The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-08-28
NE SMOKED BY PROXY
How Uncle Ira Trip, of Scranton
stopped Smoking.
New York SUM-

A.
merchants hotel was in existence in
Cortiandt street. His tall, erect form,
nus immense flowing beard, white as
snow, and, more than all, the peculiar
manner in which he enjoyed his cigar,
attracted attention to him at once.
"When Bill Schenck gave up the
Merchants and took the Westminster,
up town, Uncle Ira became just as strik-
ing figure in that part of the city, on
his visits to New York. He was one of
the Oldest and richest individual coal
operators in the Lackawanna valley, his
father being one of the pioneers of the
region, and settled on land that, when
coal was discovered, proved to be in the
richest part Of the anthracite belt.
"Thirty years ago Ira Trip, from one
of the ruggedest of men, had gradually
fallen into poor health. His physician
told him that he was slowly dying from
nicotine poisoning, and that unless he
gave up smoking his end was not far off.
For years he had smoked daily from
twenty to twenty-five of the strongest
imported cigars he could buy, and it was
supposed that he was SO welded to the
habit that it would be an impossibility
for him to break it,
"But he did break it, and broke it
square off, too, so far as smoking cigars
himself was concerned; but he continued
to enjoy his smoke right along, after a
novel plan of his own. He bought the
same kind of cigars he had always
smoked, and then hired man to accom-
pany him wherever he went, smoke the
cigars and blow every puff of the fra
grant vapor into his face, so that he could
inhale it.
SECONDHAND SMOKE.
'It wasn't long before Ira declared that
he got just as much enjoyment out Of
his smoke at secondhand as he ever did
when he was pulling away at his Per-
fectos himself. He had hard work,
though, to get smokers who were willing
or able to consume a couple of dozen
strong cigars, one quickly following the
other, in the course Of a day and even
ing, and at the same time be companions
agreeable to him. Two resigned after
few months trial, one was discharged on
the spot for inhaling the smoke before
putting 1t into the face of the gentleman
for whose benefit and not his own pleas
ure he was smoking, and two died in the
service.
SIT was not until about fifteen years
ago that Uncle Ira got man that suited
him exactly, and that was his colored
man, John, who filed the bill in every
respect, and became the old mans con-
slant attendant and smoker. For all I
know John was smoking for him up to
the day he died.
''Some years ago, when Bill Schenck
was still running the old Merchants,
Uncle Ira was guest there and of
course had John along. At that time
Karl Kase, well known newspaper
man Of that day, since dead, was an
habitue of the Merchants, and he and
Uncle Ira got well acquainted. Karl
suited Ira SO well that he was content to
let him rest John for hours at stretch
in doing the proxy smoking, a task
which was most agreeable to the Jour-
nalist, as he was lover of the weed.
"One day Uncle Ira had business up
town and he asked Karl to accompany
him and do the smoking, and of course
Karl went with him. They got on the
front platform of Sixth avenue car at
Broadway and Vesey street, and Karl Lit
a cigar. As the car trundled along he
kept putting the smoke into Ira's face and
Ira stood with his back against the end
of the car enjoying the cigar with silent
satisfaction.
AN INDIGNANT WOMAN.
Ia1, nx~I -s-4-
which the young man blew the smoke
into the old mans face finally attracted
the attention Of an old lady in the car.
She watched the proceeding for some
time, her indignation steadily rising
until she could no longer endure what
she regarded as an outrage on the part Of
the young man against the gray whis-
kered old gentleman. She whipped out
other seat, threw the door of the car
open, and grabbing Karl Kase by the
shoulder, jerked him half way around,
and then with one blow of her hand sent
the cigar flying from his mouth far into
the street.
"'There, you impudent young puppyr
she exclaimed. Amt you ashamed of
yourself, blowing your nasty smoke into
that poor old mans facer
"The poor old man and Karl were
dumfounded for moment, and then
the situation struck Ira, and he threw
his head back and laughed so loud that
he could have been heard block. Karl
Joined in the laugh, and the old lady,
who had whipped back to her seat again,
sat bolt upright and stared at the two in
amazement. The other passengers in
the car and the conductor and driver,
although they had no idea of the peculiar
relation there was between Uncle Ira
and Karl Kase, were forced to laugh also.
and the well meaning old lady stopped
the. car and founced to the street in
high state of confusion and indignation.
"tAn she was going to One Hundred
and Fifty-ffth street, said the conduc-
tor, which made Uncle Ira roar again,
as he handed Karl a fresh Perfecto.
That incident ever after was the old
mans favorite anecdote.