Evening star., 1901-08-15
He and Sam Houston Reached Wash
ington Simultaneously.
THE FORMER SOON SET THE STYLE
Other Characters Who Fitted
Across the Early Capital Stage.
AN INDIAN AS A FATHER


same time-somewhere between 1s47 and
1850 / have seen them together many a
time on the portico Of Browns Hotel, on
Pennsylvania avenue. Beau discoursing.
grimacing and gesticulating, while the o.d
general sat listening silently under his huge
sombrero. which fitted his giant figure most
picturesquely. Old Sam was everlastingiy
whiting shingles, etc, Of fine wood, and
deftly and artfully shaping them into vari-
Gus semblances Of utility or fancy, which
he handed round, when completed, to the
children principally. or anybody who want
ed them. have since regretted omitted
getting possession of one of these souvenirs
of the royal old governor Of Texas. What
Houston's opinion of Beau Hickman was
I cannot tell. He listened to his more or
less sporty stories and received the narra-
tive with the stolidity Of THE Last of the
MOhicans.' His great big generous heart
no doubt led him to frequently 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 af-
terward. When he first appeared on prone
made on Pennsylvania avenue he was
attired as Virginia colonel from head to
foot Like Edward VII he set the fashion.
l was then in my salad days and aspired
to be a dandy. The whole lot of us In ''our
set bought and wore and bowed to the
ladies with tall, narrowing crown, very
narrow trimmed silk hats, made by Todd
old VIM. B. and Jas. Y. Davis, his success
sor. 1t was quite the ticket, all the rage
then to pattern after poor old Beau Hick-
man. All sorts of rumorS were circulated
concerning him, and one most generally
accepted was that he was degenerate
scion of an ancient and noble family,
which expatriated him, on a sufficient al
lowance, provided he would cut off all rela-
tions with the rest and utterly eliminate
a fn fhn ho,, 0< Hfc
death most faithfully Beau was a horsy
mana sport. don't think he was gam
bier, but perhaps he was a steerer, a stool
pigeon for such. What produced the ex-
hibit l cannot nowacall to mind, but on one
occasion he suddenly ished out from one
OF his pockets and flashed upon my sight
an enormous roll of bank bills, not one of
denomination less than $40. You see,"
you think" and he returned them to his
receptacle.
Beau's Dress and Manner.
Beau's costume when first he steppel upon
the scene was. first Of all. the Hickman
hat: blue cloth, broad-tailed, wide lap
eled. high-collared dress coat, glittering
with brass buttons. before and behind
plaid pantaloons; a snowy white, ruffied
shirt. standing collar, and the daintiest
patent leather boots, fitting as immacu-
lately as the kid gloves upon his hands,
wh1cn held slight switch cane. He used
a gold eyeglass, and his walk was combi-
nation of the Grecian bend and the Roman
Wriggle. Such was Beau at his zenith
What became OF him afterward and hap
pened to his remains Is shockingly remem-
bered by all old citizens. Beau never
drank-not drop He always responded
to an Invitation by saying: 1T never drink
I'm easy th'owed ztthrown)., I'll take
usually collared two. three, five or more.
Beau told this. among many things, to me
as one Of his exploits which amused him
greatly. -.s.g-. :"
terday, and the sight of so many nice
things to eat sort O. made me 'hongry,' as
they say down in Virginyah. There was an
old black nanny, fat as a 'possum, keep
ing the flies off a big pile Of pies of every
size and shape. with a brush of asparagus
l didn't happen to have cent and my
appetite was enormous 1 stepped up and
quickly selected fine pie, my favorite. /.
pies?
Marsa, she answered, 'dey's ten,
twenty and twenty-five cents apiece
What's the price of that damaged .fel-
low? l asked, thrusting my finger through
the pie in question. She gasped, she grab
bed hold Of the side of the stall. she almost
sWooned away as she observed my action.
She was picture Of horror, then of wrath.
AT last she borke forth:
You ornery. low-down, poor white
trash. you, take it along wild you fur moth
In. and clar out O. here afore 1 bust yer
head in"
An older brother and myself used tn
make many little trips all around the city
and often we wandered through the woods
and over the hills Of Arlington Heights.
A fayorite spot to stop, drink and rest was
the famous Arlington spring. One day we
met-in his customary, attitude, smoking his
briarwood pipe-the owner and proprietor
of the historic grounds. George Washington
Parke Custis himself, Your Old Orator"
a q hl IL, hn hah hi nf -,
self. He was nice. genial old man, and no.
body could help loving nim. We talked
and smoked and slipped the grand spring
water together Tor hours on hours, and
for many day thereafter. He chaperoned
us up to Arlington House and exhibited
with pride his many ineffective attempts
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 and Kossuth.
I was on hand when LIE Marechal Gen.
eral Bertrand, Napoleon the Greats de-
voted adorer and bosom friend, arrived in
Washington as the country's guest.
never will forget the tall, lean, lank
form of Bertrand, nor his bright, blue,
exceedingly widespread trousers-the latest
thing then out Of Paris. HIS breeches and
small French shoes. which seemed made
for the diversion of dancing, were what
each great balloon Of his trousers in which
he appeared lost, was safely mo0red under
each dainty shoe.
That was one apparition. The next was
kossuth. Kossuth, whom we made god
of for awhile and then turned down. just
as afterward we did the Infanta of Spain.
the Duke of Something or Other, who was
the descendant Of Christopher Columbus;
Liliuokalani. and many others. 1t Is way
that we have. Kruger may find it out,
too, II he comes among us.
Kossuth came like old Gen. Scott, with
fuss and feathers When the Beau Hick-
man harness. dropped into 'innocuous
desuetude" then came up "Kossuth hats"
"Kossuth plumes and feathers" every
contraption you could think of to make
obeisance to the lion of the hour. / heard
many Of his oratfons. He was bright
polished. well trained in elocution. but he
only had an az to grind, and the American
people soon set their faces against it.
Exposed Albert Edwards Identity.
When Jake Thompson was Secretary of
the Interior, just before the war, and
Buchanan was President. was introduced
by Thompson, on whose staff was, to
Albert Edward, then travelling as Baron
Renfrew, who Is now King of England.
He was then peachy-cheeked, beardIess
boy. with blue eyes, light hair, slender,
delicate frame hut the disfip ishipcr oor