Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-10-19
GREEK MET GREEK.
HOW THE coNToRTIoNlsT's GREAT
SCHEME CAME TO GRIEF.

and Smith Laid Trap to Beat It-Once
That the spaniard Didn't Unite Himself
Inside OF Two Minutes.
In down town cafe, where theatrical
men sometimes gather half q dozen old
timers sat one afternoon last week. They
had talked about everything when ono Of
them suddenly asked
Say, boys, did 1 ever tell you about
that game that Jim Hyde and Ike Smith
put up on Spanish contortionist about
10 years ago."
The others had not heard the story, SO
the speaker resumed:
ut was away back in 1884. The thent-
rical season had been very dull. Many
managers were on their uppers, and as for
the ticket spectators, they couldn't make
a living. Hyde and Smith were specula
tors. Both had families depending upon
them for support and for months they
rackod their brains for some scheme by
which to make money. They finally hit
It., but they had to lay low for some time
Rfterward, as the man they made a vic
tim of threatened to shoot them on sight.
I'm 1884 the Arion saloon, on lower
Broadway, was quite q resort for sporting
men. One night wiry little Spaniard
walked into the saloon and got in CONVEX
sation with couple Of sporting men.
Would either of you gentlemen like
to make little money! he asked Both
remarked that they were not at all averse
to increasing their capital, and then the lit
tie Spaniard unfolded his scheme. He
was professional contortionist, he said,
and, in addition to being able to twist
himself into all sorts of shapes, he was
also able to wrigglo himself out of any
rope with which he might be tied. His
scheme was to have the two men make
bets on his ability to do 1t. The men fell
right into tho scheme.
1.-The next night tho Spnniard went to
the saloon again and announced that he
would bet $25 that no 10 men in the
place could tie him so securely that he
could not FREQ himself in two minutes.
Jack johnson, a gambler, took him up,
and the two sports succeeded in placing
about $500 in bets. The Spaniard let
himself be tied up with a rope and was
then placed in q big potato bag. The
mouth of the bag was tied securely, and
with watches in hand the crowd watched
the bag. There was one or two wriggles
and then the Spaniard shouted to be let
out The bag was opened, and out stepped
the Spaniard, carrying the rope in his
hand
Tho scheme proved a veritable mint
for the two men and the Spaniard. Ev
cry night they visited a different saloon
and went through the same game.
Jim Hyde and his friend Smith heard
of the Spaniard and devised little scheme
to beat the man at his own game and di-
minish the bank rolls Of his hackers. Both
Hyde and Smith were broke, and as it
needed money to put their scheme through
they went to an old physician who was a
sporting man himself, and who was known
as DR.. Stitch. Hyde laid the scheme be-
fore him and finally succeeded in getting
something like $1,000 from him. Smith
borrowed several hundred dollars from a
friend, and then the two went around to
the Arion and waited for the Spaniard
and his friends to show up. For three
nights they waited, and on tho fourth
night they were rewarded. The Spaniard
came sauntcring in and made his usual
offer He repeated it several times before
he got any answer and then Hyde jumped
up and said:
do you mean to tell me that you can
unite yourself in two minutes if 1 tie you
up?'
Eyes, replied the little fellow.
'Betcher can't, said Hyde. 'Betcher
wine for tho house that you can't
"'Tll go you and $25 on the outside
returned the Spaniard.
Done, said Hyde, and then the fun
began. Smith began bawling out that he
didn't believe it could be done, and then
the Spaniard's hackers offered to bet him
money that it could. Hyde bet more and
more and finally Smith and Hyde had
about 81, 500 wagcred on the result. Those
who had seen the Spaniard before looked
| In pity on the two men. The Spaniard
said nothing, but sat quietly in chair
while somebody got a rope and somebody
else procured big potato bag
"Then he stood up, and Hyde and
Smith began to tie him. They tied his
hands tightly together behind his back
and then wound tho rope securely around
his body. His feet were then tied and
more rope wound around his legs. 1t
looked impossible for the man to escape,
but he never once stopped smiling, and his
hackers looked equally confident. When
the tying was through, the crowd edged
up close to tho bag to sec the man put in.
" No, you DON'T exclaimed Hyde.
Everybody must stand at least 10 feet
back. don't propose to have any accom-
plice get in here
The Spaniard and his hackers insisted
that the crowd stand back, and when
everybody was at a respectful distance
Hyde and Smith picked up the Spaniard
and put him into the bag. 1t was noticed
that Hyde let one hand rest over the mans
face and that he kept one hand in the bag
after the Spaniard was in and while Smith
was fooling wish the strings. 1t seemed
as though the two men took more time
than was necessary to tie the Spaniard up,
but the job was finally done, and then
Hyde and Smith stepped back and waited.
"A hundred men had their watches out,
and hundred pair of eyes watched the
bag. Only once did the man inside make
move and that was when the bag was
first laid down. After that there was q
deadly stiffness everywhere One minute
pass ed and not sign from the man in tie
bag. The time heightened into q min
utes, and still no move. Every one in the
room felt decidedly nervous, and it was q
great relief when the two minutes were
up and Hyde stepped up to the bar and
said:
81 guess we Won
Smith followed him, and the money,
something over SO, 600 in all, was handed
over. While the Spaniard's hackers were
or ,yorlr onnninO tbp hncr HYDE and Smith