Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-02-28
TOLD ON WASHlNGTON'S BIRTHDAY.

Bank Teller william LInden Relates nm
Interesting Story of the Farmer who
Tried to Buy Twenty-seven Horses.
William Lindell, the bank teller, did
not come down to the bank Friday
morning. for, being the anniversary of
the birth of the Father of His Country,
it was holiday in the bank. But he
did stroll down town and stopped in
the cigar store to replenish his stock OF
smoking material. While lighting his
cigar, and taking the preliminary puffs
upon it, he remarked to the salesman |:
Washington Birthday always re-
minds me of a couplet that we used to
repeat when l was boy at school; it
runs like this:
In Seventeen Hundred and Thirty-two there
was born young bull pup;
In Seventeen Hundred and Seventy-six, he
chawed Great Britain up
81 don't think that is q very COM
plete estimate of George Washington,
although it does give an impression of
his effectiveness. 1t wouldn't hurt us
to study his life more closely In order
to discover the fundamental basis of
his greatness. Devotion to principle
and patriotism we're among his most
prominent characteristics and these in
large measure explain his SUCCESS. -
The cigar was well started by this
time, and Lindell smiled at the thought
of his philosophising. Then be went
on: te r.
''Of course, the story OF Washing.
tons truthfulness, even at q crucial
point, is one of the most quoted things
about his life, and probably Is one Of
the most uutruthful SO far as its being an
actual experience is concerned; yet it
illustrates a truth, and dues so in a
very marked way. In thinking upop
this characteristic of honor, which was
ingrained in George Washington, am
reminded of an event of my childhood
days, when l lived in Cecil county.
There had been a good deal of rivalry
among the farmers as to the holding OF
the largest number Of live stock, and
especially OF horses and mules; ard
there was tradition that an old fellow,
living down in the Neck had once
owned no less than 26 draught animals.
So much had been said about it, that
IT came to be passion among the
farmers to accumulate such animals
whether they needed them or not, and
nnally wager was made by one, who
had been farming for many years, and
had leased many animals to other
farmers less fortunate than he, that he
then owned more than the traditional
best record of 20. Had an odd name,
this old oodger-I remember he ALWAYS
spelled it Jea Dicks, and the people
generally pronounced it as ono word.
30 the money wal put up, and the day
was fixed for Jea Dicks to produce his
horses and beat the old record. Well,
he sent around to the various people he
had leased horses to, and brought In
all the horses at work on his own place,
and when he had marshaled everything
ne could get together, he had Just %.
And some Of them were n sorry lot, too
old bfoken.down horses, half dozen
mules, and one real genuine jackass.
But he was four short. The wager
was to run until 3 O'Clock that after
noon, and the old fellow was in fear.
full way trying to drum up some more
livestock. About noon, one of his farm
hands was caught trying to steal a
horse from the shafts Of neighborinp
farmers carriage, and when this be
came known tell you the crowd got
not; and not long after word came that
the same man had been detected leading
two or three horses from an adjoining
farm over towards Jea Dicks place
that very morning.
Well. these discoveries made every
man there more and more vigilant to
prevent any dirty work, and when 3
O'Clock came, old Jea Dicks had to own
up that % was the highest numbe he
could muster. The rest Of the farmers
mad known all along that that was
about the best he could do, but he had
been so insistent that he could marshal
" or better that they determined to let
him pay for the music. | tell you he
wasn't in very good humor when he
paid the wager.
- n interesting coincidence about it
was mat II was settled on Washing.
toms Birthday. and they used 10 have
a good deal of fun with Jea Dicks
by reminding him that it was the
anniversary of the man who could not
tell lie."