The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-18
OLD BEAU HICKMAN.
AVN SAM HOUSTON REACHED
wAsHINGTON SIMULTANEOUSLY.


EARLY Capital Stage.
From the Washington Star.
can sam Houston of Texas and the
80, hickman of Virginia made their
ct anpearance in Washington city
bout the same time-somewhere be-
..,,aon 1S47 and 1850. have seen them
+ooether many time on the portico Of
prown's Hotel, on Pennsylvania ave-
20 Reau discoursing, grimacing and
rosticulating, while the old General sat
listening silently under his huge SOM
hroro which fitted his giant figure most
ricturesquely. Old Sam was everlast-
irgIv whiting shingles. ETC., of fine
wood and deity and artfully shaping
.hsm into various semblances of utility
ancy. which he handed round, when
cornleted, to the children principally,
or ANYBODY who wanted them. have
since regretted / omitted getting pos
session of one of these souvenirs of the
roval old Governor of Texas. What
Houstons opinion of Beau Hickman
was 1 cannot tell. He listened to his
more or less sporty stories and received
the narrative with the stolidity of THE
Last of the Mohicans." His great, big,
generous heart no doubt led him to fire.
0uently dispense the coin of the realm
to the impecunious Beau. The latter.
however, in those, his palmy days, was
not so destitute as he was afterward.
When he first appeared on promenade
on Pennsylvania avenue he was attired
as a Virginia colonel from head to foot.
Like Edward VII he set the fashion.
I was then in my salad days and as
pired to be a dandy. The whole lot of
us in "our set bought and wore and
bowed to the ladies with tall, narrow
ing crown, very narrow trimmed silk
hats. made by Todd-old William B.
and James Y. Davis, his successor. It
was quite the ticket, all the rage then,
TO pattern after poor old Beau Hick-
man. All sorts of rumors were circu-
lated concerning him, and one most
generally accepted was that he was a
degenerate scion of an ancient and no
Bile family, which expatriated him, on
a sufficient allowance, provided he
ould cut off all relations with the rest
and utterly eliminate himself. This he
did, to the hour of his death most
faithfully. Beau was a horsy mana
sport | don't think he was a gambler,
but perhaps he was a steerer, a stool
pigeon for such. What produced the ex-
hibit cannot now call to mind, but on
one occasion he suddenly fished out
from one of his pockets and flashed up
on my sight an enormous roll of bank
bills, not one of a denomination less
than 500. You see," he said, I'm not
always so hard up as you think" and
he returned them to his receptacle.
Beaus costume when first he step
ped upon the scene was, first of all,
the Hickman hat; a blue cloth, broad
tailed, wide lapeled high-collared dress
coat, glittering with brass buttons, be-
fore and behind; plaid pantaloons; a
snowy white, ruffied shirt, standing col
lar, and the daintiest patent leather
boots, fitting as Immediately as the
kid gloves upon his hands, which held
a slight switch cane. He used a gold
eyeglass, and his walk was combina-
ton of the Grecian bend and the Ro-
man wriggle. Such was Beau at his
zenith. What became of him afterward
and happened to his remains is shock
ingly remembered by an old citizens.
Beau never drank-not a drop. He al
ways responded to an invitation by
saying: 81 never drink. I'm easy
th'owed (thrown) down. I'll take a
good sugar" And, to do him justice,
more. Beau told this, among many
which amused him greatly.
Il went through the Center market
yesterday, and the sight of so many
nice things to eat sort o. made me
hongry, as they say down in Virgin
yah. There was an old black nanny,
fat as 'possum, keeping the flies off
a big pile of pies. of every size and
shape, with a brush of asparagus. I
didn't happen to have a cent, and my
Rnnnfifn xxyoo II CT N
and quickly selected a fine pie, my
favorite.
"'Aunty.' said I, how do you sell
your pies?'
'Marsa,' she answered, 'dey's ten,
twenty and twenty-five cents a piece
What's the price of that damaged
fellow? I asked, thrusting my finger
through the pie in question. She gasp
ed. she grabbed hold of the side of
the stall. she almost swooned away as
she observed my action. She was a
picture of horror, then of wrath. At
last she broke forth:
You onery, low-down, poor white
trash, you, take it along wild you fur
nothin', and clar out o. here afore I
bust yer head in"
An older brother and myself used to
make many little trips all around the
city, and often we wandered through
the WOODS ana over the nils OF ArllnS-
ton Nights. A favorite spot to stop,
drink and rest was the famous Airing
ton spring. One day we met-in his
customary attitude, smoking his briar-
wood pipe-the owner and proprietor
OF the historic grounds. George WASH
lngton Parke Custis himself, Your Old
orator as he was in the habit of des-
ignating himself He was a nice, ge-
nal old man, and nobody could help
loving him. We talked and smoked
and slipped the grand spring water to-
gether for hours on hours, and for
many day thereafter. He chaperoned
US up to Arlington House and exhibit
ed with pride his many ineffective at
tempts at high art in painting. He
was untiring in his panegyrics of his
stepfather, George, the father of his
country. of whom he had a thousand
anecdotes.
Bertrand md Kossuth.
l was on hand when lie Marechal
Gen. Bertrand, Napoleon the Greats
devoted adorer and bosom friend, ar
rived in Washington as the country's
guest.
never will forget the tall. lean,
iank form of Bertrand, nor his bright,
olue. exceedingly widespread trousers
the latest thing then out of Paris. His
DFeeches and small French shoes, which
seemed made for the diversion of dane
ing were what next impressed me. He
wore straps, and each great balloon of
us trousers, in which he appeared lost,
was safely moored under each dainty |