Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-01
A WONDERFUL EATER.
HERE Is A MAN WHO is A TERROR
TO FREE LUNCH COUNTERS.

At One Contest He Ate &1S.55 Worth of
Plain Food-He Devoured Four Gal
Ions of Oysters on Another Occasion.
His Digestion Is Perfect.
William Green appeared at the four
courts and before Assistant Prosecut-
ing Attorney Dierkes swore out war
rant charging Otto Feldt with embez-
element. Feldt lives at 2,511 Blair ave-
nue.. 1t is alleged in the information
that he borrowed from Green photo
graphic outfit of the value of $40, which
he has refused to return.
The prosecutor, William Green, is
something of an eater. In fact, he is the
champion of the country in his line, hav
ing defeated all comers at numerous
matches. Years ago the challenges sent
out by his friends, who wished to back
him to out eat any man in the United
States, were never accepted, and forfeits
which had been posted were taken down.
Green has record. The first match of
any note in which he was engaged came
Off in 1872 From his boyhood he had
recognized that he had an enormous
capacity for any kind of food, yet his
fare for day or week would compare
in quantity with that of any ordinary
working man. It was only when he tried
to eat that he devoured such an immense
amount of food.
GREEN'S HISTORY.
In 1872 Green, who is a collector, was
at work with a number of bills in South
st. Louis, when he met three men at the
lunch counter One of them was tailor,
another constable and the third dep
uty marshal. Green felt little hungry
after his walk and set in to eat the whole
OF five pound sausage. The tailor, the
constable and the marshal thought they
could eat little bit themselves, and
match was prepared by some of the by
ISLANDERS. 1t was agreed that the man
eating the least was to pay the whole
bill, and the quartet set to work. Such
confidence had Green in his own abilities
that he took bets right and left at even
money that he would beat the others.
AS the contest proceeded he offered alb
surd odds that he could win with pounds
to spare.
He was not known about the place and
the bystanders fairly crowded for his
money, having seen what the marshal
and constable could do ON various occa-
sions. Everything in the saloon went on
the bill of fare and the men ate for an
hour. Then the tailor gave it up in de-
spair and sat down to watch the others.
Ten minutes later the constable had
pain under his jacket and retired. The
marshal stood it for another half hour
and then gave up in disgust. Green ate
with such vigor that everybody was
surprised. When he finished he had de-
voured $1S.75 worth of food and his ap-
petite was still good.
Green collected his bets and went
home. The story of the match spread,
and the following day Drs. Gregory,
Mudd, Ludwig and Hess called at his
residence expecting to find him dead. He
was as clipper as a cricket, however,
and regaled his medical visitors with
the stories of his eating feat. Sworn
statements of the amount the man had
eaten were made and accounts of the
affair were telegraphed all over the coun-
try.
GASTRoNCMIC FEATs
Green made no more matches for
number of years, being decidedly averse
to obtaining notoriety on account of his
peculiar abilities. On several occasions,
however, he went with some of his
friends to places about the city, and sur
prised all spectators by devouring every
morsel of food on the lunch counters
Proprietors of restaurants where the
sign ''All you can eat for fifteen cents
and barred their doors when they saw
him about to enter.
Finally his friends backed him to eat
cove oysters against the record A Con-
necticut man had devoured eight quarts
of the bivalves, but Green almost dis
counted him by swallowing twelve quarts
in an hours time. When the craze over
the eating Of one quail day for thirty
days was on Green won numerous wagers,
first by eating one quail day for twenty
five days, then for thirty days and finally
for fifty days. His friends offered to back
him to eat two quails day for a month,
but could get no answer to their challenge.
Green's latest match was less than
three months ago. He was in a small
country town soliciting for st. Louis
glass company and met horse trader in
a restaurant. The horse trader thought
he could eat oysters with the next man
and offered to back himself against the
crowd. Green took all the bets he could
get, and then bet his opponent two to one
that he would eat two quarts to his one.
The horse trader was game and the bets
were made.
When Green offered him three to one,
however. he weakened, and the contest
was commenced. The horse man swal-
lowed three quarts of the bivalves and
quit. By this time Green had put him
self on the outside of five quarts. He
then offered to bet that he could eat as
many more and won all the money in
sight by covering an additional ten
quarts. This made almost fcaT gallons
of the mollusks which had entered his
stomach, yet he was not even "phased."
Green is middle aged man, Of medium
height, yet short in build. He weighs in
the neighborhood of 259 pounds and has
never been sick in his life. His appetite
is normal, but his capacity is abnormal