Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-09-19
HENRY CLAY'S TURNOUT,
How Ike I~ed 10 Brive-llis Favorite
HOrSC.
Washington Cor. Houston POST

Washington Cor. Houston Post
Il r"c0llcct Henry Clay's tugn ont
very well. said an old timer: "hc had
one of Tie oid-stylt Concord buggies.
with il iop that >u"g 'sted Il Mother Hull
bard bonnet. II WAS evidently Il second
hand affair which Mr. Clay had picked
" i'll II trade, and nowadays would do
very well for an old woman to haul veg
etablc> around town in. The cushions
We're stuffed with moss. and were so
we'll worn yOu could see the moss stick
out at the sides I'll bet Henry Clay
didn't know what IL lap-robe Was. and as
for il whip, he didn't have any. He
used To slash his old Sorrell stallion with
the ends of the rcinS so loud you could
hear il Il block off. The steps TO the
buggy We're gone, and Mr. Clay used to
jump over the wheels. When he wanted
to get i'll he put one foot over the hub
and swung the other around over the
wheel, and the wheels We're So high he
had to let the top down 10 get out.
They had axle grease in those DAYS. bnt
Mr. Clay had evidently never found it
out. He always drove his horse at a
cantcr, and You could hear the front
wheels of his buggy squeaking rs many
notes as there are on Il piccolo.
".ih, well do | remember that soi<.l
stallion, continued the old-tmcr.
''licnry Clay won him one night ut
poker in John lIancock's saloon. which
Is still running on the avenue. from
Col. jim Bright. who lived at Falls
Church. Va. Bright used to come over
every week and play with Clay. and he gen
orally went back To Falls Church with
pocket full of money But that was
Clay'S lucky night He got away with
81, 200 of Brght's money, his saddle and
bride, ovcrcoat, >ad,lle-hags, u new suit
of clothes that We're in tie saddle bags.
three iingcr-rings and bra pin, a
brace Of pistols and a bowie knife, and IL
pair of bouts"
'Oh, You needn't laugh, said the old
timer, with great animation; that's the
way they played poker in item days 4
man went the whole hog or nothing.
Why, didn't you never hear of The time
Henry Clay hct himself clean down to
his undcr>hirt. and he offered to pull
that off. bu, the OF her fellow didn't wear
an under>hlrt to put up against it!
Well, sir, it 50, anyhow, and the very
tahl" he played the game on is now i'll
IN" front room, up stairs, III liancork :
saloon. Its in oh pine table about
three feet square, with Il hole in iii"
middle 10 drop the percentage through
f"r llrrrs. fGll>. ilrI>hr>. and i9sl pots.
Well. sir. about that old stallion. He was
well known around Washington for sly
cral years. lie was always nrk,.rrl
when Clay cnin3 near him. CLAY ear
rl,'i Il poke! full of >hr!lnI corn. and
hr gave the hor>r a han Hui every time
he goi into the bHgry The boys knew
the stallion we'll and they used to give
him pieces Of bread. cake nuts. or any
thing of the sort He'd eat Watermelon
and meat, and Eve seen him eat wads of
paper rs though le va, trying to make
the boys laugh. Well. sir Clay had Il
Niger named sam. One day lie loaned
the stallion 10 sam to drive To Alexan-
dria. sam got drunk before he left
town and started oil on IA gallop He
didn't stop until he got to Mount Yer
non, twenty miles of There he turne |
around and galloped all the way back.
The old stallion dropped dead at the
edge Of South Washington. There We're
over 100 boys at the funeral. In re-
venge Clay sold the Niger to a Louisiana
ugar-plantcr, with Il provision in the
bill of sale that the planter should hitch
Sam in shafts and work him in the CANE
mill. Fact, sir