Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-11-13
WHAT HE COULD EAT.
"REMINISCENCES OF A MAN WITH A
LARGE APPETITE.
Snug Jsckson's Record Breaking Feats
with Oysters and Dumplings-Oners to
Eat Twelve Pound Turkeys or Hams on
wa~er-He Could Also Drink.

n Wager-He Could Also Drink.
eve heard tell of eaters" said the
smooth faced man with the glasses,
land I've seen some pretty good ones In
nv day, but there used TO be a fellow
down ON the Bowery who could beat
anything that ever came out OF the
| west You know, all these crackaJacks
who can eat house and lot and wash
them down with a can Of vitriol are west
erners, but my man was real product
of the Bowery, and he showed under
anything that was ever put up against
him. I never knew his first name, but
everybody called him Spug jackson,
and for all l know he may be alive yet
"Spug was in his prime about ten
years ago. and my meeting him was the
result of practical joke. Some friends
Of mine introduced me to him without
letting me know of his speciality, and as
we walked up the Bowery one night
| Spug cast longing eyes at an oyster
stand. 1t was one Of the stands that
used to line the Bowery from Chatham
square to Houston street. 1t had full
| line of fried cells and soft crabs on 1T,
with a great pile OF oysters topped by a
cake of ice at one side, the whole light
ed up with a circus fakir's gasoline
blaze.
"Well, as I said, Spug gave longing
glance at the stand, and |. being a new
acquaintance, suggested that we have a
few oysters
ono said Spug, no. | don't want
| to eat half dozen oysters and then
stop. When l eat oysters like to eat
as many as l want.
"Well, said with much dignity,
when l invite any one to have any
thing, / generally mean for him to sat
isfy himself.
1.-The upshot of it was that we went
up to the stand, where Spug paralyzed
me by remarking:
"'Open me five dozen.
"He ate the whole lot while l was
getting away with plateful and then
asked the man how many more he had
; Fifty. said the man.
/, "Open them, said Spug, and one
after another he gulped them down.
During all this l had kept silent,
but Spugs next remark settled me.
"Got any more?' he asked, swallow
; ing the last oyster.
"'Well, said the FISHERMAN, scratch
ing his head, I've got two barrelfuls III
the cellar
Bring them both up at once, said
Spug, and save yourself trip.
| GT ca11ad halt bara and after Innch
arguing got Spug away from the stand.
THAT was how | met Spug Jackson.
l saw much of him afterward and was
soon convinced that he could eat more
5 than any two other men. l remember
one time when one of those fellows who
had been going around making money
= by eating SO quail in SO days offered to
. bet that he could do up Spug.
"What's quail?' asked Jackson when
l spoke TO him about it and offered to
l back him.
: "'Why, it's small bird of about the
4 size of pigeon, but very rich and
e That's enough, said Spug. Bet
him two to one and make it IL pound
O turkeys.
"At another time l got hold of a fell
:, low who thought he could down Spug
u at miscellaneous eating, and | took him
L down to "a saloon where | knew jackson
d would be- Spug modestly offered to try
e his appetite against the other fellow S,
but insisted on going at 1t then ano
% there. So it was arranged that the mel
:. should eat the same things, one making
: selection and then the other, first
l. choice to be decided by the toss of 6
IL coin. Spug won the toss, and his oppo
: nent remarked carelessly:
II We'll, what shall we start on?
"'Hams, said Spug.
"How many slices?' said the other
"'Slicesp roared Spug. who sale
/ anything about slices? Hams, said
l. whole hams!'
is 1.-The other man retired on the spot
q Nothing can give you an approx
2 mate idea Of this mans appetite. /
% was simply beyond description. L neve1
- saw him give up yet. and he tackled 2
apple dumplings and similar numbe
~ of cups of coffee before my face on
E. night I've seen him go into "a restau
y rant, too, and order beefsteak dinner
a for six. When they came, he'd tell tn
A. waiter that he guessed he wouldn
lie wait for his friends, but would star
ID right in. Then he'd go through tn
Is whole pile.
n "At drinking he was marvel too
he He could drink whole keg of beer, ant
~ speaking Of beer reminds me of stor.
they told of Spug years before / me
him. 1t seems that he was working Il
es brewery at the time, and some peopl
~ bet friend of his that he couldn't drin
re- a keg of beer. So the friend brough
= the doubtful ones around to the brewer
and introduced them to Spug
~ "'Spug, he said, these gentleme
Is want to bet me $50 that you can't drin
ne keg of beer. Do you think you can d
Up it?'