The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-24
ITO BE CONTINUED. !
THE ART OF HaWiNG GUM
How It Was } x3nlnli1 ID in a Contest
on tn Bowery.
(COnt,rjoht

How It Was } x9nln.ia ID in a Contest
on thu Bowery.
(Copyri0ht0
New YORK, July 23.-The Bowery saloon
was doing rushing business. Before the
polished rosewood bar stood a crowd Of
sha0bily dressed men in various inelegant
Uostures who gazed in rapt admiration ut
the pictures Of deceased pugilists papering
the walls. The few grains of sand labele /
From Yankee Sullivan's grave" elected
profound interest, while the crude samples
of the semi-nude in art created such dis
eliminating criticisms as OTIS about time
Comstock took a peep in dis ranch I"
The proprietor, a stockily built man,
with furtlve eyes, was here, there and
every where, like a rat in a cellar. A
marble slab, into which bad been cut the
name "Steve Brodie," lay before the door.
| At intervals young and ELUSIVE colored
man, whom Steve called his ''vallie," came
out # the saloon with pail Of water and a
mop. In the presence OF an admiring Gro wd
| he carefully washed the marble slab and
| then covered IL with a piece of secondhand
Administer carpet. This operation was gone
through with eighty times every day; not
that it was necessary, but because, as Steve
|
shells. Nothin' makes de Bowery gillies'
Jaw drop like style!"
| On a recent evening the "vallie" had
washed the marble for the eighty first time,
when tall, sloucny man saiuted him 10 q
tone saturated with rum and plug tobacco.
| Said be:
Il hear there's goin' to be a chewin' gum
match here tonight. Is that so Jockep
''Who you calm Jocko, white mani You
gra' big knock-kneed, Splsy-footed, bow
| legged old lag o. bones! l want you to un-
derstan' | amt no common, no count
Bleecker street Niger, | amt. I'm Mr.
Brodie's 'vallie.'"
"Now. don't get nifty, Gully )" replied the
| white man. YOU'RE workin' for your gin
and free lunch and / amt goin' to take
any pickles out o your mouth. Now, run
right along and tell your boss that l
can chew more gum in less time than
| Charley Mitchell, and he's got more Jaw
than a steer. I've chewed onions, pies, mo-
lasses candy and raw potatoes Ia matches
and | never got beat yet II can't beat
any man on the BoweTy chewin' gum I'll
eat my shirt"
Il guess you'd chew railroad iron for a
drink" said the "vallie" with a grin as he
ushered the would-be competitor into the
| august presence OF Mr.. Brodie. The latter
has a cynical faculty Of raising his custo-
mers and In accordance with this sensorious
| practice he exclaimed:
"Hello, Big Mouth Bill So you want to
work your grinders. chi Well, l don't
think there is much show for you. Ye see,
you amt been in training like the ether en-
tries. They've been practicin' on sole
leather and Bowery sandwiches for a week
and their jaws is timber as an old shoe.
Gum chewin' is jest like prizs fghtin'l
You've got to git your muscles in lrst-class
workin' orderp
"Wot's the prize ~ said Bill
1.-THE prize is q di'mon medal It's a good
stone. paid 50 so for it down to the
original Cohens shop and he says he'll give
the winner dollar on it. You 90 In the
back room and wait till the champeen of
Conneoticut comes. He'll be here in a little
while.n
Bill went into the back room where he
found four other contestants Each of
these bore his appropriate nickname. There
was Hohoken Pete, with a jaw like lion;
Blinky Mcmillan from Skaneateles, whose
heavy jowls resem bled those of a bulldog:
while Johnny Halls Pet stalwart negro,
and Bully Fapgs had been supplied With for