Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-12-12
DAN RICE.
The Veteran Snowman Talks About
the Great Men of the Past.
Playing DOminOs with Joe mil
and Draw-POker With Louis
NapOleOn-Dancing on an
Ohio River KeeI-BOat
While Henry Clay
Played the
Fiddle.

~ AA1JN0 eAN
Fiddle.
Correspondence Of the Chicago Tribunel
WHEELING, w. VA, December g.
For several months past Colonel Dan
Rice, the veteran circus manager and
clown, has been r~usticating win West
Virginia. Having been in the show
business for more than forty years,
probably no mar has acquired a great
er fund of knowledge concerning the
peculiarities and resources OF the
American people, while his name has
long since become a household word
in the various cities aud towns
throughout the Union. Though no
longer young, Colonel Dan is still fond
of a Joke, and many are the stories
which he tells of his youthful pranks
and early business career.
His "reminiscences of such men as
Andy Jackson, Louis Napoleon, Hen
nv Clay, Joe Smith and Abraham
Lin,oln seem to be almost inexhausti-
BILE, while the history of his own cir
cuslife reads more like a romantic
than a well established fact. Sitting
in an easy chair the other night, when
the rain was flooding the streets with
out and the wind was whistling about
the doors and through the cracks and
crannies Of the walls, the old man
talked for two long hours, and his
tales as given in his own pure Saxon
we're nearly as follows:
"You want to know something
about the great men whom | have met
and something about my own past life,
do you2 To tell all would require
more time and space than you can
conveniently command, and would be
a history, perhaps, which the public
would not care to hear, but as old Dan
is now not good for muchbut to lecture
and tell jokes, he will tell all he knows.
How my mind wandersI tonight as /
attempt to recall the scenes Of my
early days. Forty years before the
public is a long time in the life Of any
man, and during that time how many
miles have | travelled, and how many
people and cities have | seen?
In what manner did you first ap.
pear in public?" l inquired.
"As a jocky. Shall l tell you a
story about Andrew Jackson, or "0ld
Hickory, as he was commonly called?
1t was in 1892, as nearly as | can re-
member. That distinguished gentle
man, with his Cabinet and Black
Hawk and his Prophet, stopped in
Trenton, New Jersey, on the way from
New York to Washington. On the
day in question the people Of the en-.
tire country around were gathered II
Trenton to pay their respects to tn,
Presidential party and to witness tn,
races. | was a race rider then. ]
rode a little mare called Lizzie Jack.
son, which had been named after the
niece of the General. 1t was a pos
) stake, and | won the race. Later il
the day the citizens gave a dinner t.
the distinguished guests, and the ltd
boy who had ridden Lizzie jackson
was sent for. | came 10 the table will
my little jockey hat and clothes on
Placing his hand kindly upon IN,
head, old Hickory inquired, VIVA
| isyour name my SON? Dan Rice,
replied. well, Daa, said the Gencr
al, you will either make a great maj
I or a great fool And the prediction
5 was verified, for | made q grea
/ fool"
! "Were you not afterwards a jockey
= for Henry Clay?" | inquired, as Col
onel Dan rubbed his hands and moved
t nearer to the fire.
Eyes, three years after ! rode in Il,
races at Trenton | became a jockey fol
t the celebrated Statesman. / rode at
5 the spring meetings at Lexington anC
l Grab Orchard, and became somewhat
notorious for my success against Gil.
: patrick who was was a crank rider.
+ rode Dusty Foot against Black Nose
and Leg Treasurer, and Gilpairick
! was ruled off the track because hC
spurred Dusty Foot in the shoulder,
! II pleased Henry Clay nightly hal
/. won the race, and he never forgot the
favor"
"What is the story about Henry
Clay playing the fiddle while you
I dalced2"
"A mighty good fiddler he was, too.
. though the world never knew hecould
. play the fiddle at all. We went down
the Ohio once on a kneel boat from
Wheeling. / was a stripping then. and
life was before me. One afternoon ..
we were floating along the immortal
statesman tuned up his fiddle, ans
while he played Dan Rice danced
! Those were grand old times. HoE q.
past comes before me as | thInk g
Ulayl He was always popular !,
Wheeling because he brought Il.
National pike here. At WelEburi
/. once they burned him in efigy2 The,
! wanted the National pike, but the
didn't get it. This was before thr
!, time of railways, telegraphs and tele
|. phones. Henry Clay's best know
: saying was: L would rather be rich
! than be President Isn't that a grea
! thought l tell you Henry Clay was
! great man, a greater Statesman, per
haps, than our country has sine
known"
did you meet any other OF tn
+. great men in the earlier times?"
: Eyes, but | shall only mention two
. namely: Joe Smith, the Mormon
,, Prophet, and Louis Napoleon. / saw
the wife Of the former only two year
7, ago in Illinois. She still occupies thu
/, old Smith mansion, but has assumed
another name. l played dominoel
: with Joe Smith. When Ford wa.
, Governor the Mormon people haC
: certain privileges in Illinois. Tn,
orthodox world was opposed to the
system Of Spiritual wives, and report,
were circulated that the Mormon doc
trine was detrimental to the moral
Of society. This was even carried SC
far that outrageous acls were. commit
I, ted and fastened upon the Ignorant
followers of Smith. he was arrested
5 taken to Carthage, and while walkin:
. in the Jail yard was shot. lie should
; have been granted a trial justa as Gui
) teau should have a trial. That con
temptible william may get of, bu.
Dan Rice would like to see hin
hung"
when did you meet Louis Napo.
leoD?"