The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-05-01
A Liquid Dinner.

The Tribune scores one against the &C.
count of genial Vermonter in the fol
lowing:
A good story is going the rounds of the
press now about Colonel George W.
Hooker of Vermont, telling how he and
ex-Congressman W. l.. Scott of Pennsyl
vania, breakfasted together in New York
one day and how the millionaire coal
operator told Colonel Hooker that lie
would give all his worldly possessions
for good appetite; this after seeing
Colonel Hooker devour a breakfast Of
enormous proportions. A gentleman who
read the paragraph in a Washington
paper said to me:
81 have a sequel to that story without
which it is not complete. Colonel Hook
er is fond of drinking as well as of eat
ing. One day he was going down Broad
way, in New York, with the light of q
recent experience beaming in his eye
when he met friend who was we'll ac
quainted with his convivlal habit.
Hello, Hookerl' said this friend
where have you been?" ...
Been to dinner said Colonel Hook
er, his eyes rolling in his head and his
lips moving as though some sweet flavor
fingered upon them still. y
Did you have good dinner?' sale
his friend. o.
"'Good dinner!' said Hooker 'GOot
dinner? The finest,dinner l ever had
What did you eat?' said his friend
'Eat?' said Colonel Hooker. Eat.
We didn't eat. We drank"
And now comes the New York Pres,
with the following explanation:
THE most fortunate occurrence of my
life" said Congressman w. l.. Scott
of Pennsylvania yesterday, twas YOU
publication of the story about Colone
George w. Hooker dining at the table
with me and my saying that l would ex
change all my fortune for his stomach
and appetite because of my dyspepsia
As a matter of fact continued he, 81
do not known Colonel Hooker, never
saw him to know him, and no such thing
ever occurred. But let that go, because
of the benefits that have accrued.
went home from here after the publica
ton of the story, to find my desk liter
ally covered with mail, nine tentlis Of
which were letters from persons desiring
me to try patent medicines which was
assured would cure my dyspepsia. There
were so many of them then and for tel
days after that l threw them all in the
waste basket as soon as / discovered
their nature. They were from all part
of the country, and think | could havt
filled took with the different prescrip
| tons given me. One letter finally CANT
to hand, which in the first few lines did
not disclose the purpose of the writer
who was evidently business man o.
New Orleans. He recommended butter
milk. Now, Hon. Washington Mclean
father of John X. Mclean of the Cincin
natl Enquirer, while | was in Washing
ton, frequently urged me to try butter
milk, and told me it had been his saliva
ton; and so this letter drew my atten
ton to it again, and | tried buttermilk
with the result that gained eight pound
in two weeks, although my weight ha
not before varied two pounds in fort,
years"
asked Mr. Scott for the method o
using the milk, knowing how many per
sons suffer from dyspepsia, and he said
That is the peculiar thing about II
The method is new. My New Orlean
friend, who told me he was 81 years OLD
and had been using the buttermilk fort,
years, had set out a formula for prepai
ing the milk. 1t is ahead of anythin,
Mr.. Mclean suggested. You put tn
buttermilk in pan, which is set in no
water. The milk is brought to the boil
ing point but not allowed to boil. Thel
the heavy part is skinned off. Tn
whey which remains is set aside to cool
drank glass of it three or four times
day, as hot as | could bear it in IN,
throat. After you get used to it you viii
like it better than champaign. 1t has
delicious acid taste. l have been grea
sufferer fer years with Inflammation o
the mucous membrane, which caused m.
dyspepsia, and this is the only thing tina
has ever permanently helped me-" 20