Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1885-04-02
HENRY CLAY'S SORREL STALLION.

81 recollect Henry Clay's turnout very
we'll, said an old resident of Washington.
He had one of the old-style Concord bug
gies, with top that suggested Mother
Hubbard bonnet. Itwas evidently second
hand that Mr.. Clay had picked up in a trade
and nowadays would do very well for an old
woman to haul vegetables around town in.
The cushions were stuffed with moss, and so
we'll worn you could see the moss sticking
out 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 reins
so loud You could hear it block off. The
steps Of 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 round over the wheels
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 al
ways drove his horse in canter, and you
could hear the wheels of his buggy squeak
ing as many notes as there are on the pic
colo.
s. All, we'll do | remember that sOrrel stall
Iion," 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, Va. Bright used to come
over every week and play poker with Clay,
and he generally went back to Falls Church
with pocketful of money. But that was
Clay's lucky night. He gotta with 81 600
Of Bright's money, his watch, saddle and
bride, saddle bags, new suit of clothes that
were in the saddle bags, three finger rings
md a breastpin, brace of pistols and pair
of boots
ooh, you needn't laugh" said the old
timer, with great animation " that's the
way they played poker in them days. a
man went in whole hog or nothing. Why,
didn't you never hear of the time Henry
Clay bet himself clean down to his under
shirt, and he offered to pull that off, but the
,ther fellow didn't wear an undershirt to
put up against it? Well, sir, it's so any
low, and the very table he played the game
on is now in the front room over Hancock's
'aloon. It's an old pine table about three
feet square with hole in the middle to drop
the percentages through for threes, fulls,
aushes and jack-pots. Well, sir, about that
old stallion. He was well-known around
Washington for several years. He always
Sicked when Clay came near him. Clay
carried Il pockettul 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
Dread, cakes, 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 made the boys laugh. Well,
sir, Clay had a niger named Sam. One
day he loaned the stallion to Sam to drive
to Alexandria. Sam got drunk before he
left town, and he started out on gallop.
He didn't stop till he gOtto Mount Vernon,
twenty miles Off Then he turned around
and galloped all the way back. The old
stallion dropped dead at the edge of South
Washington. There were over one hundred
boys at the funeral. In revenge Clay sold
the niger to a louisiana sugar planter, with
a proyiso in the bill of sale that the planter
should hitch Sam in shafts and work him
in a cane mill. Fact, sir