Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1860-11-27
Doestieks on Billiards and Berger.

Sunday Mercury, the game OF billiards
as played by NJ. Berger:
. need hardly tell you that the game
OF billiards consists ia punching ivory
balls about a big table covered win green
cloth, aud looks like half an acre OF
meadow land, with an India rubber fence
round ii; the balls are punched vi,h
long wooden ramrods. with wax the end
TO save the wood, and leather put on to
save the wax, and chalk put on TO keep
the leather from wearing out. You take
your ramrod aud rub some chalk on the
iIttIe end them, ou lean over the table
then you squint, them YOU lift your leg
then you fiddle little on your left hal.s.
with your ra.urod then you punch your
ball If your i.:d runs against the other
mans ball, you've done big thing, and
you poke up a lot Of buttons that are
strung on a wire. This Is all there is of
The game Of billiards. Anybody can
punch billiards. | can and maybe YOU
could
Well, Berger has come, the great
French puncher, and Of course I've been
10 see him punch a few billiards with
Phelan Pneiau Is a pretty good puach-
Berger IN fact, B. has TO give F. hun
dred buttons or 20 IN every game. I've
often played with PheIan myself, but he
always beat me 4; he has private UNDER
standing with the man that poses the but.
tons; but when | punch the balls nary a
button Will the man poke. So PneIan
goes out but my game Is the best, IN
fact I've challenged Phelan 10 play ne a
thousand buttons for 4 lot of money, and
I've offered to keep the game myself, SO
as to be sure ali IS fair Pne,aus con-
spracy with the man who pokes the but
tons IS d dIsgrscetuI thing; II discoura-
ges Young men, aud makes them think
they can't punch billiards as we'll as Phe-
Ian can. I'm bound 10 break il up. But
Berger has outgeneraied Pneian. Ber-
ger has bought over all Pheians buuon-
pokrs--pays en- more money than Phe-
AN ii, and now they give Berger all the
buttons.
Ha ha big thing on Michael.
Well, on Friday, Berger was going to
DO som punching, ana there was Ia the
midst. Berger IS fat man: the top OF
lis lad IS as bald as a goose egg. and
h. ba. GO. a stomach ike three feet
celestial globe: IN fac ne is shaped Jus;
like billiard bail, and migu; he .@oo1d foI
one, If you'd take his boots off and re
hls heels 10 the back Uf his neck: only
don't want hlm to carom on M.
lie brought all his own tools with him
from France u table that isn't 50 long
by few fe as Phelan generally makes
his; lot OF balls and everything. Room
Mas fuh, all anxious 10 see The French
man punch aud the Frenchnan puucu-
cd, aud prelty good punching II was
He mads the balls hop all over the table,
and generally had three il the air al
once. Men Bryant was there. and Neii
IS a pretty good Judge of billiard puuch-
ing. | did my favorte aho' with great
success: Jumped my ball off The able,
caroued on NeA Bryant, and holed ia a
spHooa.
Pnean said it was a good thing. 50 did
Neil Berger rolled himself round To tht.
coruer Of tine table, cHaized his ramrod,
and executed fancy shot; he made ms
bail ran three times round the table. o.
the edge OF The cushions, leap of a arr
angle, caron on Neil Bryant, came tacA
10 The table, took eigAteen cushions, aud
stop exactly oa the centre spo,.
Pneian had Try. IL d.i ore Of the
simple Shots thai | taught hin-the one
where ihe cue bali TAX. lSenty-oae cush-
lous, knocks the hats off turee D1tch-
men "a the corner, comes back and stops
inside The string. Berger didn't think
much of that; - he took of his coat.
rolled up his si-eves and pa, in lre-
mruiou> uck the baa H.: Pn-lal on the
middle vest button. ctrunrj ou Nell Bry-
ant. came back 10 lne table and TOOK oar
cushions. vert out Of the window, gave
a stage driver a black eve, came back
to The table and took a cushion, caromed
On Me- Bryant, took iwo cusuIols, went
Oul through auo.hcr window, aud came
IA THROUGH lhe sky-.i xuJ, took four CU~h-
ton>. caromed Oh Neli Bryant, and all
within four minutes. WITHOUT stopping ior
breath, or sweating hair.
All hands were occupied for forty min
u.es N reyIvIug Phelan, VINO had falu,-
- from envy.
Berger then made his grand shot; h.
put sucn a tremendous twist In the bali
that 1t took every cushion on every table
in the room. caromed on Ned Bryant,
dodE, cat Of The window, travelled once
OF twice up and down Broadway, ran IN
10 a shooting gallery. rang the bell nine
lines IN rapid succession, and came bacI,
10 The table, previously executing mo
uriiisut caroHrs o. NeIi Bryant.
THIS concluded the show, as | sup
posed buJ as got 10 the corner Of
Broadway aud Broom streets, | caught
sight of Nj Bryant rushing round the
corner. closeid pursued ~ TWO u....a-d
balls, from which / suppose Berger must
have done another fancy sho, or TWO az
Ter / Ieft.
Bu, Pheian's conspiracy with the blI
a.irG markers all ov4r the country Is out
raEeous. IL has every one Of them 50
far under his control, that there isn't
place in the United States where, when
[ play billiards with Michael Paglan TIE
marker doesn't coun; more for hlm lLau
me-"
~ An IfiShman. attending Quaker
meeting. heard young friend make the
following announce eut: " Brethren
and sisters. lam going 10 marry daugh-