Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-02-23
A FIRE.PROOF MAN.

| LOUIS G!0oe- democrat.
A FIRE-PROOF MAN.
An EAsteen Shore Freak Who Once En-
Joycd Wide Notoriety.
The good people of Tuckahoe Neck
that land of unadulterated good living,
with all-pervading piety-have dwell
iny among them one who, in his nat.
ural attributes. would seem to be rs
much out of place there rs Him the
Almighty hurled headlong flaming
from the ethereal sky" For the Tuck
ahoe Neck monstrosity is in many re-
spects devil incarnate, but it is harm.
less and inOffensive. In mighty
stature" in color and general make
up, he makes up to the ideal of his
satanic majesty. being six feet tall. IS
black as the hinges of hndes, a giaLs in
strength. and endowed with such
salamandrne qualities that he can en-.
dure fire unframed. and with little in
convenience. None of the thousands
who marvelcd ut his unnatural powers
ten or twenty years ago will say
that the above is in the least an over.
drawn picture of Nathan Coker. whose
fire-eating exploits were the wonder Of
this peninsula to generations past.
Nathan is now eighty-four years old.
having long since quit the business Of
fire-eating. from the profits of which
he saved fortune of a thousand dol
lars. He worked only when he felt
like it. though he is still in rob. st
health. He occupies i small cabin in
Tuckahoe Neck. about three mics be-
low Denton. and IL more inoffensive
and kindlier old colored man is not to
be found anywhere. The old man sel-
dom comes to town nowadays. since
the local option law has done away
with the places Of his former resort.
His besetment was proneness for
drink.
While in town the other evening
Nathan was found by the correspond
ent. and happened to be in talkative
mood. He dwelt with fond memory
upon his frequent visits here. and the
way he used to pour the red liquor
down his throat was. according to his
own statement, astonishing. 1t was in
Denton, where Nathan once lived, that
he first discovered himself to be fire
proof. In his youth he was servant
in the house of Lawyer PurnelL Being
in the kitchen a great deal. his inclina-
ton was to taste some of the choicest
dishes when the housekeeper's eye was
turned. and one day he dipped his
hand into boiling pot to catch q
dumping. He got the morsel and rel
ished it so much that he grabbed for
another. and found that his hand was
not hurt in the least. This pilfering
process went on for some time. with no
injury to the hand. The first public
exhibition that Nathan made of HIM
self took place in the bar-room of the
local hotel, when he took live Goals
from the stove and held them in the
palm till they had expired. Then fol-
lowed. on different occasions. other
more trying feats of endurance. such
as whetting hot poker OH his h,nds,
or licking it with his tongue and hold ,
ing it in his mouth. walking bare |
footed among live Goals and on hot |.
tires. At the trial of Fred Lawrence !
in Denton early in the seventies. after !,
an adjourned session of court. Nathan !
greatly amused the judges and many |,
spectators by his exploits. and at the :
hanging of Lawrence in Easton he was !
present and gave an exhibition which
Melted him sS71. On this occasion he re- !
peatedly took moutifuls of molten lead
with no injury. Hundreds of colored
men were present Great was their con-
sternation when they witnessed the
performance. On all occasions Nathan
turned his supernatural powers to
profitable account He would "eat
fire" at any time. but never without
hearing the jingle of money. Judge
Stump once gave Nathan five dollars
for whetting q red-hot poker on his
hand. The pcninsular towns of Gem
terville, Church Hill. Easton, Hills
boro and others within walking dis
SstuSC "SlC oAe"H Oc"iSS WIN I.S per-
Torrance. At the zenith of his fire.
eating career. Nathan made IN engage
ment with the manager of the Front
Street Theater. Baltimore. that greatly
widened his reputation. He played
1.-THE devil here for three weeks to
crowded houses. being the sensation
of the day. Then followed an engage
ment of eight nights at the Douglas
Institute At both places he would 60
the role of the evil one with
SO much reality that many in the Mon-
City were turned from the
ways Of the wicked and brought to re-
pen,ance. Nathan never used prepar-
atoms to protect himself from injury,
as some people nigh: suppose. Hot
lead was taken into his mouth and live
Goals into his hands. and he would
stand barefootef upon red-hot stove,
with no injurious results. His mouth