Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-02-18
A REMINIsCENCE OF THE OLD
NASHVILLE INN.
From the Franklin Review


The following anecdste is not new TO many
of the citizens of this county, and there are
perhaps a dozen or two who can vouCh for
its truth, the principal actors in it being still
alive, one in this county and the other in
Maury. For fear that they may be angry
at our telling tales out of school, we will
here say that the occurrence related below
took place when the gentlemen were young,
and that now two more sober men or bet
ter citizens cannot be found many cOmmu-
nifty.
While The old Inn stood on the Square in
Nashville, it was the favorite hotel of the
travelling public. On one occasion. among
the many guests there assembled were Har-
vey NJ, from this county, and John c.,
from MaUTy county, intimate friends, and
both COnviyial in their temperament. They
had imbibed freely Of spirits and were in
tina happy condition in which they consid-
cred the world all their own, and were rath-
er noisy in their demonstrations. Some of
! the visitors complained Of their noise, and
the proprietor, after some persuasion, in
| duced the gentlemen to retire to bed. He
/ conducted them to their room, saw them
safely lodged in bed, waited patiently until
/ they slept, and then drew the bed which, as
| was then to some extent fashionable, was
! attached to the ceiling by cords, up nearly
/ to the ceiling, raising them some nine or
! ten feet from the floor. Everything passed
/ Off quietly, the gentlemen sleeping soundly
until one or two o'clock in the morning
when John g., who was sleeping behind,
called out to his friend: Harvey, get me the
water; the pitcher is on the table there in the
corner" Harvey demuued a little, but
finally yielding to earnest solicitations, he
threw himself out Of bed in the pitch dark
ness of the room, to the floor beneath. He
was unprepared for leap, and the shock OF
the fall surprised him. Instantly he con-
iectured that he had fallen down stairs,pe
haps through trap door; so he got down
on his hands and knees and commenced
| cropping about to find some means Of ascent
to the room above. The delay occasioned
by these movements was torture TO John
who was parched up with thirst. So he
called out in language more profane than
polite: "Harv! What in the ID are you
doing?' The answer came from the depths
below: "JOhn. fell down stairs and can't
find the steps to get up there again.
"Well, must l come down there to show
you the way up" 81 wished you would
John; for I'm id if l can find the stairs.
John thoroughly veXed at the stupidity
of his friend, sprang OFT Of bed,
when lOl he, too, went whirling through
the air into the distance below, and soOu
found himself sprawling on the floor beside
his companion. by Cd. Harv. l fell
down stairs myself" was his first eNclama.
ton. Then the two commenced a searcl
for the staircase, a ladder, anything to en-,
able them to get out of this deep abyss
Round and round they went, upon theiI
hands and knees. They found a table upon
which they discovered a pitcher Of water
Quenching their thirst they resumed theil
search. Their clothing had been deposited
on the foot of the bed, so this was beyond
their reach, and the weather was intensely
cold. They must keep moving or freeze
The weary round was kept up until The
gray dawn began to streak the East, wheI
they ascertained their true condition,
Stealthily they lowered the bed, hastily
donned their clothing, and only remained
long enough to pay their bill to the nigh
clerk, when mounting their horses, the!
made tracks for home.
These gentlemen are now heads Of fami
lies, and the only error in the above is il
the names, both being fictitious.