The Russellville Democrat., 1881-02-03
CAPITAL ANECDOTES,
Tales of Ye Olden Times in Washington
 City.


 | -
 Tales of Ye Olden Times in Washington 1 City.
 Washington Letter
 "variety is the spice oflife.y
 Be pleased take seats, gentlemen. I am going to tell some true stories. l promise not to bore you. Lemonoaki came to this country many years ago, and succeeded in obtaining a clerkship in the postoffice department. According to this account of himself he had been soldier under the great Ma poleon. Nothing pleased him better than to meet with an oppoxturnity of re- citing bis military exploits. It is hardly necessary that some of them were mar vicious and always excited smile of in credulity.
 At length fellow-clerk said to him:
 "Lemonoski, have often heard you | fight over your old battles; now let me give you my sad experience. l was a soldier in the Black Hawk war. In the very first engagement I saw three stall wart Indians coming in full speed alter my scalp. l was armed with an old fashioned, double-barreled shotgun. I let it loose upon the two that were in the lead, and killed them as dead as Julius Caesar. The third came rushing upon me with his bloody tomahawk raised above his head, and what do you suppose happened then?" You killed him, of course"
 Not exactly" quietly replied the | Black Hawk warrior; "he killed me-" 1 A roar of laughter WAS raised among the bystanders and poor. Lemonoski's yarns were knocked clear out of him.
 Gen. Jackson, about the year 1882, gave Jimmie Maher the appointment of public gardener in Washington. Salary | $l 300 and trimmings. The trimmings, perhaps amounted to much larger sum. To keep the public grounds in order were the duties to be performed. Jimmie, | when l made his acquaintance, knew everybody from Henry Clay down to l Ephraim Frost, the colored hack driver. man. He never took drink, save when he was thirsty, and then he invited all the bystanders to join him. He prided himself on his adherence to what he called "dimocratic" principles. Some hungry Wings in lS41 wanted his place, and Jimmie for awhile, was very un- easy. One morning he met Gen. Harri- son in the public grounds, and taking of his hat, he thus addressed him: VI presume this is Gineral Harrison, prizident of the United States"
 Receiving an affirmative answer, he continued:
 'My name is Maher. I am pooblic gardner" Fsf
 'eWell, Mir. Maher, like the appear ance of these grounds; they look in much better condition than when I was Senator"
 "Och, it's me trade; was fetched up to it; but, may it blaze your honor, it is rumored about here that Pm to be dis missed"
 Dismissed for what?"
 Because was friend to Mir. Van Buren,"
 'No, Mr. Maher nobody is authorized to say that you will be dismissed on that account"
 "A thousand thanks to your excellency. You see, was acquainted with Mr. Van Buren. He alwyas treated me like gentleman, and I was for him; but I have no doubt after we get better ac- quainted shall be for you"
 Harrison smiled, and assured him that he had no idea of turning him out Whereupon Jimmie broke down to the place where he had some hands at work and gave them report of his interview. He closed it with this grand excama- ton: By love, boys, Prizident Har- rison is rale Gineral Jackson of fel- lown
 About three weeks after the inaugura- ton of Gen. Harrison a well-dressed young man of some 30 summers walked in one of the hotels of this city with a fiddle on his arm and said: "Gentlemen tall eyes were at once turned up), have come here like thousands of others to see what l could see and get what l could get; but 1 have been disappointed in every thing. 1 have got no office, got out of money, and got many miles to retrace; l am too honest to steal, too proud to beg, and l concluded to come in here to-day and make little in an honest way" Suiting the action to the word, he began to play the fiddle. This comical scene afforded considerable amusement to the persons there assem- bled. They asked how much money it would take to carry him home. He said $40. In less than 10 minutes that amount was raised for him. Sitting down and counting over his money, he found they had given him $43. "By George" said he, here's surplus of $3. Come in. gentlemen, all of you, and take something to drink" Inever saw nor heard of him afterward. Ihaveregretted that I did not learn his name and keep the hang of him. The chances are that he has filled some political position