Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-05-12
THE "oLD CURIOSITY SHOP"

am surprised to find how little people
know of Washington and its life. Fifteen
thousand strangers come here every winter,
and hundreds of thousands visit the Capitol
every year, but, as usual, not one man IN
ten sees anything, and the great masses at
home know absolutely nothing OF the
strange sights and stranger people VINO
make MP the 200, 900 residents of Washing.
ton. My rule in writing letters Is that
whatever interests me is certain to interest
the public, or at least the large part OF the
public likeme, and propose during the com.
ing summer to send the Leader series OF
observations on out-of.the-way places, and
the little things of Washington and its
life. Last night, for instance, in stroll
on Pennsylvania avenue, / noticed couple
of Congressman entering little saloon d.
rectly opposite the National Theater. 1t
was low wooden building, old and
weather-worn and on the hntels of its
door noticed the words /" John Hancock,
founded 1870" Directly over this entrance
was a sign, "Oid Curiosity Shop" l
entered long, narrow room, with ceiling
so low that the head of Slade would
scrape it the bar, fitted out as elegantly
as any in Washington, covered the wall at
the right of the entrance. Back OF it hung
pictures and relics of the crimes and honors
of the past, and the walls of the rest OF
the room were covered with articles which
would make any museum rich. The old,
gray.haired negro who tended the bar was
in himself curiosity. He told as he
filed nv glass that he had been tending
the same bar for thirty five years, and that
his saloon was the chief resort in former
times of the statesmen of the Capital.
Said he "I have often seen Clay, Web
ster and Calhoun drinking here together.
Henry Clay and Daniel Webster used to be
here night after night. Clay always drank
brandy iuleps, and his spirits rose rapidly
under the influence of liquor. Webster
drank considerable, and the only observa-
bic change in him was that his eyes grew
brighter and his talk became if anything
more measured. Calhoun seldom drank
strong drinks, and usually took either
lemonade or sherry, and often nothing. He
would come in TO talk. They were lively
fellers in them days, and they liked their
fun just as well as the big men do now.
They often playel cards here"
"Did they gamble p I asked. No,
not for money, but generally for the
drinks. remember game of cards Clay
and Webster and two other men played
here one rainy night. They played here
for the drinks and smells. The men that
won drank, and those that were defeated
paid for the drinks and were forced to
smell the glasses of their opponents. They
started in at ten o'clock and they played
until two. Luck was against Clay and l
don't think ne won drink during the
whole evening""
spent very pleasant half hour ex.
aiming the curious things hung on the
walls and put up in CAGES around the room.
In one place there was pair of shoes
formerly worn by Washington. Number
tens, I should say, with broad, flat soles,
and commons sense heels. No aristocratic
instep had the Father of his country, and
this pair looks more like the slipshod pair
of cobbler than those of an f. f. V. See
ing them in this place reminds me that
Washington had many of the weaknesses
of the statesmen Of to-day. He liked beer,
was pasionately fond of the theater, and
sometimes used excited words commencing
with capital DIS.
Next to this was the seediest. looking
white plug hat 1 had ever seen. Large,
old and fuzzy, its nap worn off, and its
color changed by the dirt of several de.
cades, it was labeled as the hat of General
Zach. Taylor, and the card stated that it
came from the battle of Palo Alto. An
autograph letter of President Lincoln
stood near by one of John c. Calhoun'a,
the great Secessionist and the great Un-
ionist almost kissing each other. A picture
of Charles Guiteau was appropriately
made a companion to one of j. Wilkes
Booth, and on the other side of the room
was theater bill giving the play at Ford's
the night the assassination of Lincoln &C.
CURED. Bills offering 500, 900 reward for
Booths arrest, the extras published by
the Washington papers the morning after
the tragedy, and one containing a special
telegram that the assassin had been shot
and calling for rejoicing, made up parts of
the collection showing up the last days of
the civil war. There was currency of all
kinds, postage stamps dating back almost
to their origin, and a hundred or more au.
tograph letters, any of which would be
very valuable now. This little saloon is
one of the curiosities of the capital. 1t is
not down in the guide books, but its his
tory and museums make it worth seeing.
Il Washington Corr. Cleveland Leader.