Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-01-20
9HEslDAN,s JOKE ON GRANT
The Only Time the Great General Found
Cigar Too Strong For Him.

The Only Time the Great General Found
Cigar Too Strong For Him.
They had done Florida-tha,
is, as much of the Peninsular State
as people generally managed to see
II 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 solitary artist,
had just voyaged down the gulf
coast, stopping for an evenings
''send off"-and a very lively time it
was-at Key West, and now they
were domiciled in Havana. Grants
| perpetual cigar was a pillar of cloud
early in the morning and twinkle
of fire late at night. The Cuban col
ony of cigar makers at Key West had
slowed their staterooms full of their
choicest 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 a check upon
ones smoking under such tempting
conditions. So the American visit
| ors pulled away at 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 Cabanas, 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
| fine fanfare from a 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
| go over to MORO, traversing cover
ed ways and long open spaces in this
monday heat All might have gone
well, however, but unhappily Grant
ran out of cigars. He searched de-
spairingly through his sundry peck.
cts, but, alas, all in vain. Then
came Sheridan's opportunity, the
chance he had been waiting for after
long and varied experience of
Grants marked fondness for telling
army yarns at his expense. He had
cigar. 1t was not particularly
large or obtrusive, just regular AL
Havana, but, oh, it was black and
rich and wicked looking! 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 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 Il tack on his teachers chair. 1t
took little time for the strongest
cigar ever made in Cuba to get in it's
deadly work upon well seasoned
old smoker like Grant, and Sheridan
began to grow respondent, 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,
a 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
ratified at his, own success, but he
only winked solemnly at the secre-
| farv and caid. HTa1l ,a,Y, RI Laar,