Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-21
HE ASKS NO LICENSE.
The Jolly Host of Mine Inn in the
Olden Time Seen No More.
BIG CHANGES In OUR LANDLORDS.
An Old Genius Who Set Up Many Things
and Jigger for 75 Cents.
BONIFACE BEITLfR AND HIS ORACLE

| Ln0 JOAAg uOSS OF mine INN, IN Lne OlOeu
time when the arrival of stage coach was
an event, even in "cities" OF the second
class, has about disappeared. He wasn'tto
be seen in the late sessions of the License
Court, and he won't get license this week.
He was usually genius in his way, more
afable, if not so polished, than Chester
field Furthermore, in his rude way, he
was man of character and standing in the
community. He was forced to be, for he
could not get license to entertain travellers
If he could not get IL responsible men to
vouch for his respectability and capability.
1t is true an unsuccessful applicant for
license, an Irishman, 40 years ago, remarked
to Western Pennsylvania Judge "Divil
the character man needs to sell whisky"
There were, however, good reasons why
the inn keeper should be man of char
acter Not only were the safety and COM
! fort of the travelling public in his hands;
but the liquor selling privilege was only an
incident in the business, and man soon
lost cast If he allowed his place to become
doggery. The theory of the law was, that
as people travelled either on foot, or on
horseback, or in coach, they were exposed
to inclement weather and often needed
little stimulant either to prevent their
energies from tagging or to guard against
catching cold, which is another name from
fever.
Then, too, the resident population occa-
sionally need little wine
FOR THEIR sToMAcH's SAKE,
and for their often infrmities, and they
came to the village, or roadside tavern, oc-
casionally not only to get Scent drink of
pure Monongahela out of a water glass, but
to hear what was going on in the great world
outside. AS our forefathers were a heavy
handed set when elevated, it was necessary
that tavern keeper should be man with
sufficient frmness to prevent excess in
tippling and consequent brawls. In the
old-time tavern the higher grade of keepers
did not, as rule, want loafer or recog-
nized topper to be around the barroom, and
as it was not supposed that boys needed
whisky, they were not encouraged to
be about, unless their business called
them there. As evidence of the fact, that
bar was not regarded as the chief source ofpro-
fit in those days; as late as 1855, teamsters who
stopped at Blackheart's, in Blairsville, or at
| Grimper's in Indiana county, were given
supper, bed, breakfast, feed for two
horses and ',jigger" night and morning
for 75 cents. They paid the 75 cents whether
they took the 'jiggers" or not. In this re-
spect it was different from the management
of Teddy Ryan, who had a contract some
years before on the Pennsylvania and Ohio
canal, when it was being dug. Teddy was
regarded as a model contractor. He always
had several barrels of snake-bite cure on
hand, and he paid $13 month and board
and nine jiggers day, and as much as a man
wanted to drink at night, and never
charged a cent for the booze, simply "took it
out of the workers wages" no Wishart
molesting ordaring to make afraid.
HE Is ONLY A REMNANT.
The old-tashioned innkeeper still fingers
in some rural districts. but generally he is
| only a rheumatic remnant of his old-time
prototype. Along with many other old
time relics, he is badly damaged bv the tel
| graph, improved postal service and the
Weather Bureau, and it isn't safe for him
to indulge in the practical jokes in which
the old-timer reveled.
Mr.. Samuel B. Douglass, lumber dealer
| tells of some pranks played by old John
Beitler when he ran his famous hostlerie in
the East End half century ago. II Beitler
couldn't do somebody up every day he
would lose his appetite. When the first tel
egraph line was broughtinto the city, Beitler
for several weeks enjoyed himself at the ex-
pense of the farmers, who came to market
and stopped at his place to refresh them
selves and their horses and get pointers.
He always kept himself posted on the price
of produce in the city, and would, when a
granger wanted information, go out and
TAP ON TELEGRAPH POLE
and then listen, with his ear to the pole, for
a time. and then give the state of the mar
ket and prices to his awe-stricken auditors.
In mitigation of the sin of deception it
should be stated that Mr.. Beitler's answers
were much more reliable than those of the
Delphic oracle.
Finally the Beitler oracle grew dizzy and
set some of the hayseeds on inquiry, and
they discovered the cheat by some study of
telegraphy. Better once played verv
practical but rather painful joke on Daniel
Negley, and, escaping with his life, was en-
couraged to do up Philip Weinebiddle. The
latter was induced to sit down in front of a
rather hot fire in the barroom on a mild day
and have his arms pinioned under his knees,
so that he might learn trick. After get
ting his victim placed, Beitler took a broom
and swept the floor with great assiduitv.
Weinebiddle was sweating at every pore,
and the perspiration mingled with the dust
soon covered his face and neck with a crust
of mud. A joke Of this kind NOWADAYS
would probably cost atavern keeper a years
profits, possibly his life, but Beitler's great
popularity enabled him to escape with a
whole skin.