Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1873-10-04
BEAU HICKMAN.
Pa sages in the Life Of n Dead Ueat-Au-
ecG ie of the American Gentieman Beg
Correspondent of the Chicago Tribune
OMAHA. NEE, Sept. 8. 1879

etGOie OF the american Gentleufau he2-
Correspondent of the Chicago Tribune.
OMAHA, NEB., Sept, 8, 1878.
Perhaps | am one of the very few
people in the United States who will re-
pret to hear of the death of poor old
''Beau Hickman" | never visited
Washinton but | made it my business
to look him up, and generally found the
Beau poor, needy, seedy, and glad to see
me. To most people he was bore; but
to me he never rendered himself obnox-
ious, and-l confess to very bad taste of
always finding in Hickman
SOURCE OF UNENDING AMUSEMENT.
His anecdote of dead statesmen, and
the peculiarities of some of the living
ones, were so extremely interesting, and
few men can talk better than Beau after
dinner, i'll an easy chair, and with good
cigar to puff. Then Webster, Clay, ben
ton, Calhoun, Hayne, and scores of 9TH
ers came rom their graves i'll all their
glory, aud Beau would sit for LourS aud
tell stories of Washington lie OF its
great men. | believe, a, a rule, he was
very truthful, and made it a point never
to speak i'll of the dead.
In their time, both Clay and Webster
admitted Hickman into heir society,
and made sort of companion OF him.
Then he was not the poor, old, decripid,
| Unlocking man we have seen him OF late
years; but u tall, straight welI-dressed,
handsome, dashing fellow, with money
i'll his pocket, and bank account to
draw upon. lie had $4,000 left him,
but lost it betting at horse-races. So
polite was he, and courteous i'll his man
ners, that for long time, when he lost
his money, the turf-men received him
and permitted him to
BET WITHOUT ''PU1TISG UP.
When he "lost," he promised to pay
and, when he "won," he collected the
stake with as little delay as possible
lie was of an old Virginia family, we'll
raised, and gentleman both by educa-
ton and in manners. His relatives cut
him as dead-beat on their bounty, and
perhaps no brother was ever SO unwel-
come as he when he visited she tami-
ly," as he called his brother. lie was
generally supplied with some ready
cash, and showed back TO Washington
as soon as possible.
Indeed, with money III his pocket, he
| never fingered long-for, when III funds
"to run with," Beau thought the Nation
al Capital was the proper place Tor a
gentleman to live.
Once when he was down on the bed
rock of poverty, and actually starving,
gave him dollar, and, seeing me about
TO buy a cigar, he epped up and
said:
"AlloW me, sir, to serve you,' and,
taking up two twenty-five cent cigars,
he presented me one, and took tie other
actually paying hall OF the dollar /
had Just gave INN iUr Tie cigars.
"beau, / SAID, ''you are cNtraNagant.
can't afford to smoke twenty-hNe c cent
cigars"
some must live
LIKE A GENTLEMAN"
he cody replied.
Nearly everybody has heard the sto-
ry credited to HIM OF how, wishing to go
from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, he got
on the tram, stuck his head out OF the
window, and kept 1t there until the con
ductor came along and tapped him on
the shoulder, when, suddenly drawing
it in, he knocked OF his hat, which tell
outside, land then became vioienly lndig-
nant at tne conductor, and said;
Sir, how dare you he 50 rude to pas
sengers, and startie Them us you Just
have me!"
The conductor protested he had not
been rude-only tapped him to call his
attention.. '- ~ rt
"But you struck me, and have knock
ed off my fine hat out of the window,
and my ticket was i'll the band; and
hat am 1 now to do!"
Inc conductor said he would pass
him to Harrisburg; but Beau would not
be pacihed, and nnally to quiet him, the
conductor bought him new 81 hat. SO
Beau got
A NEW HAT AND FREE RIDE
his ''ine hat and ticket i'll the band" be-
ing ali Il sham.
On another occasion, Beau being on
a train without a ticket, he took Il seat
III the cars, and after the train had been
i'll motion some time, stepped into the
next car and called out loudly, click
ets!" wnen every one thinking him the
conductor, held out their tickets. Beau
only took up one however, selecting
that OF poor, honest German farmer,
and passing into the next car, took a
seat sticking his ticket in the band of
his hat.
In Il few minutes there was the usual
call again of "Iickets!" and the real
constructor made his appearance. When
he came to the old German farmer, he
attempted to explain; but the con iuctol
cut him short, saying, show your ticket
pay your money, or get off the
train" A good many passengers who
had witnessed the transaction between
Hickman and the farmer, and wonder
ed at the time why their tickets had no,
| haax, nallad Enr nnu COZ mo To tho ,.alia