The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-06-23
"A LOT OF GOOD STORIES.
THEY ARE TOLD BY STATESMEN
or THE CAPITAL CITY.
There II Atso n Story Told By the WIG
Of Corporal Tanner. tho Kew fe"si""
Commissioner. and ~ L. About Lady
with n Fine Complexion.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON. Line 20. Senator Wade
Hampton Is a good story teller AS far
Us is known he Is up TO this time the only
man who has had the temcrity TO tell the
president an impious tale. and Gen. Har-
rison was actually very much pleased
with the narrative 81 always did like
..rmy stories. he SAYS. and you can't
expect army stories to bo good enough to
tell a Sunday school class for
gave the profanity Of Senator liamp-
toms story out Of consideration for
its wit The president is still rather
fond Of army "reminiscences ana mil
tary matters in general You can
see that in the soft side which he IS
ever ready to turn toward veterans OF
the field. in the correctly military salutes
which he makes in the presence OF Off
rers passing before him in procession, IN
the old military SLOUGH hat which hc in
variably wears while taking his consti
tutional strolls The story Senator
Hampton told was an army story-not
particularly new ami fresh, but new to
the president.
"One day during the war" said the
senator, 1.-THE colonel of South Carolina
regiment was making round OF inspec-
tion. Sitting lazily on n rail fence,
whiting at a piece Of shinglc. he found
n man whose face was not familiar 10
him. The colonel was indignant. APP
proaching the loafer he called out TO hun
with all proper severity; who the --
are you, sitting here in this fashion, L.
sir responded the man on the fence,
continuing his whiting am the chap
lain Of the ST regiment Now, who
In -- are your
That the president has strong sense
Of humor, despite his habitual dignity
and that poise Of manner which by some
Is mistaken for GOODNESS, IS becoming
rapidly apparent. During one Of the
many discussions which have been had
at the White House about the status OF
the colored men Of the south, a new story
was told by Col Parsons, Of Alabama
and greatly enjoyed by the president
Col Parsons was contending that the
people of the south know the colOrcd
man better than the people of the NORTH
and really like him better and treat him
better To illustrate his point he related
a story which was first brought TO Wash
ington by Mai Jones. Of Pine Bluff, Ark
Mai. Jones is d c0lored man himself, but
"A rich one. He is. in assi, the richest
man in Pine Bluff. where lac owns the
street car line and is interested in other
large enterprises. Maj. Jones, like Col
Parsons. believes the south is the place
for the negro, and that the people Of the
north. with all their sentiment about the
freedman. are not One-half 50 ready to
give him practical help as the men of the
south
There was Niger named Sam who
used 10 drive a street car for mo in Pine
Bluff" said Mai. Jones Sam could
read and in the newspapers he had seen
so much Of the love the people OF the
north bear for the cOlored man that he
concluded the north was the place for
him lie talked 10 me about it, and said
he was going up to Iowa and see If he
couldn't do better advised against it,
but he would go, and go he did. In
Iowa he was pretty well treated. The
folks up there called him Mr.. and shook
hands with him, and talked politics with
him as if he were an equal But they
didn't give him any work Nobody
seemed anxious TO have Sam work for
him.
This went on till the little money Sam
had taken with him was all gone, and
he then concluded the best thing he
could do would be to so back 60 Arkan-
saw, where white men might call him
hard names, but at the same time give
him something to do and eat. So he
started on foot, hoping TO pick up
enough food on the way to keep him
going. The first place he struck for
grub was nj farm house where a man
from New York lived. The farmer was
very polite to him. but when the grub
business was mentioned, said times were
hard and he didn't believe he had any
thing to spare. Sam trudgei along To
another farm house, and another, and
his experience at the first was repeated
at each of the others. Everybody was
polite. but nobody gave him any
chuck. For two or three days Sam
hadn't mouthfui TO eat. and his
belly was fairly hanging up against his
backbone when he came to place where
a man was out in the front yard moving
grass. To him Sam told his now old, old
story of leaving Arkansas. Of his bad
luck in Iowa. of his desire TO get back to
Pine Bluff. and of his great hunger. Be
fore he had concluded his story the
farmer interrupted him: You id
black idiot, he exclaimed. why didn't
YOU have sense enough TO stay in Arkan-
saw Sans face frightened instantly
lie almost fell on his knees for JOY, and
cried out Boss, YOU dunno how glad /
is 10 see YOU When did you leave the
souf youself? Oh. boss, but | is glad 10
git mong friends agin.' Go in the
house there. YOU black fool, an git some
chuck Perhaps you will know enough
another time to stay where you belong.
anu rdln Nib ~ ~ anu Nv htt'N '''i"NA
with chuck And he staid all night. and
Harted out in tire morning with a bag
full Of bread and meat to keep his belly
OIL his backbone while he journeyed on
toward Pine Bluff"
Barnes. of Georgia. the 500 pound con
gresham. and the heaviest man who sits
In the United States Capitol, is another
good story teller Indeed, story telling
appears 10 be one Of the accomplishments
OF southern statesmen. Barnes IS not In
Washington now. being at his Georgia
home drinking buttermilk Probably
Congressman Barnes drinks more butter
mill than any other man in the United
States For twenty years or more Barnes
has not seen his knees. except in a mir.
ror. and the meuntSin Of flesh which
stands between his eyes and his legs he
rubs about twenty times day in sum.
mer. eulps down glass Of buttermilk.
smacks his lips and exciaims; There is
nothing like buttermilk I'm summer.
but, Mr.. Barnes" said friend to him
one day last summer in Washington