Morning journal and courier., 1886-03-15

| Spangenberger, is n an of some property | and keeps a saloon at No. 8715 East Mail 1 street. These two little boys have smoke. | almost since they were babies in arms, ant
 as far as can be determined they have no
 been injured in the least by their indul gence in the weed.
 A short account of the triumphs of Petey | the elder boy, appeared in the Commercia Gazette some years ago, and the account was copied into thousands of papers all over the country.
 A Cincinnati cigar manufacturer irme- diately got out new brand of cigars in honor of the boy, calling them the Little Petey" cigars. Each box had q flaming col
 ored Autograph of the little fellow in a knit
 suit, and pulling away at cigar half as large
 as himself. Demands for Petey's picture came from cigar dealers and saloonists from Maine to Kansas, and though his father had a large number of pictures taken, showing the boy puffing away at huge cigar, the stock was soon exhausted.
 The constitutions and nervous systems of these two boys seem to be as impervious to the evil effects of nicotine as asSSalamander to lire. Not only do they smoke the strong est cigars with the greatest relish, but they chew the strongest tobacco as we'll, and many visitor to the saloon opens his eyes to the widest capacity when he sees the little fel- lows baby cheeks puff out. and learns that 1t is huge quids of tobacco, and not marbles, which they have in their mouths Their father is immensely proud of their accom- plishment, and supplies them with all the cigars and tobacco they want. Their ac- complishment is worth great deal to him in business way, since many curious persons are attracted to the saloon to see the boys, and when there spend considerable money for drinks and cigars. The little boy toddles town, and there is hardly merchant in the business but what will hand him 8 cigar ev- cry time he comes in.
 The two little fellows are dressed in a kind of uniform, consisting of red-striped shirts, like the sailors in 'fPinafore," black knee pants, gray stockings and little but toned shoes. On Sunday MT. Spangenberger drives out in the afternoon accompanied by his entire family. As be and his four boys all smoke, and the two infants puff away like veritable charcoal factories, the coming of this unique family turnout is heralded by wreaths of smoke, and scents the air like a portable cigar shop.
 The origin of the habit seems to have been as follows: When Petey was an infant in arms fourteen months of age, a cigar was oncs given him in fun by one of the custom CTS in the saloon. Instead of growing death ly sick and dropping it, the little fellow it with his baby fingers and seemed to enjoy it, he smoked it to the very end
 From the first cigar his taste for smoking commenced, and from that day the child cried for cigars as an ordinary child cries for candy. The taste seemed to take such hold of his baby appetite that he was soon smok- tug all the time, one cigar after another un- til he reached the appalling number of if teen cigars per day. Nothing else would satisfy him, and he cried bitterly unless he got his regular daily supply of cigars Though the parents could see no evil effects from the use of the weed, they grew alarmed, 1ol .szs. l plete examination of the boys state of health 1 and of all the organs of his body, and finding l no evil effects from the use of the tobacco told the parents that the habit would do no l harm. |
 Reassured by this statement, the parents | allowed free rein to their child's appetite and he has been a habltual smoker from that 1 lay to this. Pipes, cigars, cigarettes, chew | ng tobacco and everything of smokable or 1 'hewable nature were eagerly consumed. l Now that he is older he smokes fewer cigars, | put smokes slower, and seems to enjoy it | nore.
 q shall have to send him to school | oon,' said his father, ''and I hardly know what to do in regard to his smoking and | hewing; he will want to smoke and chew constantly in school" He is now about five ears old. His little brother Jakey, now hree years old, commenced the habit almost | IS early, and is as indefatigable a smoker as
 
 he huge German pipe belonging to his father, nd is forced to climb chair and let the pipe hang down like cistern-pole to enable Jim to reach the mouth-pieee. Neither of he boys was ever made sick CT nauseated | ,y the use of tobacco, and even the effects of | he nicotine poison of chewing tobacco on | heir baby stomachs seems to be entirely | 
 It is indescribably amusing to see the lit | le fellows toddle into the bar-room and call | or cigars. Their father will hand them two | luge stogies. Slowly and deliberately they l viii bite off the ends of their cigars, light l heir matches, and after turning theis cigars | .ound and round to get them thoroughly l ighted, will relapse into a quiet ''puff, | puff, :" with the air of old men of fifty. It is l that Petey has smoked nearly | j, ,000 cigars up to date, which, at five cents l each, would cost $250. It is said that | emale reformer, with cloth gaiters, blue pectacles, and green cotton umbrella | once went down to lecture the boys on the l horrible depravity of smoking. The babies | m immediately grabbed two of the largest | md most fatal cigars they could find, and | 70 efectually smoked her out that she struck Ter green cotton umbrella and made 2:40 1 racks for home.