The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-25
A KALEIDOSCOPE LIFE,
FEW THINGS THAT MOONEY OF KEN
TUCKr HAB NOT DONE.

- ohaecnNN hht w "
Newsdeaicr. Conrectisner arecer. saloon
Keeper, ana Doctor. ana Has Taken
e05,Ooo Drinks OF whiskey In Firty Years.
LEXINGTON, KY, July 23.-ono of tho most
remarkable characters In Kentucky IL DIR.
Charles K. Mooney Of this city. who probably
has taken more drinks of whiskey than any
other living man. lie has averaged twenty
drinks a day for the last ffty years, making the
r total Of 385. 900 drinks. 1t should be
explained. however. that the doctor does not
drink more than n spoonful at n time, md he
has not been drunk for thirty yenrs.
Mr.. Mooney has had the most varied career of
all the mon in the State Of Kentucky, for he has
been n student Mt old Transylvhnia University,
n printer, n soldier in the Mexican war, n news.
dealer, confcctioncr, grocer, saloon keeper. edi.
tor. actor. and doctor. He was born on Jan. IS,
1894. in Mobile. Ala. He came to Kentucky in
1888. the year OF the cholera. lie attended
Pennsylvania University with Joe o. shelby.
John II. Morgan, Sanders d. Bruce. Bon G.
Bruce, Bernard GratZ, and other men who be-
came distinguished. When he quit college no
determined to become an editor, but, wishing to
begin at tho bottom, learned the printers trade
with Nimrod Pindell, publisher Of the Tnteili-
0enccr; he then went to work for Gen. Cassius
Mercellus Clay. who was publishing the famous
abolition newspaper, tho True American.
While he was working for Clay the Office was
mobbed and tho printing material boxed up and
shipped to Cincinnati. Young Mooney pro-
tested against the outrage, but in vain.
After Clay's Office was DESTROYED Mooney
went into u Job printing establishment, where
he remained a short time. He next studied
medicine under DIR. L. NJ. Lawson, who pub.
hshed the Lancet, q monthly medical journal.
by the time he passed his examination the Mex
lean war had come on, and in May, lsiG,
Mooney, who wns only 20 years old and very
small FOR his age, joined Cassius NJ. Cluy's com.
pany OF volunteers and went to Mexico. lie
was captured, with the others in Clay's COM
mand, Immediately upon entering the enemy's
country. at INCARNATION. He was three months
In prison In the City Of Mexico. with nothing but
coffee and bread for breakfast and coffee and
beams for dinner and no supper.
When Gen. Scott began to surround the C;tv
or Mexico Mooney, with the other prisoners. WINS
taken to San Bias on the Pacific coast and then
back to the mountains. Being more like a boy
than n man and being a good dancer and able to
speak the Spanish language. Mooney had q good
time While travelling TO and from the coast, He
wore "a suit OF Mexican clothes and receive SO
many Kind attentions from the McXicans TINT
his comrades dubbed him 1.-THE renegade" He
attended the Mexican balls and danced the fan.
dango as well as any OF the natives, He escapcd
from prison three times. but was caught and re-
turned. He piloted one party safely through
the lines and they escaped, but he fingered
behind to cover their retreat and was
captured. He was exchanged finally Mt
Tampico. where he was placed under the
command of Col. Gates. The Co!one! wanted
printers to set up and print his daily orders and
Mooney was chosen to do the work. Col. Gates
paid him VI per thousand ems Tor setting up
ana correcting the orders. and his earnings were
~ n dAy. He finally Skinned in b. ., ,.,,.u
stephen McKinn. a vessel which was unsea.
worthy at the time. In coming across the Gulf
officers ordered all men below and the matches
h~attened down. Mooney refused to 20 and
%isb, ."S MsiIe 10 ibe the s,n rigging rlvd for tW W., days and
rived with his comrades at New Orleans the
yellow fever was raging, ana half the men with
Returning from the war Mooney went to Lou.
isviile and ohtnineA employment ms city edit or
dore o'Hara. the poet. Col. stapp, Col. PicEet.
and Col. Howard. Ills CONTEMPORARIES fsce.
four to!onels. Mooney remained sae t theeTr OF up 5hi
bloody Monday" when the Know Nothinss
killed SO many Catholics. The Times was o..
posed TO Know Nottingham. and on that terrible
night. while Mooney was alone In the editorial
roems. the mob came to loot and destroy the
smashins the windows they rushed TO he ed.
torial rooms. The leader. who was from New
the ifh1,a eaai Tors ! w We Te' N MoSn MoG rcSiilz a9ked tb mheT f.
would be worth his lifc TO disclose his identity.
rcp!led; nave no idea: l am looking for them
myself George d. Prentice. hearing that the
mob was destroying the Times ol.cc. rushed to
the scene. and being a trienc OF the Know Moth
ingS soon pers inded them To leave the office.
Being dissatisfied with his experience as an cd!-
tor nnd printer after having been twice mobbed
Mooney concluded he would return to Lexing.
ton. where he opened the tirs, newsstand ever
known in the city on the corner. OF Mill and
short streets. He was successful. and a few
conducted In the city. lie then oVened cigar
stands In the Phoenix and Broadway hotels, and
saloon on the corner OF Limestone and Short
streets, where the Leland hotel now stands.
Tais yEIF oonsl m +" be = a E tld \ min Y, o for during the
Beer was practically unknown here at that
wh!skey. cost rs cents. Toddies and cock
tails were from 80 to 90 cents each. and
each bottle to Mooney being So. Lexington was
headquartcrs for the Union forces throughout
KentnckE. and money poured into Moomey's I'LL.
He established another saloon on Mill street
during the war and both the establishments did
a land-ofice business. One year after the war
devoted. died. and the loss so affectet him that
he decided to quit business. He sold HIS two
and for ten years travelled over the United
states. One OF his first ne~hieyemcnts on his
louisville, He chartered a car and rode into
Louisville in state, That night he give a banquet
70 his Kentucky friends at Walkers and threw
fornia on a sailing vessel by way Of Cape Horn.
He afterward became an actor, and while on
the stage went TO Chicago, where he played
He was there when the great fire OF II oc-
Cured. and lost all his wardrobe. lie attended
the ball which was given after Thomas's concert.
during the fire; and after the gas works blew up
danced by the light OF tho fire. After his wan
derings he returned 10 Lexington. He is now n
hopeless invalid with Bright's disease. lie IL as
cheerful AS ever. and says that he IL the happicst
man in Lexington. He is the father OF the two
well.known jockeys. John and WIN Mooney. He
is n brother.in-law OF Gus Jaubert. the famous
bnrgoo maker, who obtained q national rcputn-
tion by making the burgoo for the National En-.