The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-10-25
HOODOOED BY FALSE TEETH.
Remarkable Story Told by Drummer at
the Wyoming.

the Wyoming.
An incident occurrecbat the Wyoming
House the other night that well illus
trates the superstitition of commercial
travellers and which proved great
source of amusement to Night Clerk
French.
A Trenton drummer who Is we'll
known in Scranton arrived on the 2.1O
morning Lackawanna train. He waited
until several other travellers had been
assigned rooms and then in a mystic
rious manner asked If there was fur
mace or other fire in the hotel where he
could burn something" The clerk
said the steam heating plant was in
the basement where the bell-boy could
take the articles to be cremated.
Not much" said the drummer, I'm
not going to run any chances; I'll see
this package placed in the fire myself"
He accompanied the remark by taking
from his satchel a small paper box
which he opened and showed the aston
ished clerk set of false teeth. He met
the clerks expression of surprise by
saying he would explain matters after
the teeth had been consigned to the
flames. A moment later he and the
bell-boy returned from the basement.
The drummer bought cigar, heaved
several sighs of satisfaction and told
the following story:
Eight days ago Charley Blaisdell,
Alec. Ewing, jr., George May and l
met in Susquehanna. Every one of us
was in good spirits and each had had
profitable week, except Blaisdell.
Now that's a particular point in the
story. Blaisdell is one of the most sue
cessful drummers on the road and none
of us could account for his expressions
of dull trade. He could not understand
1t either, but said that merchants and
druggists who always gave him large
bills had for some reason or other no
need for his line. After conversing and
telling yarns until nearly midnight
bade the party goodnight and turned
in, as l had to catch an early morning
train. The next morning l procured
my sample case from the hotel office
and left on the Erie road.
'When I first showed my samples
that day / discovered the set Of false
teeth. / was selling to woman buyer
and could only make some remark
about "a joke and try to look comfort
able. / didn't make a sale, however.
That noon l placed the teeth in my
satchel at the hotel with the intention
of sliding them into the coat pocket Of
May, Ewing or Blaisdell, whichever one
/ met first Since then my sales have
fallen 20 per cent. from the average of
the past two months, and, too, at time
of the year when business is always at
least fairly good / have written my
house three letters saying l was
troubled with rheumatism, as an ex-
| cuse for my Door showing.
mot until this morning did / know
the cause of my poor luck. / ran
against May and Ewing in Carbondale
and felt free to tell them how disap-
pointed / had been in my weeks work.
They said trade was good with them,
and when l inquired about Blaisdell
they remarked having seen him the day
previous and he had had one of the
most prosperous weeks of the fall
trade. This reminded me of the false
teeth and I charged then individually
and collectively with putting up job
on me. They swore by all that was
good and holy they were innocent and
finally said Blaisdell was the culprit.
81 learned from them that Jack Will
let's. of Syracuse. found the teeth In a
room in hotel. He presumed they
had been left by someone who had
bought a new set; anyhow, Jack ap'
propriated them and carried them
about in his grip until he met Charley
Blaisdel. Blaisdell found them the
next day in his sample case. While Tho
teeth were possessed by Willets and
Blaisdell those fellows might just al
well have stayed home and saved trav
cling expenses. They didn't do lant
office business while they carried tn,
teeth, and know blankety-blank wei
haven't.
mo, sir, wouldn't carry the things
another day for 500; I'll have to hustl,
for at least a month to make up m!
average. Goodnight"