The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-03-20
E4r roBAcoo NO MoBr.
James Larrabee's Woeful Experience
Alarms the Whole Country About

james Larrabees Woeful Experience
Alarms the Whole Country About.
from the New London Dayl
A Ledyard correspondent gives addi-
tional particulars about the champion
tobacco chewer of Connecticut, who
lives in that town At least he was
champion, for he has just had to retire,
knocked out below the belt by the weed.
The mans name was James LARA
bee. He is between fifty and sixty
years old and lives in a wild and isola-
ted region, is six feet tall in his cow
hide boots lank, gaunt and sinewy and
until year or more ago was as robust,
vigorous and tough physically as any
white oak Of his native hills. ALI his
life he had been persistent "chaWer"
and smoker; at least he began the prac-
tice of chewing when school-boy, only
twelve years. and has chewed uninter-
ruptedly ever since.
In respect Of his tobacco habit he was
the bright and shining horrible exam
pie" of his town. He chewed all the
time, not less than sixteen hours each
day, and in the last year or so he fre-
quently got out of bed once or twice
sometimes oftener-in the night, and,
seated on the bedside, he took a hunk
of plug and chewed.
HE ATE TOBACCO.
He arose regularly at the first streak
of dawn, and always the first chore to
be performed, even before lighting the
kitchen fire, was to bite off liberal
slab of tobacco. Oftener than other
wise he swallowed the juice. His repu-
tation as a master hand at chewing
was recognized in two or three other
adjacent towns, and while there is no
end of capable chewers both in North
Stonington and Gfoton, hired men" as
well as farmers and teamsters, yet not
one accounted himself a rival Of LARA
bee.
Mr.. Larrabee used plug and fine cut
so rapidly that in the last five years he
has been purchasing his tobacco supply
in wholesale quantities and at whole
sale prices, so that the grocers of Po-
quetannuck and Center Groton hamlets
were wont to- make special tobacco
purchases to meet the single Larrabee
demand. He bought whole caddles of
plug whenever he drove to market, and
once or twice in "hayin' time" his sup |
ply having fallen short, he quilted the
hay field In the face OF an approaching |
thunder storm and drove to the Cen
tire" to lay in a fresh stock.
WHEN LARRABBE BEGAN TO |
FAIL.
Mr. Larrabees health suddenly and |
unaccountably began to fail about six
or eight months ago; soon he became
weak, emaciated, cadaverous; he was
lackadaiscal and melancholy; he pinned |
and dropped; he was troubled with A |
strange lassitude and dejectedness-
what is eloqdently and tersely termed
'1owness" in the ancient town of Led
yard.
He told his neighbors that he couldn't
guess" what ION earth oppressed him,
unless twas the grip or suthin' like 1t,
and neither could they make out" the
nature of his complaint any better than
he They guessed though, that may
be he was goil' inter a decline" 1t
never occurred to one of them or even
to himself for moment that his life
long habit Of eating plug tobacco was
the cause of his ailment
So Mr.. Larrabee, having finally be-
come alarmed about himself called in
the Center Groton doctor enc day and
asked him If he could make out what
was the trouble with him.
tcVar resno,ded that loo I'm cd GENTLE
man, Eyes, l can tell you what's the
matter. You've the very worst kind Of
a tobacco heart it is all running down
and you won t. live more than about six
months unless you let up. Your heart
has slowed down to thirty-two beats to
the minute, and, let me tell you, 1t can't
slow up much more without you going
with it,"
Mr. Lamabee switched off to chewing
gum and slippery elm and Immediately
began to pick ND in health with amaZ-
ing rapidity. 1t was about two months
1go that he abandoned the tobacco
habit and to-day he Is as strong, hale
and hearty as any man in New Lon
Ion county He chews gum and slip
perry elm instead and pretty nearly all
The time at that.
1t IL interesting in connection with
Larrabee's reformation, that about half
he other tobacco eaters of his town
have taken alarm on account Of his
yoeful experience and have forsakenth the
labit also. At least every o her farmer
md hired man of the town is now
,hewing gum or slippery elm. 1t
lgrees with them, they say.
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