The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-05-05
"BOFTLED BEESWAX."
How the SutIPr Succeeded in Getting
Square with the Colonel.

Square with the Colonel.
When General Grant wrote in his re-
port of the last campaign against Rich
mond Of Butler'- being bottled up at
City Point, the idea strnck the Ameri-
can people as quite original and excl
lently descriptive Of the occasion. But
the phrase was not original with him.
He must have heard Of il many years
before, while ne wa- vet in the army
When among the officer Colonel TwiggS.
afterwards General TwIggs. who surren
dered his forces to the Confederates in
Texas. without firing shot, at the open
ing of the last war. was known by the
nickname Of Bottled BeeSwax." The
origin Of the name was practical joke
which Twiggs tried to- play off on suit
Ter. but whirh in the end was ludirrous-
ly turned against himself. The Mexican
war had just closed, and Colonel Twiggs.
in command of the Second Dragons
eight hundred sahers strong. was sta
TONED at Fort JeSsup. in Texas. The
post <ntler was a Mr. Richardson, a very
obliging man, who, whenever he went
to New Orleans to replenish his stock OF
goods, always carried with him private
orders from the Officers Of the regiment
for the purchase Of various articles. On
one of these occasions Colonel Twiggs
gave him an order for dozen bottles OF
French beeswax. which he said certain
firm in New Orleans specially imported
from France. The sutler was peremp-
tOrily directed by the Colonel to bring
the wax on his return, and he promised
to do so. Arriving at New Orleans, he
first attended to his own purchases and
then to the various orders from the Off
GERS, but he found il impossible to get
the beeswax for Colonel Twiggs. The
firm designated by the Colonel had new
er dealt in the article, and Mr. Richard
son ran from street to street, from store
to store, but nowhere did ne find any
imported French beeswax. Having
spent a whole day in the frnitless search,
the sutler returned to the ST. Charles
Hotel rather despondent. As he enter
ed the public hall Of the hotel be met
Captain Hamilton, Of the same regi-
ment. who WAS on his way back TO Fort
Jes-up from an official visit to Wash
ington. +" him Mr. Richardson con
ided the difficulty he was in concerning
the beeswax for the Colonel "It's n
joke the Colonel has been playing on
you, RIchardson," said Captain Ha mil
ton. "You'd- better tnrn the tables ON
him, and pay him back in his own coin s.
But how" Never mind" said the
Captain. and divulged his plan, which
was carried ont. They bought a dozen
French perfumery bottles of large size,
melted down several pounds of white
wax and filled the bottles with il. got
labels specially printed in French:
" Gre pure de r GteiHes Francdise"--pnre
wax from French becs--wrapped the
bottles in French -ilken paper, and pack
ed up the whole in a handsome baSk ct
of foreign make. in which Eau de Co
logne had been imported. With this
the sutler, Mr.. Richardson. and Captain
Hamilton returned to the fort. They
had no sooner reached there than Colon
el Twiggs sent an orderly To empire
l.. L Il
OF course il mad, said RichardSnn; and
shortly after he presented the basket
with the bottles to the Colonel. who was
snpremely astonished at this unexpected
compliance with his order. He exam-
ined the bottles, and they contained wa Z
to be sure; the labels, the wrapping and
packing. everything, indeed. about the
case bore a French look, and Twiggs
could not restrain himself "Whpre in
thunder did Won get it?" he asked Rich
ardson. "WelI, Colonel, to tell the
trnth, it was a hard job. spent the
hest part Of two DAYS on it. even
thought I wouldn't take it at all. because
the price was 50 high, bnt then ] didn't
like to disappoint you, 20 ! paid the
money. Here's the bill Colonel" lie
grasped it. III H." he said, "vou
don't mean to say that yon paid five dol
lars a bottle for that stnff?" "Not a
penny less, Colonel" TwIggs hit hi.
lips; he felt that he was sold, bnt would
not own it. So he handed the sufIer
$50 in Uncle Sans coin and kept the
wax. But neither Richardson nor Cap
tain Hamilton kept the secret. and soon
Colonel Twiggs was known in the regi.
ment and in the army only as Bottled
Beeswax"