The Indianapolis journal., 1895-07-07
GOSSIP OF THE TOWN
A BICYCLE RELAY JOKE PLAYED BY
A PARTY OF NEWSPAPER MEN.
How Sterling n. Holt Got HIS start in
the lee Business-Long Dis
tance Talks.

~~-@~
frecracker horrors to come with the day
light. 1t was arranged that relay race
should be run from this city to Anderson,
in which an attempt would be made to
break some records. A message WIS to
be carried from the Office of the Sentinel
to the Anderson Democrat 1t was ar
ranged that Annis Burke. the police report
er OF the Sentinel, should have the first
relay. leaving the city at o'clock Thurs
day morning. The other riders were TO
take early starts, so as to be ready TO re-
ceive the message Some were to go TO
Pendleton on a train and be in waiting
there. Promptly at o'clock the start was
made. Annis Burke received the following
message. which he was to guard faithfully
and deliver to the next rider:
1.-The Indianapolis Sentinel, on this, the
anniversary of the independence of the
United States, sends greeting to the editor
of the Democrat by a means which most
.pronouncedly emphasizes the rapid ac
vancement made by civilization during the
past century. Into the hands of Annis
Burke this message is personally given,
as to him has fallen the honor of making
the first relay. Alvin Royse. Fred Ham
lin, Edward Bingham and Fred Evans will
follow in turn. / hope that nothing will
intervene to prevent this message reach
ing you
Burke received the message with a great
degree of satisfaction. He congratulated
himself on the fact that he had the first
part Of the run.
while the others are out on the road
hard at work 1 will. be at home sleeping"
he said as he started on his trip. But he
had calculated without knowing all that
the others knew. Some of the riders were
TO start at o'clock, so they stayed away
from the office after that time, and at
o'clock merry crowd could have been seen
vending it's way out Massachusetts ave.
nue., through Brightwood and east on the
Pendleton pike.
Promptly at o'clock Burke started on
his ride that was to once more demonstrate
the superiority of the bicycle as a means
of communication in times of emergency.
There was nothing on the road at that
time 10 bother him, and from the start he
made speed that would nave won some of
the races that were run later in the day.
The perspiration began TO come in small
drops and finally 1t was simply running off
in a stream, but his duty to the world was
before him and he did not falter, although
he vowed secretly that he would never do
1t again, If he made that trip and came
out alive. The telegraph poles along the
road whizzed by him as they apparently
do when person is riding on railroad
train.
With his head bent low he could force his
best efforts, and had covered about five
miles of the. distance when he was startled
by shot from a revolver, followed by a
bombardment from a dozen or~ more Ro-
man candles in the hands of what he sup
posed to be highwaymen or fiends. The
next moment he was rolling in the dust,
and when he recovered his breath suffi-
GENTLY to speak he was being rubbed down
in most unmerciful manner with sticks.
~ nr fra arg
could find. One of them opened a bottle
and began pouring its contents down his
throat, while another removed his shoes
and bathed his feet without the formality
OF taking off more than the shoes. A bou-
quet of dog fennel and ironweed was pre-
pinned on his coat BY this time he began
to understand that ii was all a joke and
that no relay ride Fas intended. The other
workers, had preceded Burke, and after
going far as they cared TO ride, had lain
in wait for Burke. whom they soon saw
coming down the road at the speed of a
scorcher.
President Sankey. of the State Board of
Agriculture, halls from Terre Haute. But
he is enough of a racing fan to sign his
name at the Grand Hotel one day last week
thus: John NJ. Sankey, 2:0112." Every
body knows at once where that time was
made. -
Now that Dr. Kirkwood, the eminent
of mathematics at the State University, is
dead old students are recalling stories in
which he figured. There was a fellow
named Tandy in one of Professor Kirk
woods classes" said George Buskirk the
other day, "who had habit whenever he
would fall down in anything. either in his
ball playing or in his conversation or his
lessons, would give himself knock on
the head with his fist and would mutter
to himself, Tandy, you're a damned fool
/ have heard MIN break out in this way
when he was playing ball and was caught
out on a foul n.y. one day in the class he
made a bad break in answering a simple
and by Ss Ks
himself on the head and said in audible
voice. Tandy, you're damned fool The
boys grinned and then awaited an out
burst of rebuke from the Professor. We
all supposed Tandy would be fired out
bodily and expelled from school; But Pro-
fessor Kirkwood's eyes twinkled as he re-
marked Mr.. Tandy, you can't get any
argument out of me on that proposition
Then the class roared and nothing was
ever more heard from the Professor on the
subject" -
Sam Perrott is collecting fees in very
satisfying quantities. He is taking the
cases for the Berrett law bondholders, who
find that property owners have lapsed in
the payment of the interest. which imme-
d.ately makes the whole debt due. 1t Is
said that there are from 5000 to 1000 of
such claims in Mr.. Perrott's hands ranging
from 20 cents TO $Z.20, ana tnat the Zee LOT
settlement Is not less than s.. Most Of the
cases settled out of court.
Dr. Moss. a man of great eloquence and
rare mental attachments. who was presi-
dent of the State University at Blooming
ton up to 1884, and who left suddenly, is
now a prominent Baptist minister in Phila-
delphia. DR.. Swain. the present president
Of the university. recently met him there
on the street and mad pleasant conver-
sation with him, during which the latter
asked about his old friends in Indiana.
-
The misfortunes of a man who had packed
ice beyond his financial ability to handle 1t
led Sterling r. Holt to enter the ice busi-
ness, in which line he is now the magnate
of Indiana Mr. Holt was then running a
drug store on West Washington street. and.
while he was prospering In small way.
had a very small amount OF capital He
was importuned by the owner of the ice to
take it at 90 cents on the dollar. The men
who wanted their money were anxious that
he should buy it and pay them off. He hesi-
tated for three days, but finally made the
bargain. But he hardly knew what to do
with the ice when he had bought 1t. He in
vested in a secondhand spring wagon at
sl1 and an old horse at s44. and hired man
to deliver his ice. One OF his first GUS
toners was the Grand Hotel. 1t happened
to be hot season: and he found that ne