The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1898-01-07
CLAY CHALLENGED CHOATE.
Bentucl.ian 7 need Breni;down and
Choatc Cut n Pigeon " ING.


Bentuciian = need Brenf;down and
Choatc Cut n Pigeon " inc.
In the long ago antobcl!0m duys,
when southern aristocracy made is
summer headquarters at ihc aut,d
Virginia Springs, where the rlnp>,ts
came up from the Carclinae, Tn
tucky, Georgia and MiasistirTi in
their carriages, with great b.ft~ee
trains and n retinue Of sei wants, and
when they came tho lrt Of June and
staid until frost fell, those we're gay
old times ut the mountain resorts,
when life was worth the pain of liv-
ing.
Beginning with the first register
in 1906 and coming on down 10 1860,
one finds a succession OF historical
names. There arc the Sumters, the
Pickenses and tho Hamptons of the
Carolinas; the Clays and Marshalls
and Crittendens Of Kentucky; Cor
win and Ewing and Irimble of Ohio;
tho Choates and Wcbstcrs and
Pierces of New England; Dickinson,
Marcy and Dallas Of the middle
states; Cass and Douglas and Benton
from the then far west the Floyds,
Cabells, PrGstons and galaxy of
bright names from Virginia; the
CAROLS from Maryland, and a host
of others whose names have render
ed American history illustrious.
Here these old notables camein their
shadbellied coats and sideboa1d col.
lars, and a proper, dignified time
they had of it as they mingled their
sulphur water and mint julcps to.
gether and talked politics. 1t was
away back in 1887, when there must
have been something in the wind of
importance to the Wing party. On
a musty old page of the hotel regis
ter of that year, in that fine, almost
feminine handwriting that is fa-
miliar to all, we find this inscrip-
ton, "H. Clay, Kentucky" while
among the next days arrivals are
Rufus Choate, Massachusetts; Thorn
as Corwin, Ohio; William G. Rives,
Virginia, and Millard Fillmore, New
York.
Those were the days when the
making of a julep was an art as well
as a domestic accomplishment. The
night before Mr.. Clay's departure
from the Springs he gave o banquet
in his cottage to his friends. For
tunately there is still living eye
witness to that entertainment, and,
il his description can be relied upon,
1t was gala event that transcende
all modern blow outs. Old Uncle
Jimmie Patterson, the venerable
gatekeeper, who has been an attache
of the White Sulphur from time i'm.
memorial, was tho floor servant on
the row in which the Clay cottage
was located and helped to serve the
banquet. He says that the deport
ment Of the host and the guests was
eminontly proper until about the
hour of midnight, but from thai
time CT the night until the morning
dawned there was high old time
on the premises. When the clotl
had been removed and the PowhataI
pipes were brought in-the degener
ate practice of cigar and cigarette
was not i'll vogue in those haley OF
days-s0me one called for music
and a messenger was sent for a ne
gro fiddler, Who soon appeared Will
his old fashioned instrument. Tht
old fiddler started i'll with Money
Musk - and then played Sugar IL
the Gourd," but when he touched VI
"Mississippi Sawyer Mr. Clay step
ped into the middle of tho floor anC
gave them Kentucky breakdown
This was fair challenge for MI
Choato, who followed with a New
England pigeon wing When tn
old negro struck the chord of "OlC
Virginia Never Tire" the courtl.
Rives, afterward minister TO France
felt that the reputation of the Ok
Dominion was at stake and, shedding
his coat, executed the double shufIl
with u skill that would make min
strel man enviCus. And thus th
fun grew fast and furious until th
gray dawn peCpCd over the noun
tain tops. louisville Courier jour
nal.