The evening times., 1895-10-24

tween Randall and Carlisle for the Speaker
ship, John z. Mclean, of the Cincinnati En-
quirer. which newspaper favored Randall
and his Washington correspondent, Will
lam C. Mcbride, now the managing editor
of the New York Morning Journal, which
Mr. Mclean has since bought. were playing
i game of billiards in Wizards Hotel, in
Washington There was n large crowd
present Hickey entered the room. Feet
ing ran high over the Speakership contest.
Hickey openly Offered to bet Mclean
$1,000 that Randall would not be elected,
and when the ne wspaper man mildly sug-
gested that he did not care to make the
wager the Missourian remarked that he
ought to be willing to back up his opinion
in his newspaper "0h," said Mclean.
'.if it is simply my money you want. Iu
toss you dollar once for $500 note"
Flip her up said Hickey. II cali
head" The coin was spun in the air and
when it fell on the floor the tail was upper
most Without word or a wink the
loser. who always carries very large sums
of money with him, produced $500 note
and handed it to the winner. Mclean tooI
the "long green" which is the gamblers
term for a big-sizcd bill, and, with care-
TESS d1E. Hduuttl IL W 2hSoiuit. nv ct'co
by, saying: Take this, Billy, and 80
and buy some cigars with it,"
With these sidelights upon the mans
character the story OF the Hickey can be
told. The colonel from Galloway county
spends about two months of every year in
New York City. While in Missouri and in
Westinghouse is isalmostinvariably the most
abstemious of men; when in the metropolis
he likes to have a mildly enlivening time.
Nine years ago lie was there staying at tho
st. James Hotel. where there was also tenn
porarly residing Il Philadelphia newspaper
man. The latter. like many good Philadel-
phians. was very fond of lines in the sum-
mer time, and even went to the extreme OF
using their juice in his beverages New
York bartenders at that time did not know
what lime was and so the Philadelphian
when ne visited New York once a week dur
ing the summer time. took number over
in his yalise, their use In Philadelphia
drinking places being an old story. These
were given to the head bartender t the st.
James and ne was instructed in their
use. He was told to squeeze the Juice OF one
good-SiZcd lime into tall champagne glass
or n smali-sized ale glass, throwing in also
the rind OF half the lime. Then was In
troduccd one smallsized lump OF ice-not
cracked ice-for that is an abomination in
any drink that is not taken through a straw.
Next was added an ordinary drink OF good
whisky and the glass afterward filled to
the brim with squirt from a siphon of
soda. That was all; very simple. and
lines very beneficial in the dog days.
One day Joe Hickey witnessed the con-
toction OF this beverage and said: Let me
try one OF those things" 1t then lad no
lame. Rickey became enamored On the
spot, and that day made serious onslaughts
upon the lines. He was eii-known in
all the prominent places in New York and
his wishes were aDxiously catered to.
when he went to the Hoffman House and
the Fifth Avenue Hotel and asked for
''one of those things l get at the st. James,"
and found they knew nothing of them he
filled the lordly bartenders with humilia-
tiun and they immediately sought informa-
ton from the Ganymedes OF the st. james.
His enthusiastic admiration of the new
tipplc was such that during his visit to
New York he rarely drank anything else
aud the i'artenders among themselves in
order to distinguish it from other beverages
spoke OF it as that drink of Colonel
Rickeys In time this was abbreviated to
"a Hickey" But bear in mind-and herein
is revealed the sacrilege OF the present
condition OF things-that Joe Hickey never
drank gin in his life. abhorred gin. and de-
gpised men who drank it. The Whisky
trust was to him the most powerful organ
ization In the land, and TO him the product
OF its distilleries was the wine of the peo-
pie. And, therefore, Is 1t little wonder
that the present query of "gin or whisky
Rickey?" Jars upon those acquainted with
the genesis Of the decoction?