The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-20

his NaDie manners We're not VI Tie DeSt.
/ have a book written by Maclay which
gives his experiences when he was in the
United States Senate at the time wash
ington was President Maclay dined With
Washington a number of times, and scat
tered through his diary are bits of gossip
about Washington At two Of the dinners
he describes Washington as amusing him
scaf between the courses by playing the
devils tattoo upon the table with his fork
At another time he says. "The President
kept fork in his hand when the cloth
was taken away. / thought It was for the
purpose of picking nuts He ate no ruts.
hut played with the fork striking Oh tie
edge of the table with IT.
Washington, at this time, had some
trouble in keeping up his establishment.
When the revolutionary war closed he had
plenty of land bus little money. He had
exhausted his private fortune during the
war. and he had To borrow enough to take
him TO New York to be inaugurated as
President The result was he was quite
careful of mis- expenses. and would not toll
crate extravaganza An instance of this
kind occurred one day when he found the
first shad of the season on his table. The
President was very fond of fish. and when
the shad was brought into the dining room
his nostrils diiated as the savory odor
struck them. and he asked:
What fish is that2"
"A shad." replied the steward excitedly;
"a very fine shad / knew your Excellency
was extravagantly fond OF this fish. and
was so fortunate as to procure this one in
the market. 1t was the only one. sir, and
the first Of the season.
But the price. man? The price? The
price," demanded Washington sternly.
''Three-three-three dollars" stammered
the steward.
Take it away. Take it away. said
Washington. cit shall never be said that
my table sets such an example of luxury
and extravaganza.
And SO the three-dollar fish was taken
from the room, to be devoured by the serv-
ants.
RICHEST MAN OF HIS TIME.
As the years went on Washingtons lands
increased in value and when he died he
was one Of the richest men of his time
lie owned lands and stock and negroes.
and MS estates amounted to thousands of
acres. He had houses in Alexandria and
property in Washington. He had valuable
lands near the present site of Pittsburg.
lie was throughout his life money maker,
was boy he got s. q. day and upward for
his surveying. He put his surplus money
into lands, and an advertisement in a Bal
timore paper of 1773 states that he had
2O,00O acres of land for sale on the Ohio
river. His will, which is now kept about
twenty miles from Washington in the
safe of the old courthouse at Fairfax, Va,
gives detailed statement of every article
he coH n to- IL
His personal estate was then put down at
1000, and this included vast amount
of tobacco, large numbers of CATTLE sheep
and horses, nearly all of which he willed
to his wife. This Will is now kept in a
wooden box, the top of which is covered
with glass. 1t was torn in two some time
ago by some careless sightseer, and since
then no one has been allowed to handle it,
The account books which are kept here in
the State Department show that Washing
ton was very careful about keeping rec
ord of his expenditures. He put down
everything. and among ether items you see
here and there the amounts which he lost
at cards In April, 1772, he lost 800 in this
way at the house of Rev. BOuscher, and
little further on there is an item stating
Paid for teddy for self, Walker and 9TH
ers, at a little jamboree near the Drum
mond lake co" During the time he
was candidate for the House of Bur-
gesses OF Virginia, when he bought the
whisky above spoken Of his losses at cards
and at the horse races are frequent. The
curious thing about his accounts is that
there was almost always a deficiency at
the end of the year which he could not ac-
count for. This made no difference how
ever with his starting the new year with
fresh account, for one item at this time
is us follows: by cash, either lost, stolen
or neglected to charge, e144 IS Id" In
other words, he was short that year over
$780,
ECONOMICAL, BUT NOT STINGY.
Through his letters now owned by the
government you see here and there CORE
spOndence which shows that he was very
hatd up at times. In 1885 he wrote that he
could get no wheat on credit, and that he
had no cash to pay for it. Three years
later he urges a man to pay the $1,000
which he owes him, and says he has put
off the sheriff three times already and that
he needs this money to pay his taxes. He
was not afraid to dun his debtors, and he is
said TO have been one of the shrewdest
dealers among the planters of his time.
He was always preaching economy to his
SttNdillS, DHL On the WnOie was somewhat
lenient. as. for instance, he employed one
man, carpenter, making a contract with
him for year and providing therein he
was to have four days IN which he might
get drunk about Christmas. Washington
was to have four days in which he might
not endure waste of any kind. and he went
about over his estate doing his best to stop
tho leaks. In one of his letters home he
urges that the greatest economy be used in
feeding the hay at the mansion house. He
writes:
I enjoin upon you TO particularly guard
against Mrs. l.. Washington's Charles and
her boy in the stables, both OF whom are
impudent and self-willed and care not how
extravagantly they feed even waste, for
have caught the boy several times litter
ing his horses with hay. see no sort of
necessity for feeding the horses either grain
or hay when they are not used or any horse
that is at liberty and able to provide for
itself. I can plainly perceive that in little
time there will be nothing either for my
negroes or horses to eat without buying it,
which viii neither compOrt with my inter
est or inclination. BY Stuart's report l find
he still continues to feed horses with corn
instead of cut oats. as | directed What
two saddle horses are those which stand in
the mansion house report? l know of none