The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-24


all dropped into sociable converse. FscS
related some marvellous experience in tho
chewing line. Johnny Halls Pet said bs
hal accomplished the feat of eating a 10
cent Bowery custard pie while rGnniro
around block in the unprecedented TIM
OF u minutes. This achievement was Offset
by the performance Of Billy Fangs. VIII
declared that be had che wed aud SWALLOWED
twelve soda crackers IN as many minuteS
Maybe youse mugs don't think that wa.
much 10 do, " he continued, earnestly, "bnt
you try TO chew dry sody crackers withons
water and it'll keen you agaping Ikea
chicken with the pip"
In this delightful fashion the eyenin,
wore away until the arrival of the orches.
ira, which consisted of O black pico1Io
player and a white guitarist The news N
the impending chewing gum match had
| gone abroad and the saloon bagau n
gradually fill up. until there were nearly
100 sports present The tedium Of waiting
for the Connecticut champion was enliy.
parody on Maggie Murphy's HomeyS
which was like this:
You can stand in Grogan's alley,
| About mile away,
And hear Mag singing church hymns
| At the breaking Of the day.
| Her head goes In the bucket,
| She doesn't mind the foam
| For there are not any glasses
| In Maggie Murphy's home.
This tender little sentiment was received
with murmurs of applause and elicited an
encore. While the singer was still warblino
about the flower from his angel MOTHER
grave Mr.. Brodie entered in company with
Waliy Perkins, from Naugatuck, Conn.
| he wore a wide brimmed straw hat and
large checked trousers. His jaws vera
wagging lazily on piece Of practice gum.
and quiet smile Of conscious superiority
rested on his face. The time bad now coma
| for action. The outer door of the saloon
was closed, and Steve cautioned the
audience to keep still. Said he:
II want youse blokes to understand that
this amt no Homestead riot. It's Just lit.
the racket wot I've got up fer to tickle ma
thing II be lovely, But il anybody gets
funny something II drop. I'm a-runnin'
this gin mill, and the first calf that squeals
gets plug in the lanterns and goes out on
his head. Now, gents, make yer bets Ths
| orohestry will please play 'Boom-ta-rar"
The music arose with its voluptuous swell.
while Mr.. BrodIe began TO make the pre-.
liminary arrangements for the chewing gum
match. He stood the five contestants up in
row. appointed Billy Costello, a cripple, to
act as time keeper, and announced shat be
himself would act rs referee. When every.
thing was ready he put his hand into his coat
pocket and drew out a handful of cubes Of
| The back room was dimly lit by gas The
| five men who were about to test their chew.
ing powers looked as serious as IL they were
| in attendance at a funeral. Each face iQ
the crowd packed about the room wore an
| expression Of eager expectancy. Now and
| then some man whose humorous capacity
was largely developed snickered audibIy,
which breach OF decorum was met by an
| angry frown from the master of cere-
monies. Extending his hand. upon which
lay some twenty pieces of chewing gum,
| with the tragic manner of a king about
TO bestow an order upon q subject, Brodis
said:
There's the stuff that wins the di'mon'
medal. It's tooty-frooty chswin' gum. The
man that chews the most pieces of ID will
have the name o. bein' the champion tooty.
frooty chewer Of the Bowery. besides gittin
the medal Dye understands 1t ain't the
man that chews the longest on one piece O
chewin' gum that wins the championship
but the Teller that gets the most pieces o
gum in bis mouth at one time and keeps bis
jaws Vaughn. Besides, ye got to keep
time with the music. This amt no go-as-
| you please chewiu' match. Mr.. Weell,
president Of the Tooty-frooty Club, will
beat time with the bunR starter and the
bloke that breaks time with his jaw goes
out. Now, Pl give each one t you mugs
piece OF tooty-frooty. You'll hold it in
your hands till l start up the music ana
Mr.. Well gives you the movement. Then
I'll count, and when say 'threer you 60"
The music struck up at an andante gait
Mr.. Wee'lrs bungstarter began to made
| figure As In the air like the baton OF Patrick
Sars6eld Gilmore, and when Brodie gave
| the word the silence was so thick that it
could have been cut with a knife They
were off. Five pairs of ia VS. began to wag
with the precision Of a CorIiss engine. The
| ~
relief in an audible sigh. II was an inspir.
| iting sight to see those five able-bodied men
working their jaws like threshing machines.
Betting began to fly around the room.
| Hoboken Pet. WINS the favorite at to be.
cause II the s'z9 IT his mouth, with Billy
! FRngs close 'co1d and the NaugaSucS
third. Encouraging remarks arose on all
sides, such as:
''SoCk it 30 'em, Pete" "Look at them
grinders grind" ''Holy mackerel, McMil.
Ian aln't keepin' time: he's off his beat!n
Steve kept them chewing OF the fret cubs
for more than half a minute. Then be
handed each man another piece of gum, and
as they put 1t in their mouths simultane-
ously he ordered the musicians to play
faster. The chewers began to feel the
strain now. 1t was quite easy to chew on a
single piece OF gum, but when the quantity
was doubled and the time percsptibly in
creased the work became much harder.
| Johnny Halls Pet tried to enter a protest,
but Brodie shook his bead sternly and
| said:
mo kickin' You keep on Vaughn your
jaws or drop outl"
The pace was getting to bs very hot aud
SWEET began TO roll down the faces Of the
men. AT the expiration of two minutes
| third chunk was added to the gun already
mastlcated. The measured beat of Boom.
tara" and o. jaws rose aud fell together.
Johnny Halls pet was getting groggy. His
eyes rolled, his jaws wobbed and with
loud groan his gum fell out of his mouth
and he gave up exhaused amid roars OF
laughter. The Naugatuok masticator
dropped out in the fourth round and began
to hattie his jaws in cold water. By this
time Brodie changed the tempo of the music,
for it was impossible to keep up lively
gait on four chunks of gum. Hoboken Pete
was still in the lead closely followed by
Billy Fangs, who might have won in tds
last round but for the lamenta5ls
fact that as bis jaws came together his teeth
stuck In the plastic mass of gum and were
held there as in a wise. He nearly diso-
GATED his vertebre in his efforts to separate
his molars, but all in vain, and he was
knocked out. The contestants had now been
chewing for five minutes, which seemed an
eternity to them. There were only two left
at this stage Of the contest, Hoboken Pets
| and Blinky Mcmillan. TIE latter was toll.
ing along bravely, while pandemonium