Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-11-27
Prohibition Brings End
to Old Time Taverns

TTYHEN the last saloon door was
wv locked in Washington few
weeks ago and the last of the
tartenders figuratively fired the last
Of the bungstarters through the win
dow into the alley, a rare and vivid
chapter of the history of the national
capital was closed, says the Wash
ington Star.
Washington was never any more
bibulous than any other city of its
time. and perhaps because of the un-
usual way in which the city was
founded it escaped some of the row.
dyism that fell to the part of less
fortunate cities of more than a CEN
tury ago.
But in it's taverns and around it's
punchbowls and decanters were wont
to gather the great personalities who
founded and for so long directed the
fortunes of this nation, and more
than one page of American history
bears the autograph of John Barley
corn.
Hotels Served Liquor Free
John Suter kept the first tavern in
the District of Columbia, and "Su-
ter's Tavern" a long, low wooden
building. was for many years land
mark in Georgetown.
The Union Tavern, also in George
town, was another place where a
number of the famous men of history
lifted their glasses in their time.
These included Washington Irving,
Talleyrand, John Randolph, Francis
Scott Key Louis Philippe, Lorenzo
Dow and Robert Fulton, inventor of
the steamboat.
In the region of the Capitol no
a ha,,
the Indian Queen" which stood in
avenue, where the Metropolitan Hotel
is to-day. This also was known as
Browns Hotel" having been run
by a father and son of that name.
The rates at the Indian Queen were
fifty cents a meal for transient guests
or $35 a month for permanent board
ers. Brandy and whisky were placed
on the dinner table, to be drunk by
the guests without additional charge
"a practice that could only be fol-
lowed at a loss with some Of our
present-day thirst cultivators.
Serenaded the President
A writer of President Buchanan's
time said that it was no uncommon
thing for a group of gay young
blades, after drinking long and
heartily at some dinner, to serenade
the White House at unseemly hours,
full of supper. wine and patriotism" ="
President Buchanan is reported to
have gotten out of bed on numerous
occasions to respond good-naturedly
TO such attentions and, bidding the
roisterers goodnight. express the
hope that they would retire to rest
and that tomorrow all of them
would be better prepared for the dis
charge of their respective duties"
A dry Washington would indeed
seem a strange place to the immor-
tai John Randolph, senator from Vir-
ginia, who used to enter the Senate
Chamber wearing a pair of silver
spurs, carrying a heavy riding whip
and followed by a foXhound, which
slept beneath his desk.
When making a speech before that
august body he would turn to the
assistant doorkeeper every few min
utes with the injunction, Thine, more
porter" And where senators nova
days cool their throats with the pure
Potomac John Randolph would quaff
foaming tumblers of malt liquor.
An interesting story is told of
Websters death. When the aged
statesman was very low he heard
Doctor Jeffries tell an attendant to
give him a spoonful of brandy in fif-
teen minutes, a second in half an
hour and another in three-quarters
of an hour, 'if he still lives" When
1t came time for the third dose the
patient was so low that the attend
ant hesitated, but " eDster. who had
been watchihg the clock, partly
raised his head and whispered:
81 still live"
He was promptly served with the
brandy but room sank into a coma
from which he never awoke.
Tyler Kept Large Stock
John Tyler, as president, was prob
ably more liberal and less ceremoni-
Gus than some of his predecessors
and all visitors. whether strangers
or old acquaintances. were cordially
invited to take something" He
kept the sideboard well stocked with
domestic and imported wines and
liquors. while mint iuleps In summer
and eggnogs in winter were as cer-
tain as sun and snow. 1t was his
lavish entertainment that absorbed
most of his salary and he used to re-
gret that he could not care for his
friends on more elaborate scale.
Naturally, gambling often went
hand in hand with drinking. and dur
ing the Civil War fully one hundred
gambling places are said to have
fiourished in Washington. These