The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-01
One JOSH SPOILED
Tom Laughlin Will Take No More
Tacks With His " hijksy.
HE SWALLOWED ONE OF EN-
Now He'll Sit in a Corner and study
Out New Jcke-Railroad Busl-
ness In Butte Is looming
Officials Leaving Helena.

with his whiskey. The reason for this
sudden and pronounced change in his
manner OF putting down red liquor
and his return to the old-fashioned
style of taking 1t straight Is known
only to a very few of his closest
friends. The story of the manner in
which this change was brought about
Is highly entertaining Notwithstanding
the ract that IL has a serious side to IL
and that Tom was compelled to endure
two days of mortal agony, during
which he expected to be furnished at
any time with a "trip pass into the next
world.
Tom is one of the jolliest fellows on
earth and he Is known all over the
state as a most inveterate practical
joker. He came into Montana with the
railroads and has been in their employ
ever since in some capacity, and there
Is not town in the state where his
happy face is not known and well
coined.
Tom would rather give some one of
his countless friends a hard josh than
receive raise in salary, and when he
Is not engaged in shortening up the
Wisconsin Central's line between st.
Paul and Chicago or putting on a new
fast train, he may be found in some
quiet corner thinking up some new
game with which to surprise people
Not long ago he hit on a new trick.
from which he derived an endless
amount of amusement, and with which
ne succeeded in mystifying a great
many people In explanation of the
wrinkle II should be stated that he al
ways carries pocketful OF three
quarter inch tacks with which he tacks
up advertising matter on convenient
telegraph poles. When a bottle was
set out in front of him he would take
two or three of these lacks out of his |
pocket with a nonchalant air and put |
them In his mouth with the remark: |
This whiskey Is pretty tame; I'll Just |
cut a furvow for It," Then he would |
drink the whiskey and apparently |
swallow the lacks with Ii. When call |
ed on for an explanation he would re- |
ply that he had lived in Montana so |
long that whdskey had no effect on |
him unless he cut a few burrows in |
his throat so that II could take hold. |
he became so expert in performing the |
Trick that there were very few people |
who discovered THAT he concealed the /
tacks under his tongue until he found |
an opportunity to empty them into the |
cuspidor.
few days ago General Freight |
Agent j. c. Mackinnon and Superin-
tendent F. II. Marsh of the Wisconsin
Central paid Butte a short visit and
MI. Laughhn came over with them
from Helena in their private car The
private car contained a private bottle
,f lo-year-old goods and as the Off
sials were well pleased with their Mon
ANA business they were not at all
'tingy with the aged liquor.
Mr.. Iaughln cut his burrows as
usual and he had the satisfaction of
'eedng the eyes of the colored porter
row big with wonder When he took
he second drink, which was of course
preceded by a couple OF lacks, the por-
er leaned up against the side of the
ar and fixed a CLASSY stare upon him.
lie would not take his eyes off him
ven for second and Tom was placed
an unpleasant position. The quality |
4 The "10-year-old" made IL out of the |
uestion to refuse invitations to inn
ibe, and IL he stopped using the tacks
he porter's reverence for him would
anish. The officials enjoyed his pre- ;
icament and his glass was never
mptied. He continued to drink and
cut burrows" until his mouth became | '
full or tacks that the inevitable hap Z
ened and he swallowed one of them. |
Then there was trouble. The trick | I
hich had yielded so much amusement 9
as transformed into a very serious | }
after. A tack is an insignificant af-
ir until IL gets into a mans system |
/ a
ortions. Tom was not certain whether |
IS tack would puncture a tire or give
I'M appendicitis. but he was positive
VAT IL would do one or the other and 7
r once in his life he was serious. I
lie was lain out on a lounge so that 9
lie Jar of THE train would not augment J
le danger and doctor who had been o
legraphed for met the train when II O
rived here. He placed the patient II
~ alc|las faf. a IL. |
Try elm and stated that that was all
at could be done. He expressed the 7,
'pe that the potatoes would form a /
III around the tack so that IL would i
Il prove dangerous in passing through Is
e system. This treatment proved q
ccessful and at the end of two days Is
e danger was over. But the mental G;
'ony that Tom endured during those v
70 days Is known only TO himself and Z
} pen, however facile, could describe d
And that is why he doesn't cut d.
~ more burrows in his throat with n
cks. n
). ]. Barclay. who has been promoted a
be general agent for Montana for p
Chicago & Great Western. the n
faple Lear route, removed his W
from Helena to Butte bi
sterday and established an office at Il
}. 80 East Granite street. There are n
cd grounds for the belief that sew ~
II other roads which have represen- n
Ives in Helena will follow the Great st
sstern's example and remove them nj
Butte and that this city will be- al
ne In reputation what IL is in read 70
the railroad. business and fnan- "a
! center OF the state. Butte's nall ds
ID business OF one day easily ex-
ds the shipments in and out OF Hell
/ for a week. but the railroads are
y getting onto this fact The Chi a
20 Great Westerns officials. for in wi
nee. could not be made to believe 4 Cl
I Butte's annual railroad business MI
five or six times as large as that | sh
Helena until Assistant General sh
light Agent Brooks visited Montana | go
week and looked the situation | tn
r. Being a gif-edged railroad man | 40
saw that Butte was unquestionably | tes
place for their representative and | Sb
Barclay came here. The business q,o
! of Butte may naturally be expect ne
10 do more for railroad agents who ma
de here than for outsiders and Il Is nr