San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-10-02
Henry Clay's Horse.

~ recollect Henry Clays turnout
very WE'LL" said an old timer; she
had one of the old style Concord
buggies, with top that suggested o
Mother Hubbard bonnet. 1t was
evidently secondhand affair that
Mr.. Clay had picked up in a trade,
and nowadays would do very we'll for
an old woman to haul vegetables
around town in. The cushions were
stuffed with moss, and were 30 well
worn you could see the moss sticking
out at the sides. I'll bet Henry Clay
didn't know what lap-robe was, and
as for whip he didn't have any.
He used to slash his old sorrel stallion
with the ends of the reins 80 loud
you could hear it block off. The
steps TO the buggy were gone, and
Mr.. Clay used to jump over the
wheels. When he wanted to get in
he put one foot on the hub and swung
the other around over the wheel and
dashboard. The wheels were 30 high
he had to let the top down to get tout.
They had axle-grease in those days,
but Mr.. Clay had evidently never
found it out. He always drove his
horse at canter, and you could hear
the front wheels of his buggy squeak
ing as many notes as there are on a
piccolo."
"Ah, well do I remember that
sorrel stallion" continued the old
timer. "Henry Clay won him one
night at poker in John Hancock's
saloon, which is still running on the
avenue, from Col. Jim Bright, who
lived at Falls Church, Virginia.
Bright used to come over every week
and play poker with Clay, and he
generally went back to Falls Church
with a pocket full of money. But,
that was Clays lucky night He got
away with 1900 of Bright's money,
his watch, saddle and bride, over
coat and saddle bags, q new suit of
clothes that were in the saddle-bags,
three finger rings and breast-pin, a
brace of pistols and bowie knife and
q pair of boots"
ooh, you needn't laugh" said the
oldtimer, with great animation
"that's thetway they played poker in
them days. A man went the whole
hog or nothing. Why, didn't you
never hear of the time Henry Clay
bet himself clean down to hisl under
shirt, and he offered to pull that of,
but the other fellow didn't wear an
undershirt to put up against it.
Well, Sir, it's 80, anyhow, and the
very table he played the game on is
now in the front room up stairs over
saloon. It's an old pine
table about three feet square with q
hole in the middle to drop the per-
through for threes, fulls,
Aushes and jack pots. Well, sir,
about that old stallion. He was we'll
known around Washington for several
years. He always nickered when
Clay came near him. Clay carried o
pocket-full of shelled corn and he
gave the horse handful every time
he got into the buggy. The boys
knew the stallion well, and they used
to give him pieces Of bread, cake,
nuts or anything of the sort. He'd
eat watermelon and meat, and I've
seen him eat wads of paper as though
he WAS trying to make the boys
laugh. Well, sir, Clay had niger
named Sam. One day he loaned the
the stallion to Sam to drive to Alex
andria. Sam got drunk before he
left town, and he started out on a
gallop. He didn't stop till he got to
Mount Vernon, twenty miles off.
There he turned around and galloped
Ill the way back. The old stallion
dropped dead at the edge of South
Washington. There was over 100I
boys at the funeral. In revenge Clay
,oid the niger to Louisiana sugar
planter, with a proviso in the bill Of
sale that the planter should hitch
Sam in shafts and work him in cane
mill. Fact, sir !"