Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-26

place at which its driver stopped. He then
sent man to buy the horse, and he got it
for small amount, but it turned out to be
fast horse and good one.
Speaking of Grant one of his closest
friends here at Washington was Genera Ed
Beale, and it was to General Beale that he
gave two of the horses which were sent him
from Turkey by the Sultan, and I think
these are now on General Beale's farm, near
Washington. While was in Turkey
few years ago had chat with the drago-
man of our legation at Constantinople and
he told me queer story Of the selection of
these horses by the Sultan. The Sultan had
sent couple of fine steeds to the legation
with the instruction that they should be
sent to President Grant as a gift from him,
and the Minister had, in company with this
dragoman, tried them.
A Story About Grants Arabians.
One was magnificent jet black stallion,
but in riding him the Minister thought he
discovered fault and he insisted that the
dragoman should take him back to the Sui
tan and ask him to send better horse. The
dragoman replied that he could not do this;
that the horses were gift, and he used the
proverb about ''not looking gift horse in
the mouth" But the Minister insisted and
the dragoman went to the Sultan and asked
for audience. He is, by the way, q man of
fine sensbilities, and as an interpreter for
the legation he is the most important of all
men to Americans in Turkey. Said he to
me: 81 felt very much ashamed of myself
and my mission, and did not know what I
could do until at last a thought struck me
that the horse was a black one and
that black was the color of mourning
in America When I entered the palace
the first thing that the Secretary asked me
was as to how the Minister and myself liked
the horses, and I replied that they were the
finest horses that we had ever seen and that
our President would feel very proud and
would be delighted with the gilt. then
went on to praise the horses, and especially
the black one, which I said was magnificent
in every respect, but-here 1 stopped, and
Is there anything the matter with the
horse?'
".No,' said I, but you know black is the
color of mourning in the United States. 1t
means death with US, and I just wondered
whether such gift might not be considered
ominous if sent by the Sultan The Secre-
tary saw the point at once, he spoke to the
Sultan and I was thanked for my sug-
gestion, and the horse was changed for one
of another color and as sound as dollar"
A New Story of Cleveland.
I heard good story about William L.
Scott and President Cleveland from an Erie
man the other day. The incident occurred
while Scott was in Congress and Cleveland
was President Scott had, you know, given
something like so, 900 to the campaign
fund during the Cleveland campaign, and
he had shown himself an able thinker on
financial questions during his stay in the
House. He and the President were very
intimate, and Grover Cleveland thoroughly
admired him, and he wanted to have him
in his Cabinet. So when Dan Manning
died he offered Mr.. Scott the Secre aryship.
of the Treasury. He was surprised to find
that Mr.. Scott would not accept it, and
upon his asking the reason, Mr. Scott re-
piled:
'tPresident Cleveland, I appreciate the
fact that you have offered me what the
world considers a very high honor But
the Secretary Of the Treasury is merely the
clerk of the President, and I have too
many clerks of nv own to be a clerk for
any man. In fact, it takes all can do to
watch my own clerks, let alone the doing of
clerical duty for the Government I'm
much obliged to you for the compliment,
but can't accept the position"
The fact that Scott left IN his will a pro-
vision that his successor in his business
should receive $4,000 year shows that he
was rather high-priced man to whom to
give one of Uncle Sans $4,000 jobs. He
began life as a page in Congress and there
met Congressman named Reid, who took
a fancy to him and took him home with him
to Erie. Young Scott showed such business
ability that he soon began to get rich.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.