The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1892-01-05

4 Howard Ceoanty Chars ter
Whose Experiences Arc
Varied.
The Wherefore Of His NOubri.
quets.

4nO V0OAVtVAO VI Q10 0O0OIxS
quets.
Uncle Bob Basket, of Howard
county, was in town last night. Every
body in Howard and contiguous coun-
tiee, from prattllng babe to silver
locked octogenerian knows this man.
He IL variously called Uncle Bob,
Brick Fiend Bob and Milk Shake Bob.
In q preeminent degree be possesses
those splendid qualities calculated to
win popularity. He is in the strictest
sense Of the term msgnanimous, or to
use q cnlloquialisn, whole-souled.
A Virginian BY birth and naturally q
Wit be il q rare combination of
the antithetical ideas whose expression
provoke merriment.
Though seventy two years of age he
IL not old. Like James Russell
Lowell he prefers being seventy years
young than forty years old.
Though . countryman Uncle Bob
has travelled extensively over this
western continent and as q conse.
quence has had many experiences.
This sui generis character was seen
at Sicher's last night 80 tavern" he
said "whar Tve stopped since it was
built"
Solicited for . personal
experience, he cooked his feet upon
. table, pulled his SLOUGH hat over
keen little eyes to shield them from
The light and began smilingly "Well
sir, I'll tell you truly they call mo
Brick fend Bob.
Five years ago Q fellow showed up
in Howard and made me . visit. He
claimed to be the owner Of . gold
mine in Mexico, thousands of years
old, but only lately discovered. From
this mine nuggets weighing fabulous
Quantities had been taken. In
St. Louis the fellow claimed he had .
brick which he would sell me at Q
s,cri6ce. Well, q day was appointed
for a meeting and l went to st. Louis.
1 saw the brick had it bored
and found it Was genuine stuff. 1
was Just on the eve Of handing the
the owner 90, 900 for the gold, when,
on looking at it again, something
aroused my suspicion. I demanded
that it be melted. Thi the fellow
refused to do, and the trade was no
20. Later on / found outlthat the
sharper had two bricks, one gold, the
other alloy. Narrow escape, wasn't
it" the old man added. 'Nuther
time / was in Chicago with my
family" he continued. ''Going up the
street after I had lc 1ged my family at
the Palmer House, l was accosted by
the politest man on earth. he was
tickled to death to see me. Had known
me all bis life and was acquainted
with all my relatives. Well, like q
fool, ] listened TO his seductive pa'-
aver . while and soon found myself
in q gambling hel'. Just Is l en-
tered ] was met by q fellow who en-
Enthusiastically told me he had Just won
81 800 and want.d me to throw dice
for him. / did. "There, BY George,
you've won $780," he exclaimed.
WELL" I finally said, Pm going
now" but the gang protested, urging
me to play some more. l strongly
refued and advanced toward the door,
which was locked. Then ! got hot,
l said: look here, you cowaldly con.
niviug thieves! If you don't open
that door I'll kill the whole gang of
you. l ssid this with hand on my
hip.pocket, though there wern't q
thing in it. They opened the door
and I departed in crawfish manner.
Just as / reached the street / was
again halloed to by q scamp across the
street who beg N in q honey tongued
way to give history Of myself.
Well, by this time
my blood was boiling; /
reached for that fellows throat with
cane raised a!oft and reckon I'D have
killed MIN but he was to quick and
uuceremoniously got out of the way,
not without still procIaiming his
knowledge Of me and all my ancestors. +"