Evening star., 1901-07-20
IQUAlNT JENNY MAHER
RECOLLECTIONs OF A CHARACTER
OF JACKsoN's TINE.
Some Other Well-KnOwn Persons
in Washington Also Briefly
Alluded To.


Written for The Evening Star
In the days that are gone, when beauty
bright my hearts chain wove," when
Roger Weightman, Jo Gales and William
W. SeatOn were mayors of Washington,
and we had no Commissioners of the Dis
trict of Columbia and only one or two free
negroes-who were pointed out and COM
mented upon along the-street-Wa ashington
city was truly rural, rus in urbe.''
Our city, though small, primitive, pro-
vincial--nay, call it barbarous-was an in
nocent community, comparatively, and
each one tolerably well acquainted with
his neighbor and his affairs. In many
now exists. Andrew Goddard, retired dry
goods merchant of 7th street. and the
writer were recalling memories of those
old times together the other day in his
handsome home on 18th street northwest.
Andrew is just three weeks and three days
younger than the writer. having been born
on the 4th of March, 1922 the date of An
drew Jackson's inauguration after whom
he was named A. J. We both recollect
well the tall, stiff, bony. military figure of
Old Hickory-his Roman nose and bristling
Pompadour hair, his gray blue eyes, fierce
as an eagles and gentle as a lamb $; bushy
eyebrows, gathered like gathering storm.
and then dispersed like summer clouds In
smiling sunlight Yes, "by the eternal"
we both remember him. We both agreed,
too, that 1t required a lunatic like Ran
dolph to dare to lay hold of that Cyrano
proboscis and pull it. for which the general
promptly knocked the aggressor down with
his hickory shilalah.
Jenny Maher, the Gardener.
If we remembered Old Hickory, Of course
we well knew his satellite. Jenny Maher>
the public gardener. Jenny was more
Irish than 'the Masther" whom he adored.
Jenny had a rich brogue and "a JANUS
for dhrawing the liquor and a JANUS for
hri ino Zoo
would be rather the worse for it, when it
happened to get the better of him. After
one or two of these occasions which had
been reported at the White House with
1uctantly sent for the culprit.
How is this, Jenny" began the execu-
tive with one of his De Bergerac scowls
What is this they are telling me of you,
sir? They say you drunk half the
time or half drunk all the time, and are
neglecting. your duties, sir. Now, by the
eternal-'
"Oh. don't, now, please don't now, GIN
eral. darling" interrupted Maher. "Jst
hear me, now. only wan word and listen
to raison. PLY does your honor's rivirence
pay amy attintion to what the blasgards
does be spakin' ag'in me? PLY, your honor,
gineral, dear, if l was to moind the Taste
bi. In the wurreld the dommed lies they
does be telling me all the time about you,
gineral, l Wud believe that you ought to be
hung on a gallows in front of the JAIL
bedad!'
The brows relaxed and Jenny was sent
back to the trees, flowers and shrubbery,
which he loved next to the general and his
own family.
Jemmy's Characteristics.
Jenny kept the Globe a hosiery oppo-
site the National Theater, on Pennsylvania
avenue, where all the delegations Of In
dams having business with the govern
ment and the Great Father used to stop
1emp1V
vigorous was loud, vehement emphatic
and intensely Irish, never vulgar or pro-
fame to offensiveness and was more f;rati- |
cally and intensely American and Star
Spangled Bannerish than even the hero of
New Orleans. He had many quaint say
rgs
"Me name is Jenny Maherr' he used to
exclaim in stentorian tones, banging his |
fist down on the piano In his hotel, or Strik- |
ing himself a resounding blow on his steel
armor chest Ike gorilla in battle. Me |
names Jenny Maher born widout a
shirt
man and had he lived might have joined
the southern confederacy, but ne died years |
before the war. The writer sat next to
Jenny at the dinner table a certain
st. Patricks day in a hall on the corner
of 9th and d streets northwest when
Jenny, who was as much of public char
acter our friend Chauncey Depew now
is, expected to be called upon for toast
or to reply to one. He appealed to the |
writer in a confidential whisper, "Arrah,
get me up something for toast, please
something short and sharp that will knock |
the bys-sure We can do IT." The following
was scratched off, which he adopted and |
delivered with his own unctuous inimitable !
brogue
.Nayther bats nor bricks wdout cimnt.
Can ever build monumint.
Let livery state
Regulate
Its own affairs. /
JENNY MAHER