The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-09
RICHARD w. THOMPSON
HIS "REMINISCENCES OF PRESIDENTS
WHOM HE HAS KNOWN.
Incident and story Covering the Ma
jefferson to the Present.
Copyright. 1898. by Frank G. carpent


TERRE HAUTE, Ind, JAN 81 came to
Terre Haute to have chat with a man who
saw Thomas Jefferson, who was handled on
the knees Of James Madison, whose boyish
head was patted by Monroe, who saw John
Quincy Adams when he was in the White
House, and was serving with him in Con-
gress when he dropped dead in The Hall of
Representatives This man was given politi-
cal advice when he started out in life by
Andrew Jackson. He knew Martin Van Blu
rem. He was one of the presidential electors
who put William Henry Harrison in the Ex-
ecutive Mansion, and he refused the mission
to Austria when it was offered to him by
President Taylor. He had close associations
with Fillmore. He was a friend of Frank
Pierce and he knew well James Buchanan.
He served in Congress with Abraham Lin
coin and during the latter's presidency he
was his trusted friend. He knew Johnson;
was a friend Of Grants, and during the
presidency of Hayes he was the secretary
| of the navy. With the exception of George
| Washington and John Adams he has
| ISOLATED with every President of the United
| States, so that to-day he forms, as it were,
| a bridge between the past and the present.
| The man refer to is the Hon. Richard w.
Thompson, of Indiana. He is now eighty
/ ClShl SCdio VI dSS, Uul IllS lIllCllSCludl lcC-
ultes are as bright as they were when he
managed the navy of the United States, and
| his soul is as young as when he was ad-
mitted to the bar. now more than sixty-four
years ago. Tall straight and fine looking,
his blue eyes shine with life his skin is as
! fresh as that of a baby, and the chief signs
Of his age are in his silvery hair and the
slightly feeble way in which he moves about
/ from place to place. His voice was strong
| as he chatted with me, and as 1 looked at
him [ could not realize that he had lived
more than twice as long as 1 upon this
earth, and I asked him the secret of his
wonderful vitality Mr.. Thompson replied:
| Il suppose the secret of my good health
| is largely due to temperance in eating and
drinking. I drink very little, and 1 never
eat anything that does not agree with me.
was born, you know, in Culpeper, Va, and
when / was approaching manhood the doc
| tors held a consultation over me and decided
that l would die of consumption. They said
my only salvation was to keep out of doors,
| and my father made me take a horse and
| tour over the mountains to Kentucky. did
| this, and spent the greater part of two years
on horseback, coming home with much more
| flesh than when 1 started, and in excellent
health. 1 don't think the doctors knew what
| thCy WC4C ldAhll1S dDOul, DQl nave no
doubt the horseback riding did me good.''
| II see that you use tobacco, Mr.. Thomp-
son." said /, as pointed to the cigar which
he was smoking.
Eyes; I have smoked all my life, and
most of the time to excess. Not long ago
I became subject to a. sort of fits, and the
doctors told me that it was due to nicotine
poison They said / was otherwise per-
fectly healthy, but that my system was
saturated with nicotine. I then proposed
to stop my smoking but the doctors adj
vised me to reduce my limit to four cigars
a day. I have done this, and am now free
from any bad tendencies of any kind"
HENRY CLAY'S LECTURE.
''Then the moderate use of tobacco is not
so bad for one after alp"
81 think man would be a great deal bet
| ter off without it, replied Colonel Thomp-
son. Il have used it, but have a strong
constitution and my temperance in other
things has enabled me to withstand it's bad
effects. 1 once chewed tobacco to excess.
but have not used it in that way for fifty
years"
How did you come to stop chewing,
colonel?
There is quite a story in that" was the
| reply. You see, almost all young men
Il
quid in my mouth almost all the time I
was particular as to what brand of to-
bacco 1 used, and when a friend of mine
from Virginia presented me with a lot of
very fine plug tobacco, 1 took it with me
to the House of Representatives and laid
it away in my desk. 1 was, you know then
a member of Congress. There were a lot
Of other tobacco chewers sitting near me-
Tom Marshall, of Kentucky, was on one
side, Garrett Davis was on the other and
there were good fellows all around me. So
I passed my titbit around. There was
good lot of tobacco and I supplied the
party. | noted however, that the plugs
seemed to be going faster than was right
and it bothered me. For a short time 1
suspected the page boys. and accused them
of stealing my tobacco. They denied it,
AT last one. morning a page came to me
and said: Mr.. Thompson, / can tell you
who is stealing your tobacco 1t is Senator
Mangum. of North Carolina. 1 at once
went to the Senate and found Henry Clay
and Mangum sitting together, both chew
ing busily. / charged Mangum with the
theft. He owned up to it, and told me that
he did it for my good. Thereupon Henry
Clay broke in, and the two gave me lecture
on the evil effects of tobacco chewing They
lOlu me tLdL was chewing TOO much and
that 1 would certainly ruin my nervous
system if 1 did not stop. In short, they
made such an impression upon me that
after supper that night 1 did not take my
usual chew. My wife noticed the omission.
, but said nothing. 1 thought the matter over
after I went to bed that night and decided
to stop. gave away what tobacco l had
left, and L have not chewed from that day
| to this"
A HEALTHY OLD MANS HABITS.
"Tell me something about your habits.
colonel
II don't know that I have any," was the
reply while was secretary of the navy
at Washington I did not touch a glass of
wine and do not now I take about three
teaspoonfuls of whisky a day by my doc
tors advise My best meal is my break
fast, and I enjoy good beefsteak and eat
plenty of it. drink one cup of coffee at
this time
How about cakes?"
81 like cakes and waffies, and eat them''
How about the other meals?'
II don't care mucn for them. l eat only
plain food and very little of it,
do you take much seep?"
Eyes: / have always slept a great deal,
and 1 sleep late now. When I was in
Washington 1 had to be up as late as or
o'clock every night. but / usually re-
manned in bed until late in the morning."
in ccid bof he