The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-06-23
CLAY AND JOHNNY"
A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH THE
GREAT STATESMAN.
Along Ride in Virginia Which Made Clay
Remember a Country Boy After
Many Years-A Favor Re
ciPrOcated.
baltimore Herald

baltimore Herald
@Did know Henry ClayP repeated Mr..
John N. Holmes, of the firm Of Holmes &
Sons, in his Office the other day. Mr. Holmes
face lit up with an amiable smile as he con-
Einued:
"Indeed l did, and 1 never met a stranger
TO whom felt so drawn as did to him,
when first 1 became acquainted with him.
That was a good many years ago" Mr..
Holmes added, running his fingers through
his white hair. at was away back in 1885.
This is how it happened:
%In those days was a boy of 10 years and
lived with my mother in Frederick county,
Va, about eight miles from Winchester and
about mile from the stage road that ran
from Wa hington across the mountains One
day the stage met with an accident coming
coming down the hill, near our place, and
was upset. hurried 10 the scene and learned
that man had been killed. As wanted to
see what a dead man looked like, l APP
preached tall, bOny man who was seated
by the roadside writing letter on his knee,
to ask where the dead man was. He directed
me pleasantly and when / had seen all
wanted, ! returned and asked him if he
wouldn't come up 70 my mothers house for
dinner"
Il would like to do so very much, sonny"
he replied, %but can hardly walk"
That's all right responded; III go get
our barouche'
"He objected that it would be too much
trouble, but finally consented. So got the
vehicle and took him up to the house, while
the other passengers walked. While at din
ner my mother and | discovered that the
genial gentleman was Henry Clay. We also
discovered that he was very anxious to get
to Winchester at once, in order to take the
stage there for his home in kentucky. My
mother suggested that drive him over. He
thanked me, and nothing could have pleased
me better. When we were ready TO start
took the reins, but Mr.. Clay said to me:
=" See here, Johnny, suppose you sit bac,A
with me and let my colored man, Charles,
drive
IAN right, sir, said I, and back went.
1t was delightful ride TO me. / will never
forget it. Mr.. Clay completely captivated
me. He talked to me about school, about
horses, about farming, about shooting, in
fact, about everything that would interest
boy of my age, bringing himself down 70 my
level
Now, Johnny, want you to slip this
into your pocket, Mr.. Clay said when
reached Winchester. He handed me SO. 1
told him that my mother would never con-
sent to my taking that. 1t would reflect
upon Virginia hospitality.
L don't want to pay you, of course he
urged. L only want you to take this as a
present.
Il demurred again, and not until while
driving home looked on the back seat did L
know Mr.. Clay had quietly put the money
there.
"The next time 1 saw Mr.. Clay" Mr..
Holmes went on to say, "was in 1912, at
Dayton, Ohio He had just addressed a
mass-meeting and the people were pressing
forward to shake his hand. l was a
stranger, but L thought I, too, would go up
and speak to him. l told him my name was
Holmes. He stopped to think and said that
he once dined at the house of a Widow
Holmes in Virginia almost ten years before,
and remembered that she had a little son
named Johnny. He often thought about
their kindness he said, and wanted to know
If was any rotation. When l told him that
/ was Johnny he seized both my hands and
shook them with all his might inviting me
20 his hotel that night.
u saw Mr.. Clay again four years later in
Cumberland, Md. in 1876. He paid a visit
there few weeks after came to live there.
A reception committee of all the big guns in
town waited at the railroad station for his
arrival l managed to get in among the
crowd, near the edge of the platform. When
the train stopped Mr. Clay stepped off about
a dozen feet from where l was standing The
rscel ton committee was advancing, hat in
hand, to greet the great statesman, when
suddenly he caught sight of me, and, paying
little or no attention to the advancing COM
mittee pushed over to me- extending his
hand and exclaiming:
"'Why, John, is that you! What on earth
are you doing here!'
"The crowd Immediately turned its atten-
ton to me, and after Mr. Clay had &C
kn0wlsdged the committees courtesy he
took my arm and walked down to the hotel
with me. 1t was remarkable how polite
everyb body in town became to be after that
little episode.
"My last meeting with Mr.. Clay was in
lS49.D Mr.. Holmes added: Il was trying
to get a mail agency and had been faith
fully promised the influence of a congress
man who had been on the most intimate
terms with all my family since his boy
hood. ! discovered, however, from As
Eistant Postmaster General Dundass, that
my supposed friend was really working in
another mans interest taxed him with il
and told him that in spite of him, 1 would
have the office So l visited Henry Clay and
found him sick in bed He asked me what
the trouble was, and l told him I wanted
him to help me out, l said 1t was the first
time had asked him favor"
"Give me that portfolio" he said.
al did so and he wrote a few lines to the
postmaster general. 1 took the letter to the
latter In two days l had my commission
1t only goes to prove that Mr.. Clay never
forgot kindness done him He got more
than even with me at least"