Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-12-18
THE CHAMPION LIAR.
Something About Joe Mulhatton. h Americas Munchausen.

Some of tine Most Wonderful Stories In.
 vented by the Famous Louisville whis-
 ky Drummer and King of Profess
 siona Prevaricators.
 The name of Joe Mulhatton is house. hold word, says the Chicago MGil. Several years ago he became an exponent of the art of lying, and doing in pleasing, interest ing manner, and there are few people who have not heard of him. Up to few years ago the tales of Baron Munchausen were considered tho finest efforts in the art which cost Ananias his life, but the Baron's tales are crude in comparison with the stories of Americas champion liar. A few days ago an obscure sheet in Kentucky town pub hshed startling story which was taken from its columns and telegraphed to paper in Cincinnati, and from this to half the pa- pers in the United States. The story was as follows: Last night roaring sound, accompanied by an awful shock, shook the town of Litchtield. Every body thought it was an earthquake, and the general terror was greatly increased when tho Episcopal church, q fine brick structure, fell to tho earth mass Of ruins. Nothing further was known of the matter until this morn
 
 Bee Springs, Edmundson County, arrived in town bringing news that a gigantic aer- ollte had fallen on the lands ot John M Stone, surveyor of the county. The celes- tial visitor covers 40 acres and is 5000 feet high, and has sunk many hundreds of feet into the earth. It is white hot, the heat be- ing so great that people can not get within half mile of it. Every vehicle in Litch- field, fourteen miles from the spot Is in de- mand, and hundreds are 1ocling to the scene. Among those who returned and con 1irmed the story are John E. Stone, county surveyor; J. A. Bishop, merchant; B. 0. Willis, merchant, aud T. R. McBeth, circuit judge. They pronounce it the greatest cu- riosity the world ever saw. The aerolite lies fourteen miles from Mammoth Cave. Prof. Klein, at Hartford, Ky, predicted the fall of the stranger week ago. Litchfield is the county seat; population, 1,OO0."
 | Mulhatton, of whose abilities as roman cer the above is tho latest specimen, is drummer for Louisville (Ky.) liquor house. About seven years ago he was travelling salesman for a hardware firm in Galveston, Tex One day picturesque story reached the newspapers. A Galveston lady. with her three year-old daughter, stopped on the street to buy toy balloon of an Italian peddler While the balloon was being dis engaged from the big pack of the toys, all struggling to be free from the single rope to which they were tied, the rope in some manner became entangled with the childs person, and the little girl was born aloft into the air and was soon sailing out over the bay. The mother shrieked and hun dreds who saw the strange accident rushed to the rescue A boat was secured and into 1t was put an expert mari1sman, armed with a rife. The boat followed the course of the captive child and tho rihcman skillfully broke the balloons one by one, causing the little one to descend gradually into the boat. Other stories equally ingenious followed, and soon their author, Mulhatton, became iamous His occupation carried him over large portion of the country and It was easy dor him to sit down in lhis spare moments and write a letter to some country sheet out of reach of telegraphc facilities The names of prominent citizcns and country officials always accompanied the yarn ta testify to the truth of what was related. With no means of quickly ascertaining the truth or falsity of the account the country editor was always willing to print some thing about wonderful event and enter prising correspondents always saw that the matter reached the great newspapers.
 There are a great many stories credited to the imaginative drummer with which he probably had nothing to do, and which were the work of hls imltators. One of his best efforts was the story, some three years ago, ol the discovery of q wonderful cave in Kentucky. In one of tho back counties a countryman while out hunting stumbled upon hole in the hillside, and entering it found cavern extending for twenty miles, with halls and galleries whose beauty far surpasses the famous Mammoth Cave A Chicago newspaper published very lengthy account of the discovery, never suspecting that it was the work of Mulhatton. Then came an account of the discovery of what appeared to be the crater of volcano in New Mexico. Smoke and flames issued forth and sulphurous gases; but what terri fled the discovers were the soupda as of groans and cries, which proceeded from it. They sounded lihe the wailings of the damned. The same Chicago paper contained the gifted liars account of this discovery.
 About five years ago story came from North Carolina which has been ascribed to Mulhatton. It was much like Rider Hag- gard's ideas A cave in mountain side was found, from which strong current of air was emitted during several hours of the day with loud roar. Then the outward lurrent ceased and the air rushed into the cave with roar equally as loud. The igno- rant people living in the neighborhood the story said, believed that the earth was huge animal and that they had found the mouth through which she breathed Fully as strange was his story of terrific cy- clone in Texas. Straws were driven by the force of the wind into strong blanks, just as carpenter drives nails. The hair was torn from peoples heads, and some were dayed alive by the cutting wind.
 About year ago Mulhatton gave the world one of hls best fictions. A Kentucky planter, the story went, conceived the idea of making use of the initiative disposition of monkeys, so he secured lot of the little animals and had them taken into his cotton fields, where they watched the negroes at work. The monkeys were turned loose, and of course they did what they saw the negroes na. The result was that with lit tie training the planter soon had a force of monkey cotton -piclers, whose expertness was wonderful and who could do many times more work than the same number of human beings The story fooled lots of people, on account of the element of proba- bility that was in it. Another story, located