The Osceola times., 1881-02-19
CAPITAL ANECDOTES.
TaIes Of Ye olden Times In Washington
CITY.
Na'liuEtlu L1tiIT
Variety the spice ofu.s.

Washington Letter.
Variety s. the sp.cs ollie
BE pleased take seats. gentlemen. ]
I am going 90 tell some true stories. ]
[ promise not 10 bore you.
LemUnpaki came % this country many
l years ago, and succeeded in obtaining q
clerkshIp in the po-tgiiIge department
According % tins account Of himself Ac
/ bad been a soldier under tine great Ma
I polcol, Nothing pleased him better
than % meet with an oppr r.Urui'y Of re-
citing Ills military exploits. IL D. hardly
EecJ ssary that some Of them were mar
I velUus and always excited a smile "i IN
| Credulty.
Al length a fellow-cigrk said o. him:
~Lemonoski. | have often heard You
| fight over your old battles now let me
give YOU my sad experience. ! was .
| soldier in the Black Hawk war In the
very trst engagement ! saw three stall
wart Indians coming in full speed after
my scalp. | was armed With an old
/ fashioned, double-barrcled shotgun.
let II loose upon the two that were in the
/ lead, and killed them as dead a. Julius
Caesar The third came rushing upon
me with his bloody tomahaWk raised
above his head, and what DO you suppose
happened then2'
You killed himIf oourse."
Not exactly quietly replied the
/ Black Hawk warrior "he killed me
\ roar of laughter was raised among
the bystanders and poor Lemonoskis
! yarns were knocked clear out Of him.
Gen. Jackson, about the year Tsp,
gave Jimmie Maher the appointment OF
public gardener in Washington. salary
| 81 500 and trimmings. The trimmings,
perhaps amounted t. a much larger sum.
To keep the public grounds in order were
the duties 10 be performed. Jimmie,
when | made his acquaintance, knew
everybody from Henry Clay down To
| Ephraim Frost the col,red hack-driyer.
| lie was Warm-heariCd, liberal lri-h-
man. He never took drink, save when
he was thirsty, and then be invited all
the hy-tandrrs 20 Join him. lie prided
himself on his adherence t. what hc
| called "dimoCratic' principles. Some
hungry Wings iu l>il wanted his place.
and Jimmie for awhile, was very un-
easy. One morning he met ten. Harrl-
son in the public grounds, and taking oil
his hat, he thus addressed him:
Il presume this /, Ginrral Harrison,
prizident Of the United states"
Receiving an affirmative answer, he
continued:
My name i, Maher. ! am pooblic
gardner
well, AIr Mahcr like the appear
aHce Of these grounds: they look in
much better condition than when | was
a Senator
"Och. it, me trade; WAS fotrhed up TO
il; but, may it plaze your honor, It j.
rumored about here that I'm 30 hc dis
missed"
Dismissed for what"
Because | was friend TO M Van
Buren,
NO, Mr. Maher. nobody is authorized
To say that You Will bee dismissed on that
account
a thousand thanks 20 youreNcelIency.
You see, Was acquainted with Mr. Van
Buren,. He always treated ire like @
gentleman, and | was for him; but !
have no doubt after We get better ?r-
quaiuted ! shall bc for you.'
Harrison smiled. and assured him that
he had no idea Of turning him out.
Whereupon Jimmie broke down 90 the
place where he had some hands at work
and gave them report If his interview.
lie closed it with this grand eNc.ama-
tion: BY Juyc, boys, Priziicnt Har-
ris1n is ulc tinoral jackson of q fell
low
About three weeks after the Inaugural
ti0n OF ten. Harrison a Wcil-dres,ed
young man Of some 80 summers walked
in one of the hotels Of thi, city with q
fiddle on his arm and said. "Geut.rmeu
lall ewes were al once turned uT., have
come here like thousands ui others 10
see what ! could see and gy; what
could get: hut | have been disappointed
in every thing have got mo- office, got
out 0f money, and got many miles t.
rctrace; | am too honest % steal, too
proud 10 beg, and ] concluded 10 come
in here to-day and make little in an
honest way shifting the action % the
word he began 10 play the fiddle This
c0mical scene afforded considerable
amusement 70 the persons there ASSEM-
bled. They asked how much money 10
would take 10 carry him home. Tie said
SO. In less than DO minutes that
amount was raised for him. Sitting
down and c5uutin, over his money Le
found they had given him si3. BY
George" said hr, here's a surplus of -.
Come in gentlemen, all Of You, and take
something To- drink Iucyer saw nor
heard Of him aftcrward. lhaye regretted
that | did not learn his name and keep
the hang Of him. The chances are that
he has filed some political position.