The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-02-25
sHERlDAN's JOKE ON GRANT
The Only Tams the .arema Genarnl Reuna
Cigar TOO B&rOmm Eof MHm.

TAs Only Tam@ enc @remA Gemarmf R@wnd
% Cigar TOO Btromm Ror Mam.
They had DONE Florida-that
il, as much Of the Peninsular State
an people generally managed to see
IL years ago-and the party, COM
posed of General Grant, General
Sheridan, their wives, two nieces of
Mrs. Grant, the secretary, Mr.. By.
ron Andrews and a solitary artist,
had just voyaged down the gulf
coast, stopping for an evenings
''send of''-and very lively time it
was-at Key West, and now they
were domiciled in Havana. Grants
perpetual cigar was pillar of cloud
early in the morning and a twinkle
of fire late at night. The Cuban col
ony Of cigar makers at Key West had
slowed their staterooms full of their
choiceR goods, while the famous
manufacturers of Havana had all
brought out special brands, sending
sample hundreds to the palace for
the approval of the two famous sol
diers, 1t would have been breach
OF etiquette to keep check upon
ones smoking under such tempting
conditions. So the American visit
ors pufred away ut countless incom-
parable cigars while the gayly clad
officers of the palace household roll
ed their cigarettes and wondered
how long the famous smoker could
keep it up.
Presently there came day when
the. programme included visit to
the lofty fortress of Cahanas, over
the bay. The heavy state barges
rowed the brilliant little party
across the breezeless harbor, and, oh,
it was hot! They climbed the zig
gag path which leads up to the por-
tai cut into the grim front of the
great military prison, which was
even then nearly filled with prison
ers of state. They were shown
through courts, deep, dark passage
ways, parades, barracks and prisons,
which fill the whole vast interior of
this great, gloomy, terrible place.
General Pocurul, then commandant
of Cabanas, paraded the troops with
a fine fanfare from bugle squad,
and then lunch was served at head
quarters, high up on the battle
ments, commanding grand view of
the city and village dotted country,
which in those days presented a
prosperous and beautiful appear
ance. General Grant saw every thing
and smoked on faithfully. He noted
that of the hundreds of cannon
planted everywhere, from the water
batteries beneath the palms far be-
low, up along the precipitous slopes
to the crest of the walls of Cabanas,
nearly all were of antique model and
inferior caliber, practically useless
in modern demonstration, but over
upon Morro's walls, half a mile
away, as they were told, there were
rows of big new guns, especially
just to the right or eastward of the
castle. And SO, having shown an in
terest in the matter, the party must
60 over to MORO, traversing cover
cd ways and long open spaces in the
monday heat. All might have gone
well, however, but unhappily Grant
ran out of cigars. He searched de-
spairingly through his sundry pock-
cts, but, alas, all in vain. Then
came Sheridan's opportunity, the
chance he had been waiting for after
q long and varied experience of
Grants marked fondness for telling
army yarns at his expense. He had
q cigar. It was not particularly
large or obtrusive. just regular Al
Havana, but, oh, it was black and
rich and wicked lookingl Sheridan
had been shown through a tobacco
factory the previous day. While he
waited this cigar was made for him,
and he put it away carefully and
smiled q contented little smile.
So General Grant, with a deep,
happy sigh of relief, touched a
match to General Sheridan's cigar,
and Sheridan-he Jagged and gy-
rated like bad little boy who has
put tack on his teachers chair. Ii
took little time for the strongest
cigar ever made in Cuba to get in its
deadly work upon a well seasoned
old smoker like Grant, and Sheridan
began to grow despondent, but joy
once more suffused his rugged yet
rubiound features as he saw his old
commander with a pallid face talk
Ing hurriedly with the interpreter,
q funny mixture of English and
West Point Spanish, and a moment
later he collapsed in the shade of a
wall. There was instant alarm
among all who gathered around, and
even the jolly Sheridan got bit
Fattled at his own success, but he
mnlv vvinked Solemnlv af the seCre-