Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-09-13
AMODERN MUNCHAUSEN
Brief Sketch Of "Lying jack Lomar q,
Crow Wing Crossing One Who
NeVerToId the Truth.
iauper Who Romances About a Pr,neelv
Feiace on the Prairie--A Ready and
Ingenious Faisifer,

Vne Aoriner appellation. In the writer's
lourneyngs up and down In the land ana
In the breadth thereof, he never mot ITO :
whose calibre equaled that OF Living .Iack
Oh crow Wing Crossing, Minnesota. II
you asked who Lying Jack was, the replv
would invariably be; ''why, he's Living
Jack" No one knew his past. M
one knew his name. The FIRST time that
tne writer met him was one afternoon in
July, 1873, while acting IS ststion agent
az Crow Wing Crossing, now known as
Matley. was mere boy, sixteen wears
OF age, and consequently thought INV
position as station agent entitled me 10 az
much respect as though was jaw Cooke.
VINO was the ruling factor in those DAYS on
the Northern Pacific road.
Lying Jack came into the office and
saluted the writer with a curtly Hrood.
evening" He was tall, well built, snarp
gray eyes, regular features, and unkempt
beard OF brown curly tangle, and an old
gray hat that had weathered many win
ters' storms; his apparel was rather nom
descript being mixture of citizens and
soldiers clothing very much frayed AZ the
edges, yet comfortable IL man had none
better. He seated himself on table and
opened up conversation by asking
Whats the tariff on carloads OF wheat to
DULUTH"
Consulting the tariff book, l informed
him that 1t was forty-ave dollars In bulk
and forty dollars In bags.
81 always ship in bags. will have nv
teams begin to haul In day after to-mor-
row. Order sixty cars for me, please
anu while you are about II, ask the gen
NJ xxrha Ia,
carloads of reapers from ST Paul for?"
Visions OF Dalrymple, aud Grandin, and
farmer kings flashed through my mind,
ana despite his tramp-like makeup, he
inspired me with respect somewhat sim
liar to what a green country boy has for
millionaire summer foarder.
A PRAIRIE KING.
"What is your name, sir2n ! asked,
taking down clip to write the mes
sage on.
"My hame is Lomax-John Lomax, Of
Long Prairie. l have forty thousand
acres In wheat, and we began cutting to-
day. DON'T suppose you will have any
trouble to get those cars?n
ooh, l guess not. You bring in the
wheat and I'll have the cars here"
After an hours chat he took his leave
and l telegraphed for the cars. Atnoon
the next day / had received no answer.
Four trains had passed and no emptles
had been set In on the siding. | asked
rather imperatively II was going to get
the cars or not, and received an answer
thusly;
"Say to Mr. Lomax that we cannot fur
nish the cars, but can loan him a few
wheelbarrows.n
gave kick at the seeming frivolity OF
this answer, and in the morning received
letter from MIR. G. d. Hobart, then
superintendent, now Major Domo of the
Yellowstone Park, that | had been vic
timized by parsonage known the whole
length of the Mississippi river as "Lying
Jack.n
did not see Jack again for month.
One day strolled off in the woods and
was somewhat startled by a "Hullo thar"
1t was Lying Jack reclining on messy
log, rife leaning against his arm.
"Hello, Have you shipped your wheat
YETI" l meant this to be sarcastic.
"0h, yes. We fiatboated 1t down to
Minneapolis. found it would be cheaper.
Plllsbury gave me sixty-hve cents bushel
for it. made nearly million dollars
clear profit from my crop. Say, young
fellow, come out to my place and spend
week with me. I've got a jolly crowd
there, several young officers from Smell
ling. Got California girl there yisitin'
my darter, who turns the scales at a mil
lion an half, and sides that, the pig
cons are flying thicker than graybacks on
Sioux's blanket"
This staggered me. Was the man lying
or not? "See here Lomax. ] received a
letter from Mr.. Hobart, and ne says you
are the biggest liar in seventeen states,
l said nervously.
READY LIE.
"Now that accounts for 1t. That man
Is the hardest-headed old rooster in
Brainerd. ! sold tne>company 10000 oak
ties st twenty cents a piece, and when he
estimated them he threw out 8 slew OF
them that made me mad and | just give
him piece OF my mind. done II right
before q lot OF ladies and 1t cut him all
up. Since then he don't like me for
cent, Every tie was good measure, but
he was irving TO get solid with the com
psny and hold his job. Why, darn his
skin, when Jay Cooke and Lyman Bridges
were out here they stayed three days out
on my place and Jay offered me the super
intendency, but wouldn't have 1t. Don't
you believe everything you hear, young
man. This advice, coming from a man
whom had been told was notorious
liar, only strengthened my faith in his
good qualities, and actually believed him
70 be an eccentric millionaire.
apo you like to hunt, Mr.. LomaxY |
asked as sat down on the log and picked
up his rife to examine 1t.
ayes, I'm always huntin'. did the
hest work this morning ever did. got
twenty-eight pigeons with one bullet and
never hit nary one Of 'em."
GLOW IN heavens name oid you 40
that?" ..u
nJust this way. There was tree iuu
of lem on the edge of one OF my clearln .
and thought I'd get mess for 1lnner,
so sneaked up and circumyented ths
tree tin | thought I'D get three or iour az
one shot; always use rife, you Know.
wall. sir, let her go. Pingl IspDt tner
limb. their claws dropped in, snap sne
went shut and there had 'em, sguawklng
and Mapping like all possessed. l clum9
mn ther tree and cut of the limb and took
-, III home fast stuck Ia the limo.