The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-06-11

back in tho later forties and had about
reached the end of his tcther when tho war
broke out.
For 90 years after Hickman's arrival in
Washington, back in tho thirties, he gavo
every evidence of having solved Thicker
avs famous problem of how to live well
on nothing u year. Ho belonged To u fine
Virginia family, but from his boyhood his
life was so unanimously irregular that
his father finally concluded he could stand
him Mt home no longer and shipped him
off to Washington with tho outfit of gen
tleman and $4,000 in cash. This was
only couple of years after Hickman had
attained his majority. Ho had received IL
first ratio collegiate education, was of
handsome and distinguished person, was
skilled in Craftsmanship and tho uso of
arms and possessed all tho graces of the
gallant of his day.
Upon his arrival he Immediately began
to set q pace for tho swift set of men who
Mt that period wcro startling tho more
staid folks Of tho capital with their wild
idiosyncrasics in dissipation. 1t was time
when young men used to flush with graft
fled pleasure when their young women
friends would clip them with their fans
and call them "sad dogs" with mock
mournfulness. Tho thirties saw the Inst
expiring throes of tho Bell 8 Life period,
with its dicing, cockfghting and apothe-
osis of six bottle men, and Hickman found
the atmosphere that suited him precisely
in. Washington. In less than year after
his suspicious entry into the capital his
$4,000 had disappeared, and he was not
only broke, but badly in debt.
For nearly dozen years after his
money WAS gone he made no change what
ever in his mode of life He still remained
the dictator of proper form in mems at
tiro tho creator of haberdashery for IL CON
siderable portion of this continent. He
was never required to pay for anything he
wanted in the way of wearing apparel,
and on tho periodical visits of tho mems
out1ttcrs who at that time made Al prac-
tico of going to Washington from New
York, Philadelphia and Baltimore to get
the trade OF tho famous men there, they
would all look UP Beau Hickman and
offer him anything no wanted for the sake
of the advertising his wearing of their
goods would give them. He lived at the
best hotels in tho city, holding their best
suits OF rooms without over paying cont
for his accommodations. When no would
finally carry the thing too far for a land
lords submission at ono hotel he would
calmly remove his effects to another.
Tho hotel men of that timo were differ
cnt from what they arc today, and they
hesitated to dun man who spent all his
time check by jowl with the most famous
men in the land. Hickman during this
period was never lacking in pocket money;
ho had not yet degcncrated into tho pen
sioner, but was the elegant beneficiary of
tho scores Of noted men on his list of init
mates. The newly arriving senators and
congressman mado practice of greeting
the beau with gildcd palm when they
came to Washington; tho younger public
men, flushed with political success and
AMBITIOUS for distinction among tho rapid
all night set among whom tho beau intro
duccd them, considered it rather an honor
to put so eminent u spcedcr as Hickman
in their debt and responded Willingly to
his taxation
But the roscato period of tho bcau's life
came gradually TO an end. Once Inc began
to slide the downward scale his descent
was rapid. He was compelled to make his
collections u matter of business instead of
matter of social patronization. He
never, however, put his demands in beg
ging or dependent manner but approached
his men in the spirit of one asking his Just
deserts for valuable consideration. In
time he came to consider himself u social
pension@r for services rendered in his bet
ter days, when he contributed to the mirth
and enjoyment of his friends
Ho made u practice of taxing members
of congress and other officials around
Washington for regular and specific
amount, which he would collect in tho
most busincssliko fashion. When he first
began this sort of thing, they generally
hundred his demands on account of his
brazen offrontcry, and no would regard
this complaisancc as u virtual recognition
of his demands. Every three months he