annoyance, con-
c~essions were made, and the affair in time
blew over.
Among other natural advantages the
General was gifted with an extraordinary
memory; and a few years back, for a large
bet, he related the whole contents of the
Morning Post, from the date to the pub
name, without making a single
error. He was a great lover of Shake
speare, and far beyond the average stamp
of amateurs who interpreted him. The
turf, billiards, or a pigeon sweepstakes, he
loved. He showed no mercy to a Derby
which he did not like, and he had
in his time some miraculous escapes.
Gorhambury wal the only racehorse he
owned, and with him, who started at
one thousand TO fifteen, he ran second to
Cornerstone, beating Gaper, British Yeo-
man, and a number of good horses; and
had he won, he remarked, There would
have been corn in Egypt"