The Washington herald., 1918-09-01

the shop boy OF the first bootmaker.
Beau" drew ON the right boot and
pronounced 1t an ideal At. He then
pretended to exert himself in try
ing on the left one.
How He Got His Boots.
Here. boy. take this left boot back
and tell your boss to place 1t in his
stretcher and keep II there overnight
The instep is too tight"
Pretty soon the shop boy from
bootmaker No. Q arrived. Beau"
tried on the left boot and pronounced
1t all right. but claimed the instep
Of the right boot was too tight and
sent II back to be stretched over
night. Thus possessed of a pair Of
new boots he sauntered proudly down
the Avenue.
1t was related that some time later
he secured the odd boots from the
makers fol. a song by sending
messenger to each place and offering
an insignificant sum for the boots.
claiming they were for a one-legged
veteran who had recently r. turned
from the front, SO
His 5O-Cent Cigars.
The late r. e. Smith. who for
many years was proprietor of the
cigar and news stand at the Ma
tional Hotel. related how Beau"
when treated to a cigar would in
variably. call for my special
brand" at fifty cents each. Then
after his host had departed would
/ return the fifty-center to Mr.. Smith
and ask him to exchange 1t for ten
smokes at five cents per. Accord
ing to Mr.. Smith there is no record
of Hickman ever having paid for
q cigar.
When the first of the old wooden
block pavements was completed on
Pennsylvania Avenue in 1871, the
event was commemorated by a car
nival. or as Beau" termed It, The
Washington-mardi gras." The pro-
gram included parades, grotesque
and otherwise, races and a variety
of forms of open-air sports along
the surface OF the newly laid block
roadway. There was a tournament.
and among the celebrities partici-
pating in the events were Hembold,
known as ''the Buchu man." and
Beau" Hickman.
Hembold drove his famous six
horse team. while Beau" astride
an ancient and bony white nag, and
wearing his best raiment, created
an uproar Of merriment among the
thousands assembled along the
broad thoroughfare.
As the Prince of Bummers gall
loped along he was greeted with
cheers, gibes and jokes, but he
stoically maintained his dignity.
At the conclusion of the carnival
collection was taken UP and
Beau" was treated to an oyster
dinner at Joe Platz's seafood res
taurant. When the meal was ready,
Beau said:
Gentlemen. that was the first horse
I've ridden since my boyhood days,
and following the custom OF the an
cient Persian cavaliers. will stand
while eating the regal repast you
have provided for me-"
After the War.
After the civil war Beau" became
more frayed in his appearance, and as
q result Of his corns and bunions he
hoobled painfully and his face be-
came scanned and leathery. In the
latter part Of August 1878. he was
stricken with paralysis. He fingered
several days at Providence Hospital
and died early in September. and
some Of the public men who had
known him In his old haunts about
Sixth street and Pennsylvania avenue
apparently felt. like Prince Henry at
the supposed death of Sir John Fall
stan. that they could have better
spared a better man" He was buried
/ in potter's field at the expense Of the
corporation. On his pine coffin was a
solitary floral piece-a small bouquet
placed there by good Sister Beatrice,
one Of the directors of Providence
Hospital.
On the day following his burial sew
! eral of those who had been Hick-
mans contributors and who appre-
ciated the quaintness Of his character
contributed q sufficient sum to give
his remains more decent interment
in Congressional cemetery. Hacks
! were furnished by the old hotels for
those who desired to attend the OBJ.
sequies and give expressions of kindly
remembrance of the noted character
| No Friends, No Enemies.
When the grave in potter's field was
opened II was found that the coffin
had been smashed by vandals and
the body shamefully mutilated, the
heart and other portions of the re-
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