Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-02-02
SONS OF "KAIHTuCK."
A story Told by ExsG0V. Berian
SIagOfnn, OF Kentucky.


81 we'll remember said the Gov.
erDor, IAN incident which occurred
just before the breaking out Of the
war, and which afforded us Infinite
amusement at the time. Breckenridge,
who was then Vice President; Floyd,
Buchanan's Secretary of War; Senator
Powell, of Kentucky, and myself. met
one Sunday evening at the residence
of Mr.. Floyd, and the conversation
turned on the sporting proclivities of
Kentuckians. Breckenridge and my
self good humoredly maintained that
Kentuckians were an improvement
upon the old Virginia stock in this
particular, and that, while they had
inherited dash and daring Of their
ancestors, they were really the better
of the two. AS men we are your
equals, at least, said l, turning to
FLOYD. Our women are the hand
soonest in the world. We have finer
and faster horses, and even better
chickens, than the Old Dominion can
produce" To the latter proposition
Floyd demurred energetically, and
proposed then and there to arrange a
main to be fought on the Virginia
b rider. | agreed, and then proposed
to let one fight between two picked
birds at the close of the main decide
the question of supremacy.
This was agreed to, and we wagercd
$1,000 each on the result. Breckin-
fidge wanted half of my $1,000, and l
gave it to him. The dispute was to
come off in September, 1860, and we
arranged all the preliminaries then
and there. When the question had
been all adjusted l turned upon the
party, and, with mock solemnity, pro-
ceeded to read lecture. A pretty
picture We present, do we notp' said l.
Here we are, the Vice President Of
the United States, her Minister of
War, Senator from Kentucky, and
the Governor of the same State, desc.
Grating the Lords day arranging for a
cock fight, with the greatest crisis in
American history approaching. The
cloud is spread over more than half
the horizon, and the storm may burst
any moment, | went on in the strain
for some time, and the company at
last separated.
Imagine my astonishment and dis
gust the next day to read in the New
York Herald full report of our con-
versation and Of my lecture. The hack
man had given it away. When | read
the Herald started for the Capitol
to tell Breckenridge about it (; but on
my way up Pennsylvania avenue my
attention was attracted by chorus OF
cock. growing which seemed to come
from a long row of coops ranged in
front of an express Office. | stopped
to see what it meant, when | saw that
the coops were all directed to the
Vice President. AT first | did not
know what to make Of it, but suddenly
light dawned upon me. Four or five
months before Breckenridge and my
self had asked Gen. Preston, who was
about to go abroad in the discharge 81
his duties as Minister, to send US a
coop of game chickens for gentleman
of whose kind offices we were in need
and who could not be reached in any
other way.
Instead Of one coop he had sent a
dozen or more. thinking, as then
supposed, that it would be an excel.
lent Joke on US. | hurried to the
Capitol, and, calling Breckenridge
from his place as presiding officer o.
the Senate, laid the whole matter
before him. There was the consign
ment Of game chickens in confirmation
of the Herald story, and | assured hin
that unless he did something prompt,
he was a ruined man. He laughed
but together we made our way to th,
express Office and paid the charges
which were enormous, amounting,
:. believe, to several hundred dollars
and, having no use for the birds, sen
them to a noted cockfghter in Lex
/ ington as present.
THE war breaking out soon after
ward, the proposed main was declared
!. off. Subsequently l learned the in
t wardness Of the chicken business from
Gen. Preston. 1t seems that in visit
ing Madrid, Paris, Rome, Berlin
Vienna and other European capitals
: he had prosecuted inquiries abou
5 game fowls, and that when he reache
: London he found all the birds h
!, forwarded to us awaiting his orders
4. AS the easiest way out of the dilemma
2 he shipped them to Washington
5 Those cocks afterward whipped every
c thing in the United States, and thes
y strains, | understand, are yet in grea
demand"