The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-06-07
The "Old Curiosity Shop

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 who make up the
100000 residents of Washington. 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 like me, and propose during
the coming summer to send the Leader
q series of observations on out.of the
way places, and the little things Of
Washington. Last night, for instance,
in q stroll on Pennsylvania avenue, 1
noticed couple of congressman entering
. little saloon directly opposite the
National Theater. It was low wooden
building, old and weather-worn, and on
the linlets of its door 1 noticed the
words John Hancock, founded $780,"
Directly over this entrance was sign.
"Old Curiosity Shop" entered q
long narrow room, with ceiling 80 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 my 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 Capitol. Said he: 81 have often
seen Clay, Webster and Calhoun drink.
ing here together. Henry Clay and
Daniel Webfter used to be here night
after night. Clay always drank brandy
juleps. and his spirits rose rapidly under
the influence of liquor. Webster drank
considerable, and the only observable
change in him was that his eyes grew
brighter and his talk became if anything
more measured. Calhoun seldo drank
strong drinks, and usually took either
lemonade or sherry, and often nothing.
lively fellers in them days, and they
liked their fun just as we'll as the big
men do now. They often plsyed cards
here"
''Did they gambler" I asked.
"No, not for money, but generally for
the drinks. 1 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 don't think he
won drink during the whole evening.
spent very pleasant half hour ex-
aiming the curious things hung on the
walls and put up in cases around the
room. In one place there was q pair OF
shoes formerly worn by Washington.
Number tens, I should say, with broad,
fat soles, and commou-sense heels. No
aristooratic instep had the Father OF his
country, and this pair looks more like
the slipshod pair of u cobbler than those
of an F. F. V. Seeing them in this place
reminds me that Washington had many
Of the weaknesses of the statesmen of to.
day. He liked beer. was passionately
fond of the theater, and sometimes used
excited words commencing with capital
DIS.
Next to this was the seediest-looking
white plug hat 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 Gen.
Zach. Taylor, and the card stated that it
came from the battle Of Palo Alto. An
autograph letter of President Lincoln
stood lear by one of John G. Calhoun 8.
the great Secessionist and the great
Unionist almost kissing each other. A
picture OF Charles Guiteau was appro-
priately made companion to one of ].
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 occurred. Bills offering Sl0O.
600 reward for Booths arrest, tue extras
published by the Washington papers the
morning after the tragedy, and one con.
taining 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 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. II
is not down in the guide books, but its
history and museums make it worth see-
Washington Corr. Cleveland
Leader.
History OF the ones Family.