The sun., 1889-12-15
rANkEE srAHlNa poKEe.
wonderful Exhibition OF the Endurnnee OF
the New England Man.

4
matches for "a IS bill,"" the prize pie" and
"the championship Of tho county" have be-
4 come very fashionable In eastern Conn ecticut
| this winter. 1t is easy to ret eight or ten men
| to ent pie against time for famo and money at
| Hny time Tho RrRndest match of the Kind In
| the history OF the State took place in the Main
street store Of Reeves 4 Branohe in this city.
4 One night recently at o'clock mob Of 1000
| people gathered In the rain and mud in the
| street In front Of the store and waited impa-
tiently for the contest 10 open at ~. Inside
| the brightly illuminated store fifty persons
| and the enters. judges score keeper. and ref.
cree lounRed against the couuters At ~
sharp the pie eating was begun, On semi-
circular slightly raised, ,carneted platform In the
big windows facing the street nine pie eaters
sat on stools In blaze OF electric light. The
row OF men faced the assemblaEe that howled
In the street and presented a sea OF faces
that broke In billow nRainst the plate glass,
the barrier that kept tho human wave from
inuD dating the store. Joe Field janitOr OF the
Arcanum Club, was the referee, Nc. Blanche
score keeper. Two tables of squash piss.
which the local colored tragedlan. Reuben
Powers. had spent all day in cooking stood in
the centre OF the platform. Referee Field.
watch in ono hand and cigar IN the other. sat
at the pie table. 80 that he could hand out pies
as fast as they were needed.
Cor said Joe.
then len with a soft Swfrrh Into tho amber
Wepe on Woodon pstss H Wv We're dyided Into
quarters. They were NOT SO big and deep as
peither were they 90 small as the New York
bakers pie. They were Just "middlinRs"
TIE o Gfs he both
tin Whitman.. Martin is a kind OF Yankee that
sixty yea years ago but Which % is now Going os. oi
rogue. He is round ana rosy. and his limbs
sIoRes @ 0 HReb Ba blue eyes % prorude % ike those o.
hsSthsns ido1 In his Gnfy lace, ahd na wne nnes no
sion @ i that o Of stsid and serious Sonesty; His
SnSk hair YES ;s EsieS
were vRrnished with glistening expreeston
cowhide boots on the bottom round Of his
and, while his mouth expressed the quiet
resolution Of 2 steel trap. his eyes were liked
Two other eemba,antts tS we're ' % q an exactly op;
postte type OF Yankee. being lean. bony, and
rather d the q the
boys. whose digestive apparatus had been de- :
Martin Whitman was the only able. pie eater
IN the row y pleased the crowd immensely
tail herds grass, brittle With the morning dew,
waver ana fall before the onset Of a rapid
mower IN June, ID bllKlDl0 10 form u InnCy OF
pSsEsd sfH Tf Re
made no false motions. as did the other eGterss
way Ths Ssso SsS he s hsd s ot hsnd
quarter he was eating lightly poised in his
ends OF his fingers. He made no crumbs Of
Sts s sfd yef2 a9 e TO o. be- eur desired q
Suartar qua @ Of % squash pie; = then f his Jaws u ran
from end to end OF the back crust as a man eats
the Sn ;
NfS tie deSsy NV 9 took .h.
match. Sists1osd. and. perseiVine how
Stools sa and. with jsEs avs agar; ssape. wa Watched the
rhythmic ewing and magpiieent action Of Mar.
o 81 Of sS
they recoRniSed the wide, gulf between anna:
tsur and professional work The ,, best M on one Of
OF iifteen minutes::ius hall the length Of the
match.MaEtina 4 had three pies !S down and had
ESs sn11T e aaH eSeerod "a usy asd
@s tn SCd rP0'h'F 'a0E
Inside the shOp GoOa des! Sf hSd
grin one Of his warmest partlsans ehook Q lot
H srs money eO o0e aha tEat Ssrn TSS6
y this stage that he could SS a4ythtPs siss
never won until the end OF the last heat. and
Martin Whitman was destined to have victory
Snsy Way o. MrS eaes es
and only ffteen minutes was left Of the thirty
Base e at on S e srssi
side, and the doorkeeper said:
%sssS s0Pss sSs fpfset st tim hs entered for
% have fair Hay reped Mr.
nov now. H why. let ist him % I'M '' "'''' W ''no =.
= The door ,was epened and in stepped Bill
"a his ,iubilGnt face was an expression that
Dlicited q responsive sh9d9w on the stuffed and
Usage vS Of %anese @af for ts S
Waa. Tossett jumped over the glisteninF.
isr bossP Wants ter khaw who's der boss9
Martin Whitman. the fat fellow. him slttin'
right lonGside o. yer" yelled the crowd: he's
4FSS Rs: Sns 1nd RfS Ras
SiiI Fesss.t dig g f p IeGnle @ Who few mo:
isglufttion as the m4rveiloqs Martin had eI-
SoT II 'N Whitman Wns an ans
conda, then Bill Tossett was anaconda and
SapRT pe Pe,sa S
DR.. T0ssett had eaten his way through four
squash pies. ard was crunehing along hot on the
:er of q pie ahead Of him. Only lye minutes q
line now remained. and yet Martin. dumb with
shagrip and In q lethargy, OF Amusement sat
notfoniess on his stool doing nothing, except
% stare with fixed blue eyes. aimiossly into the
.tEeet He could not fa 70 hear bis dprmidSHle Si
9ut neither the steady clkt s%&rEl & nor ne .sE eS-
q. = 90 It. Tossettl Give /; teW him: Bin
Vow you've got himP apparently. penetrated
trapped IN pie: and possibly the gloom q ifons.:
doomed defeat. The mighty Martin. IL WaS
,adly evident had got all the pie he wanted.
Four pies and Q Quarter nnquestionapiy cane
sestive capability. and for three full minutes he
lat immutable tntently eyeinR nothing and on
ais countenance the satiated expression OF an
anaconda that has eaten q 81 per cent discount
Finally the cries OF the crowd. What's ther
;e soin tor bust upT awoke him With 8 st9rtj
broad grin broke over his face. he extended
me band. and SAID epologetlcally. " The dumb
poke made me sick. Give mo pie"
The referee threw away his cigar, and passed
~. Merttns t.h PS Rut while tbe great Ps
wen with Martin, then taken the pole. being Q
luarter Of pie ahead OF hie rival Whereupon
10 halted, With piece In hand. anXiUnsly