The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-14
HENRY CLAWS HORSE
The Nag the Great Statesman Won at a Game
of Poker.

Washington Letter in Houston Post
II recollect Henry Clay's turnout very WE'LL
said an old-timer; ''he had one of the oldstyle
Concord buggies. with top that suggested
Mother Hubbard bonnet. 1t was evidently
second hand affair that Mr.. Clay had picked up
in trade, and nowadays would do very well for
an old woman to haul vegetables around town in.
The cushions were stuffed with moss, and were
so well worn you could see the moss sticking cut
at the sides. I'll bet Henry Clay didn't know
what laprobe was, and as for a whip, he didn't
have any. He used to slash his old sorrel stallion
with the ends of the relns so 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 over The hub and swung the other around
over the wheel and dashboard The wheels
were so high he had to let the top down to get
out They had axle-grease in those days. but
Mr.. Clay had evidently never found it out He
always drove his horse at canter, and yon
could hear the front wheels of his buggy squeak
ing as many notes as there are on a piccolo"
'Ah, well do / remember that sorrel stallion"
continued the old-timer. Henry Clay won him
one night at poker in John Hancocks 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
with Clay, and he generally went back to Falls
Church with pocket full Of money. But that
was Clay's lucky night. He got away with 81, 200
of Bright's money, his watch, saddle and Bride
overcoat. saddle-bags, a new suit of clothes that
were in the saddle bags, three finger-rings and ii
breast-pin, brace of pistols and bowie knife
and pair of boots"
''Oh, you needn't laugh said the old-timer
with great animation; that's the way they play
ed 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
his undershirt and he offered to pull that off
but the other fellow didn't wear an undershirt to
put up against it. WE'LL sir, it's so, any how
and the very table he played the game on is now
in the front room, up stairs in Hancock's sa-
loon. It's an old pine table about three feet
square, with hole in the middle to drop the
percentage through for threes, fulls. hushes and
jack pots Well, sir, about that old stallion. He
was well known around Washington for several
years. He always nckered when Clay
came near him. Clay carried a peck
et-ful1 of shelled corn and he gave
the horse a 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 stallion to
Sam TO drive to Alexandria Sam got drunk be-
fore 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 all the way back The old stall
lion dropped dead at the edge of South Washing
ton. There were over 100 boys at the funeral
In revenge Clay sold the niger to Louisiana
sugar planter with proviso in the bill of sale
that the planter should hitch Sam in shafts and
work him in the cane-mill. Fact, sir!"