Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-10-29
Anecdotes About Him-Some New Ones
by Grant White-HIs Sad End

| time, and, there his soul lusted for pail
| of boots, articles of dress which in those
| days were expensive. He had neither
money nor credit; but he resolved to gel
| the boots. He therefore ordered from
| two bOOtmakerS two pairs of the same
| pattern, which were to be delivered al
| different hours on the day of his departure
| When the first pair was delivered he
| declared that the heel of one Of
them hurt him, and requested the
| bOOtmaker to stretch it and return
| it the next merning. The man departed
| leaving the other boot with Sheridan
| When the second pair appeared the same
fault was found with the boot for the
! opposite foot, and the same instructions
| were given and acquiesced in as mat.
ter of course; and the ingenious young
| Jeremy Diddler, with a pair of boots thus
obtained, mounted his horse and rode out
of Bristol, leaving pair of human vic
| TINS to whistle for their money the next
morning. This young scamp became the
| Rt. Hon. Richard Brinsley Sheridan, and
| in his matIlrer years he did not fail to full.
| fill the promise Of his bOyhOOd.
A bill standing for years with one Jones,
fashionable bOOtmaker. provoked the
| incensed and irate creditor to call on
| Sheridan personally, determined to have
his money. One morning loud knock at
| Sheridan's door was speedily answered
by a demure-lOOking footman, inquIring
his business.
"YOur master;' must see him."
Mild reioinder: ''Sorry to say he is out,
sir.'
"Won't do for me-"
a push, and Jones was in the hall.
''Here l sit until he comes hOme."
James-"YOu can't stay here"
"Can't /? You'll see. I'll sleep here
Pm a fixture"
Sheridan, meantime, was chuckling
over this episode in the breakfast parlOr
Loud words passed and repassed, inter-
rupted by Sheridan's bell and his voice,
inquiring: ''What is all that uproaI
about, James?"
Jones loud )-"Boots, sir; Jones, Of
Bond street."
Sheridan rushed out and seized both his
hands.
"My dear Jones, how are you? De-
lighted to see you"
''Fellow { to demure James y, how dared
you detain my friend Jones in the hall.
Walk in, pray"
Arm in arm, Spider and Fly enter the
parlor together.
''Chair, Jones'"
They sit.
''Breakfasted? OF course, you have.
Twelve O'Clock (sighs). All, my dear sir,
legislating is no joke; late hours; wear
and tear. By-the-by, how is dear Mrs
Jones? Amy increase of family. When ]
last called, one of your olive branches
had-had-dear me"
Jones -"Measles, SIR"
That's it. And, pray, why am
hOnOred by this call so early"
Reply-"Three years boots and shoes,
sir"
Sherry-"Three years! How time flies
Our brief hours soon slip away, Jones.''
"Yes, sir, but credit DON'T"
Sheridan-"NO. certainly; I'll write you
a check"
''Thank you, sir.''
"Glass of wine" (pOurs one OUT.
Then a chat, embracing every con
ceivable subject, concluding with
"Sherry's" last play, 'PizarrO" writing
box Order).
Bring your wife and children. KEN
BILE, SiddOns, Jcrtion- all in it. Ring
bell. James, carriage-due at the
House. Goodbye, Jones; regards to Mrs.
j. Stop, now you are here; measure me
for half dozen pairs of top-bOots. Jones
did. Thank We. Always delighted to
see yOu-mine that, James," Door closes
upon mystified Jones; he had two Or
ders, one for boots, the other for the
play.
Immense success attended the produc-
tion of "PizarrO." With Sheridan's
usual negligence, the play was not all
written at the first representation. The
fifth act was sent down to the actors from
his room bit by bit. ''ROllo,1 John KEN
BILE; "AlOnzO," Charles Kemble; "Alvi-
ra." Mrs. SiddOns; ''COra," Mrs. Jordan.
Drury Lane was burned to the ground
February "A, 1909. When the fire broke
out Sheridan was in the House of Com
mons. Sympathy for him induced the
mQmhnTG 0nInnrnmnnt. +.
Sheridan respectfully declined. He hast
ened to the fire, tried to force his way
through the crowd, and was pushed back
by soldiers called out to keep Order):
''Stand back, sir.'
''My lriend,' said the wit, ''surely a
man may warm himself by his own fire.
''Sheridan's face had for a long time
become an index of his mode of life and
his character. Nature had given him a
fine, mobile, expressive cOuntenance, of
which splendid dark eyes were notable
feature. These retained their light and
their life, bat the rest of his face became
gross, heavy and diScolOred. In the CO.
temporary caricatures of Gilray, Sheri-
dams is an Oft-recurring figure, and there
we see HIM with gaping, pendulous lips.
and cheeks and nose bl0ated and pimpled.
At last his stomach grew tired of per-
forming its functions only in a
told that his eXcesses would
destroy the coat of his stomach,
''Well, then, my stomach must digest in
its waistcoat" }, sin fact, refused to per-
form them at all, and he lay stricken with
disease and poverty. Friends helped him.
although in very moderate way; but he
was past all help, and ere long he died.
The consequences of his evil habits pur-
sued him, even in his last extremity
A haf bxy frST Of "a 4
prisoner, obtained entrance into his sick
chamber, arrested him on his death-bed,
and would have carried off the feeble,
bl0ated body of the expiring wit and orator
to sponging-hoqse had not his
physician declared that the re-
moVal would be Immediately mortal, and
threatened the officer with the conse-
queDces. To the bOldness of his medical
attendant Sheridan owed it that he died
out of prison and in semblance of peace,
But the sad mel0drama was not TO end
even here, and his very funeral was dis
tinguished by an incident of, let us hope,
unique atrOcity of retribution. AS he lay
in his coffin, at the house of kinsman
whittier his remains had been removed,
soon to be followed by a crowd of distin-
guiShed mOurnerS, stranger dressed in
deep mourning entered the house and re-
quested to have last look at his DEPART
ed friend, 10 obtain which, he said, he
had made long journey. His respect
able appearance, his mourning garments,
and his apparent grief caused him to be
led into the room where the closed coffin
was lying. The lid was raised, and the
stranger gazed for some moments upon
the still uncovered face; then, fumbling
in his pocket, he produced a bailidss
wand, with which he touched the fore
head, and announced that he arrested the
corpse i'm the Kings name for debt
Of 1900. When this shocking event
was announced tc the elegant
company assembled in another
room, there was hurried
and hOrror-stricken consultation. Mr..
Canning took Lord Sidmouth aside, and
they, agreeing to discharge the debt, each
gave the officer a check for k250, which
he accepted and went off, leaving the
bailif-hunted corpse to be borne in ponIp
to Westminster Abbey; for in that grand,
solemn mausOleum Sheridan at last found
rest, Such an assembly Of men of rank
and mark as attended his funeral, and
hOnOred in death him whom they neither
trusted nor respected living, is rarely
SEEM"
Mr.. A. B. Phelps, Atlanta, Ca, SAYS:
81 used Browns Iron Bitters for dyspep-
sia with good results"
Advice to Mothers.
MRS. WINsLow's SOOTHING SYRUP