During his brief sojourn in the national capital he made a noisy record for himself as an all-round, all-night man about town, a dare-devil and a spendthrift.

His first encounter with Col.

John W.Dade, of Virginia, used to be one of the standard local jokes.

Colonel Dade was seated in the barroom of Brown's Hotel early one morning, waiting for someone to come in and invite him to drink.
Presently McConnell arrived.

It was his custom when he entered a saloon to ask the entire roomful, no matter how many, "to come up and licker," and, of course, he invited the solitary stranger.
When the glasses were filled Dade pompously said: "With whom have I the honor of drinking ?" "My name," answered McConnell, "is Felix Grundy McConnell, begad! I am a member of Congress from Alabama.