ex County, Massachusetts, and stand my trial."

Mr. Dickerson reflected a moment and said: "You are right; and
now tell me how you took away the head."

Dewey told his story, and the story goes that Secretary Dickerson
asked him to wait while he stepped over to the White House, followed
by a messenger carrying the head. When General Jackson saw it,
and heard the Secretary's story, he burst into a fit of uncontrollable
laughter. "Why, that," he cried at length--"why, that is the most
infernal graven image I ever saw. The fellow did perfectly right.
You've got him, you say; well, give him a kick and my compliments,
and tell him to saw it off again." Dewey was after this frequently
at Washington, and he finally obtained the appointment of Postmaster
in a small Virginia town. He used to have on his visiting cards
the representation of a handsaw, under which was inscribed, "I
came, I saw, I conquered."

General Jackson always liked the physical excitement of a horse-
race, where a large assemblage thrills with but one thought from
the word "Go!" until the winning horse reaches the goal, and he
was always to be seen at the races over the National Course, just
north of Washington City. Delegations of sporting men from the
Atlantic cities crowded into the metropolis during the race weeks;
there were jockey-club dinners and jockey-club balls; and the course
resounded to the footfalls of noted horses, especially Boston, Sir
Charles, Emily, and Blue Dick. In 1836 General Jackson had a filly
of his own raising brought from the Hermitage and entered for a
race by Major Donelson, his private secretary. Nor did he conceal
his chagrin when the filly was beaten by an imported Irish colt
named Langford, owned by Captain Stockton, of the navy, and he had
to pay lost wagers amounting to nearly a thousand dollars, while
Mr. Van Buren and other devoted adherents who had bet on the filly
were also losers.

Baillie Peyton, of Tennessee, used to narrate an amusing account
of a visit which he made to the National Race Course with General
Jackson and a few others to witness the training of some horses
for an approaching race. They went on horseback, General Jackson
riding his favorite gray horse, and wearing his high white fur hat
with a broad band of black crape, which towered above the whole
group. The General greatly enjoyed the trials of speed, until a
horse named Busiris began to rear and plunge. This stirred Old
Hickory's