Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1871-03-25
Jones, mot Jones of the Times.

w iIildu joUCs i u Cp''Itu IN -
fifty years old He has charge of certain
Offices and rooms in the buildings on the
corner Of Broadway and Prince streets
that is, he attends to cleaning them and
putin. them into order. Ordinarily Of
morosc and gloomy disposition, Mr. Jones
occasionally lets his tongue loose. lie is
then social and communicative.
A day or two since Nr. Jones heard
some one say that Gen. Frank Blair had
been elected United States Senator from
Missouri. Mr.. Jones at once broke into
speech, and said:
Frank Blair. Why, him and me used
to be boys together in Washington and an
awful fighting boy he was, too He was
the wurst fighting boy l ever see. lie was
always takin' the boys marbles and splittin'
EN- in the nose if they guy him any sass.
A rcg'lar little bully he was, and the boys
were always afeard of him, cause he was
a hard hitter, and was cternally punchin'
the boys in the head Mays the time he
has licked me and took away my marbles.
The boys got so after while that when
we'd be playin', and any of us would see
him comm, we'd holler out There comes
Frank Blair, and we'd pick up our marbles
and evcrlastingly dust. But one day when
the alarm was given, l thought wouldn't
have it so, and so waited-me and one or
two other boys; but they kept off at dis
lance to see me get licked. So when Frank
come up as proud and as sassy as turkey
cock, l waited for him, and as usual he
snatched up my marbles and took beauti-
full little china ally from me. That made
me mad as the devil, and I wouldn't have
it any longer, and just picked up brick
and huff him have it on the back Of his
head. My white chiny ally flew, and down
he tumblcd I picked up my chiny ally,
an run an left him to pick himself up
I'll bet you he's got scar there yit made
by that brick. And he's pitted with the
small pox, too, 'specks, for l know he had
it; but l haven't seen him for twenty five
or thirty years, and l don't know how he
looks"
"Mr. Jones'" said the reporter, " that
was long time ago, when Frank Blair
and you was both boys together. Wash
ington has changed very much since that
time"
eyes, sab, 'spects it has; haven't
been there for morc'n thirty years. At
that time Gineral jackson was President
the incest old man what l ever seen.
held the chandeliers for him while my un.
Gle shaved him for his last levee in the
White House. There was no gas in them
days, an nobody never heard tell of any,
an we burnt tallow candles. My uncle's
name was Bob Coklcy, an he kept the
incest barber shop in town, right opposite
Fuller's Hotel, on the corner of Fourteenth
street an the Avenue-every body in
Washington calls Pennsylvania Avenue
the Avenue "-said Jones'" and my
aunt Kittie Marble-she was cook at the
White House. That's how I come to hold
the chandeliers, ye see; an after a while
l got to be servant in the house, n staid
there till Gineral jackson left it. Many's
the time me and Baron jackson have
walked around the grounds with the old
man. Baron Jackson, ye see, was q yellow
boy in the house, an was always treated
very kind by the Gineral. Some folks
said he was the Gineraps son; but I don't
know anything about that. l know the
Gineral treated everybody else nice, an
that he was very sociable, good. hearted
gentleman. He wasn't proud or stuck up
a bit. He'd talk with any one just as easy,
it made no difference whether he was white
or black"
Here Mr.. Jones hitched up his chair
and continued:
"While was with my uncle, just to
show what kind of man Gineral jackson
was, very often, after Uncle Bob would
shut up his shop, he and two or three old
coons, that was always hangin' around,
would 60 off up to the White House to play
cards in the servants hall. Now this see
myself" and Mr.. Jones became energetic
and vehement, and suited the action to the
word. "One night they were all playin'
poker, cent ante, an all the white folks
had gone to bed. Whenever there'd be a
big pot up Of seventy five cents or dollar,
the old coons would get to wranglin' about
the money, or the cards, or somethin', and
make great deal Of noise. Well: things
went on in that way for some time, an by
an by gentle tap was heard at the door.
The noise stopped at onc't, an Giueral
Jackson, who had come all the way down
stairs in his slippers, said, Now, boys, this
noise must be stopped He said It very
quiet like, not as if he were mad. Il don't
mind your playing cards and amusing
yourself, but won't have so much noise.
Now, just think of it," said Mr.. Jones ex-
ultingly, in his admiration of the man,
"the Giueral had come all the way down
stairs hisself, rather than to disturb or put
any one else to the trouble. All he had
for to do was to ring the bell, an there
was plenty of people in the house to an.
swer it; an Of course message from
Gineral jackson to stop the noise would
have done as we'll; but no, he wouldn't put
any one to trouble if he could do it him.
self. That shows what kind of a man
Gineral Jackson was" said Jones, conclu.
sively.