Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-11-13
STATESMEN Al TABLE.
a wAiTkrs sxcollrcr1oxs.
HENRI eias aud Bn'ter.d was.rrneios yesn
G. Chihosn Demands 'pe..um-r.nion's
Tss'e Tor Bacon and s,ols.ses -whas
kitied Harlan


iBsltinorr Herald,
went 10 tell you" continued the SUI
peIanuaica feStsurateur, cot Henry Ciy.
fHheps you never heard OF Whist an eater
ne "s>. "eii' can say that I knew Mr..
'Ey q great many vcsrs. because waited
on bim. both at the National Hotel and II
Iiahcock restraint. ~ well ~ mt = great
many otner places. Dir. Clay was great
lover OF bfolicd oysters aud baked pump.
k'hs. lie was The most singular man ever
saw about his eating. People said he
wanted 10 be eccentric for effect. PERKINS,
you don't Know that Dir. Ciay used 20 eat
butter on hls waiermt lOns2 Well. SIR, be
aid. L recsllect very well that on a
cerirn day, when there was great
many famous men at the table, Including
Mr.. torwin, Mr.. Calhoun, General Tay-
,0r' ana 'endh Carey, Of Michigan. Dir.
Gay had Ills watermelon set out before
MIA. Altfr having the melon sliced. he
said NOW. gentlemen, you have before
you inc most magnificent product OF the
vegetable Kingdom; now. here Il the most
niagniiicent product OF the animal king
dcm-buitor.' Then he proce Gpd 10 but
Ter slice OF melon, and he put the butter
on thick. and can tell you that he did not
Stop ut one slice. In fact. | may say that
be never did stop at four or five slices Of
bu'tercd watermelon every time they put
watermelon on the table. But I can say
that none Of the other gentlemen ever fol-
lowed bis advice. One OF Mr.. Gays
friends. a Kentucky colonel. tried 1t once,
but you ought 10 BEE him lay the water
melon down real quick. No. sir, [ never
see nobody 'cept MIR. Clay
TAKE TO BuTTERED WATERMELON.
Somehow or other all these great mea
had their peculiarties about what they
wanted TO cat. There was Mr.. Calhoun,
who always had his 'possum and sweet
potatoes when be could get them. He used
10 s3y TO me: Now, Steve, you yet me a
nice fat postum, cook it the day after it /.
killed, parbOil II, then put II in hot oven
with boiled yam poiators laid around Il In
the oven. and then lei 1t slowly brown. II
you can get coon, Steve. you make plenty
Of coon gravy. very brown. and pour il over
the 'possum. And don't you fail TO have the
'possum well favored with pepper. salt, and
sage. Well, sir. you Just ought 70 see Str.
Calhoun sit down 10 dish OF 'p0ssum
with coon gravy. lie wasn't big man.
bat he wss mighty thin, and there was
plenty OF room about his vest. lie would
make that 'pOssum very sick before he got
through with IL. He used to say that it
reminded him Of old South Carolina TO elt
'possum. and that's the reason he liked IL
so well. Many time he's told me about
going out 'pOssum-hunting at night, with
colored boys and dogs and an axe,
freeing the 'possum, cutting the tree
down. and roasting the 'pOssum
before a log FIRE. MI. Calhoun's neighbors
down there used to send him boxes OF per-
simmons, and these be would distribute
among his friends here as one OF the great
products Of South Carolina. OF. course
Sir. Calhoun had all the old southern
habits. He wanted his coffee IN the morn
ing before he got out OF bed. For break.
fast he wanted hot corn bread or biscuits
and the breast OF a chicken. lie wouldn't
eat any other part Of the chicken. For
dinner be didn't care much for anything
except soup and fish. II was at night TINT
lie WANTED HIs 'PossUH
OF any extra dish e might fancy.
"Senator Benton, of Missouri, was
mighty funny man ibout his eating" con-
tinucd Uncle Steve. 81 was atthe National
Hotel Tor a long time while he boarded
there, and can say that he was about ~
iussy man as you ever saw. He could
talk more and pay his walters less than any
| ever waited on. In the
morning he would say TO me steve, You
black rascal, bring me a Missouri cock
tall Thar would mean whisky straight.
two drinks IN one. He would cali
for pretty much everything on the
bill OF fare, but he didn't touch
much OF it. What do you suppose was his
isvoritc dishp Bacon and mOasses, as sure
as you are born! He would have big
dish Of bacon fred crisp. with the gravy
at the bottom. Then he would pour pirt
Of mOlasses over it, and tell you, when he
got through there wasn't anything left but
the dish. That's the reason Mr.. Benton
had his meals mostly in his room. He did
not want people TO know that he was so
fond OF bacon and molasses.
There's President Harrison, who died
so quick after he got into The White
House. They all say that he died FROM
nervous prostration, and all
that. But the man who waited on him
said that he died from too much dinner.
He had been In the White House but few
DAYS when he told the waiter he had
brought from Indiana TO get him up what
he called regular old-iashloned South
Bend dinner. That was Mr. lIsrrison's
home in Indiana. and his order meant
cabbage, pickled-pOrk, fresh roast-pork,
pens, cucumbers. and sweet potatoes, with
FILTERS for dessert. That was on
, dsy that Mr.. Webster had a lon. talk
with him. Mr.. Webster was in his cabi-
net, and he said: Harrison, IL these
Id Oflice-seekers don't Kill you, that
dinner will.' Well, sir. he
NEVER SAW WELL MINUTE
after that dinner. lie had indigestion,
headaches. and swimming in the head, and
they say that his mind wasn't right Till he
died. IL might have been something else,
but ] believe that IL was that dinner that
raused his death. The old cook at the
White House said that he had cooked for
Eve Presidents. but that Mr.. Harrison
could eat more than all OF them put togeth-
,r. Why. sir. he could eat two whole
tc-head cabbages and pork 10 cOrre-
,pOnt, with cOrn-cakes and molasses, at one
iiue. The story at that time was that when
be was in the army Lc always eat double
ratlons. and the cOmmiSsary did moi charge
him extra for 1t. While be was fighting in
The army his favOrite dish was raw pork
and bareback, and the other officers used
10 set around and watch HIN get away
with il.
..Who was the smallest eater ] ever
knew? Well, Eve known good many
small eaters, but I believe that Mr.. JEFF.
Davis WAS about the smallest | ever saw.
He was always so thin you could almost
see through him, and they used TO say II
was because he did not eat enough.
waited on him at Welcker's before he was
Secretary Of Wsr-it must have been about
1897. or may he forty years ago. He looked
sickly and pale, seemed ~ eat because he
was obliged to. lie drank tea instead
Of coffee. but he never drank more
than half cup. About two or
three mouthfuls OF toast finished his
breakfast. For dinner he had halt
plate OF soup, = thin slice OF roast beef,
" ich he had hardly tasted. and glass OF
elsret. lie read papers nearly all The time
be was sitting at the table, and never no
ticed anybody without he was spoken to.
have often seen him get up from the table
without touching anything. They say he
used to make il up on brandy just before
he went to bed, but | didn't know any
thing about that. We waters wondered
bow be could live, but be seemed healthy.
One day | banded him bill OF fare and
asked him il be wouldn't have some OF the
oyster palties. lie said he would. but
when got back he was gone, though there
was two dollar and half gold piece.
oN THE EMPTY PLATE.
"Presideut johnson was another curious
eater. did not, know much about hlin
" hen be was President, but abont twenty
years before, when be first cane TO Con-
-Iess. he bOlrlled III the National aNhle,