The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-12-21

Some Told by Himself-sOme Told by
Others.

OtherS.
As a story teller Colonel Thomas Pcr-
terhouse ,Ochiltree was unsurpassed
Much of the success of his stories was
in, the telling, and deprived of the
charm Of his personality they lose much
III repetition
Although Colonel Ochiltree once in
dignantly denied in court that he ever
played poker, it has always gone the :
rounds that the authenticated Texan /
liked to take a hand. He once ac-
knowledged that in former days he was |
one of the best players. that ever Tipped |
a card, and he says that calamity |
befell him only once, and that was dur
ing his congressional term
He had had a phenomenal run OF |
luck in Washington, but the tide OF |
battle finally turned and he went up |
against it witt party OF southern
representatives. In relating to syT7pa- !
thetic friends the next day the circum-
stances of the game, the colonel ad-
mitted:
7 lost Just 5000 last night But the
worst of it was that IS of it was in |
cash."
One day ne was criticising the admin
istration of Mayor Strong. He said the
mayor had shown poor judgment And
his fault I'm this respect reminds me of
Senator Jones dog story" he went on.
"A fellow out in Nevada, you know,
had dog bulldog, a fierce looking
brute-whicn MS cwner said was the
greatest fighter IN the state One day
settler passed through the town. I'm
der his prairie wagon trotted a NANCY
cur. The bulldog saw him and started
to eat him up. When the fight was
over the cur was not much the worse
for it, but the bulldog was wreck
I thought your dog was great
fighter, Senator Jones?' said the owner
of the cur.
" Well was the reply, he is a great
fighter, but he's poor judge of dogs. "
Colonel Ochiltree rolled into the Fifth
Avenue hotel one day and began talk
ing with former Senator Wilbur F.
Saunders of Montana.
"Ah, senator" he said, II see my old
friends in the senate are standing by
their guns. What a horrible mistake
the goidbugs made when they counted
on firing out the silver senator's Why,
Ed Wolcott and Santa Claus Stewart
and Jones and the rest of them were
never known TO go to bed until 6 or
O'Clock in the. morning. I've played
poker with them for twenty hours at
a stretch, and then you had to keep
your eyes peeled or they would freeze
you out 1 tell you. when you try to
put that crowd TO sleep you have I'M
dertaken the biggest job man ever
lad on his hands. I'll bet on the poker
crowd every trip.
81 guess you're right, colonel" re-
piled Senator Saunders. who knew a
little about the game himself "Wol-
colt never sleeps. AS for Jones, 1 be-
lleve he can go year without wink
ing"
When Colonel Ochiltree was taken
NTr.~r~ anrLr
his friend, Clarence H. Mackay, got
a tenderloin of venison, gave it to Oscar
of the Waldorf to cook to a turn. and
had It sent over to Colonel Ochiltree-
The Texan hadn't eaten solid food for
several days, but he couldn't resist
the choice morseL He had eaten about
half of the venison, when he became
very i'll and quickly lost consciousness.
Doctors were hurriedly summoned, and
were indignant at Colonel Ochiltree for
his lack of self-denial.
When he had been revived one of the
physicians protested with the Texan
s'Well, DOCTOR" said Colonel Tom be-
tween breaths, tits quite Characters
tic, my dying for piece of venison."
Colonel Tom returned from Europe
two years ago, at the time Richard
Croker was being denounced by the
newspapers and the then Prince OF
Sloan. the Jockey. Some one mentioned
the fact that neither Croker nor Sloan
would be interviewed, and that they
were both alike.
"Oh. no." Ochnfree replied There is
this difference: One is denounced by
the prints and the other is renowned
by the prince"
The colonel used to tell this story
about himself:
when I was a young man went
to the front with the Texas Rangers
NV father, a most religious man, gave
me a Bible and told me to read il
every night. I promised, and when
next saw him he asked:
Have you read your Bible regu
larry. Tom?'
Yes, father replied.
THE old gentleman took the book
opened it and pulled from between it
pages a $40 bill He turned again and
drew out another $50 and then another
I'm sorry you missed this money
nut here for you he said. and 70
once in my life 1 was speeches..
Colonel Ochiltree's father was on tn
bench in Texas at one time, and il
pursuance of his duties was required t
travel on horseback for many weeks {
complete the circuit Prior to one o
these Journeys MS son protested IHdI
IL he was not made a member of tn
firm he would no longer take care o
his fathers business. It was a fai
kick the elder Oehiltree thought, an
he appointed his heir to be his partne
and told him to have sign made an
nouncing the change in the formatio
of the firm.
Ochiitree, ST., was somewhat sur
prised upon his return to read acros
the full front of the shanty in which h
had his Office this announcement
soThomas Ochiltree and Father"
. g g
While in London en- one occasion Co
ouel Ochiltree reviewed the first pei
Torrance of Mrs. T. 2. O'COnnor's pla.
"a Lady From Texas" Like the cole
mel himself. the criticism was uniqu
It opened with a review of Ochiltree
congressional career. and then went Q
TO say:
with such recOllectiOns surg1ng Q
me. il is impossible for me to spea
OF the play with the GOODNESS of II
average man, and though j have bee
many things 1 have never been dr.
matte critic. and cannot be expecte
to have reached that state of boredo
which makes that wearied type Of jQu
nalist the least easy to please" The
he wrote a glowing tribute TO the pie
and the actress, winding up with, "BU
then. Mrs. O'COnnor and 1 came fro
Texas"