The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-16
CIGARS SMOKING.
MilliOnaires Who Puff TObies and Cheap
Clerks Who Puff Havanas.
Pittsburg Dispatch.

Pittsburg Dispatch.
During the process of purchasing some tobies
and lighting at a cigar store, nearly opposite
Municipal Hall, yesterday afternoon the pro-
prietor became communicative, and impaired to
a reporter some ia cts concerning the quality of
weed most smoked in Pittsburg and what class
of men usually smoke the best cigars
There are more tobies smoked in Pittsburg,'
said he, 'than in any city of its size in the
United States Smokers here smoke poorer eli
gars, too, than those of any other city"
''Who are the best customers, or rather who
buy the best cigarsW
my best trade is transient; drummers and
the like Very few people to Pittsburg born
smoke anything better than a 2-for-5 cigar, al
though have some customers who purchase
and 10-centers and a few-very few-who go
even higher than that"
Business men, such as well-to-do manufac
turers and the like, are your best customers,
next to the travelling public, are they not!"
NO sir Most of these smoke tobes and 2
for-5s exclusively. Neither is it the mechanic
who earns from $lS to $50 a week. 1t is the
dude clerks, on salaries mostly from IS to $15
week Many of these smoke 10-cent cigars
How can they afford it! Well, guess they
don't smoke more than one or two day"
Here the conversation was interrupted by the
entrance of young man, stylishly dressed, who
purchased Havana for dime Following him
came an ordinary looking middle-aged gentle
man. who bought a nickel's worth of tobies.
THAT young man clerks for So week, and
thousand, said the dealer, after they had parted
'Another curious thing about most men is that
they smoke better cigars on Sunday than on
week days, he continued. ''Now, l often sell
one hundred 10-cent cigars Sunday, and
probably not as many more of the same kind
during the balance of the week. When a young
man drops his working clothes he also drops
tobies and buys a . or 10-eent cigar. Then,
again, l can also tell when certain young men
are going to see their girls, for on that evening
they always purchase much better cigar than
usual"
When asked how he knew Pittsburg smokers
were not up to those of other cities in regard to
taste, the dealer said:
because l travelled for wholesale cigar firm
for years 1t is almost impossible to get toby in
the East, and in the West nothing less than s.
cent cigars are sold"
A well-known revenue agent, now connected
with the department in this city, but late of
Chicago where millions of cigarettes are manu-
featured, was spoken to on the subject of cigar
cites.
81 used to be confirmed cigarette smoker, but
now you could not induce me to touch one of
them" he said.
'Why, how's thatW
'Well, its because l went into large cigarette
business one day, and what | saw there sickened
me on the imitation smokers. How are they
made and of what2 OF all that is vile, and in
furious, and mean. Cigar butts, picked up from
the street. banks of certain kinds of tobacco
stems and refuse are heaped together in one
filthy pile and then saturated with OPIUM which
gives the cigarette that soothing effect desirable
to all smokers. L tell You, sir, if all cigarette
smokers could see, as have seen, how one of the
greatest firms in Chicago manufacture cigarettes,
the trade in the same would soon fall off or cease
entirely