The Forrest City times., 1889-12-14
UNCLE JOSIAH
Relates an Interesting Exprisnoe of His
 Early Betting Days.

The Moral He Draws is to Carefully View
 the Situation .and Then Go 1t Blind in the
 Placing of Election Bets-But Better Not
 Bot
 Uncle Josiah Windlass. of Green township, was in Cincinnati one day. and had something to say to Times man and other interesting listeners that quickly gathered about him and naturally his observations drifted in the line of tho election.
 "To bet on political results with con- fidence, an at the same time accuracy. like, mans got to have head en- tirely free from fanatcism, m one not easily rattled generally. 1 have had some experience in wagerin on the results of our numerous an highly in- terestin' political contests.
 My experience has been that al- though very enticin', exhilaratin' occupation. it is not free from financial risk. That's probably the reason more people arc not addicted to bettin' an that 1t remains not over-crowded calling. This reminds mo of very little incident that happened when l was a young fellow just beginnin' to realize that the party to which l naturally belonged as son of my daddy, was nearly as apt to make an ass of itself as was totber About the same time noticed that my party was just about as apt to get left too. Therefore l tapped an drew con- clusions of my own, and determined that would depend on cool, strictly business viewing of the situation al- ways before stakin cent on any lection.
 Well, at the timo am refcrrin' to, or near abouts, Jim Humspin took it into his big sand complexioned head to run for representative of our county. Jim had nothin' at all to recommend him to tho voters at large except bein'. so far's found out, an honest man with q large dependent family that took right after him. His clothes were nothin', you might say; bein' mostly concoetod by his wife 'thout any con sideration of either style. fit or bar- mony. like. Now. Jim's opponent was lawyer named Treforg.
 "Treforg's clothes, or the ones attrih- uted to him. wore of tho latest cut by telegraph; genuine in texture an charmin' in color An Treforg could talk for hours at stretch md never get tired himself To my iuexperi- eucod, twenty eyes 1t was walk over for tho lawyer. Hlvin n good chance one day bet largely accordingly. On several other days did likewise.
 One day l met Deacon Hezekiah Bulheide, an he approached mo for my conduct He said t was gamblin'. soul debilitatin' an so forth at some length. answered that winter was comin' on an must look out for my self an make hay while t was sun shiny. which considered il was. worry, I said. How re you bet,in9 I told him. 'Whatr said he. can you get that kind of bets? Josiah, although am inveteratcIy as we'll as conscieu- tiously opposed to bettin', still fl could mako some of those fellows sec the evil of their ways by wagerin' as you have. would do it Here's leyen dollars take it. Josiah, an put it all up on Lawyer Treforg at as good odds as you can got
 Well. that lection came an IL went an with 1t every danged cent that was up on the lawyer man, for Jim run like wild hoss. Young man, tako the advice of an old chap who proba- bly, hasn't many moro presidential elections to encounter, an don't be in- flueaced by a ringin' speech or torch light procession in the placin' of your money lection times.