Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-11-20
WHAT HE COULD EAT.
"REMINISCENCES OF A MAN WITH A
LARGE APPETITE.

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
my day, but there used TO be 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 can of vitriol are west
erners, but my man was "A real product
of the Bowery, and he showed under
him. / never knew his first name, but
everybody called him Spug Jackson,
and for all / know he may be alive yet
"Spug was in his prime about ten
years ago, and my meeting him was the
result of a 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 it,
with great pile OF oysters topped by
cake of ice ut one side, the whole light
ed up with circus fakir's gasoline
blaze.
"Well, as l said Spug gave longing
glance at the stand, and |, being IA new
acquaintance, suggested that we have a
few oysters.
NO, said Spug mo, don't want
to eat half dozen oysters and then
stop. When l eat oysters, like to eat
as many as l want.
"'Well, l said with much dignity,
when | invite any one to have any
thing, / generally mean for him TO sat
isfy himsc IT,
1.-The upshot of it was that we went
up 70 the stand, where Spug paralyzed
me by remarking:
open me five dozen.
'He ate the whole lot while was
getting away with a 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 Spug's 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 in
the cellar.
Bring them both up at once, said
Spug, and save yourself a trip
Il called halt here and after much
arguing got Spug away from the stand.
THAT was how | met Spug Jackson
| saw much of him afterward and was
soon convinced that he could eat more
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.
whats quail?' asked Jackson when
| spoke TO him about it and offered to
back him.
Why, it's small bird of about the
size Of pigeon, but very rich and
THAT'S enough, said Spug. Bet
him two to one and make it II pound
turkeys.
''At another time l got hold of a fell
low who thought he could down Spug
at miscellaneous eating, and took him
down TO a saloon where | knew Jackson
would be. Spug modestly offered TO try
his appetite against the other fellows,
but insisted on going at it then and
there SO ii was arranged that the men
should eat the same things, one making
a selection and then the other, first
choice to be decided by the toss of a
coin. Spug won the toss, and his oppo.
nent remarked carelessly:
Well, what shall we start on?'
Hams, said Spug
"'Fow many slices?' said the other.
"'Slicesp roarcd Spug. who said
anything about slices? Hams, l said
whole hamsp
1.-The other man retired on the spot.
Nothing can give you an approx
mate idea of this mans appetite. 1t
was simply beyond description. never
saw him give up yet, and he tackled "a
apple dumplings and similar number
of cups of coffee before my face one
night. I've seen him go into restau
rant, too, and order beefsteak dinners
for six. When they came, he'd tell the
waiter that he guessed he wouldn {
wait for his friends, but would start
right in. Then he'd go through the
whole pile.
lat drinking he was marvel too.
He could drink whole keg of beer, and
speaking of beer reminds me of a story
they told of Spug years before l met
him. 1t seems that he was working III
brewery at the time, and some people
bet "a friend Of his that he couldn t drink
keg of beer. So the friend brought
the doubtful ones around to the brewery
and introduced them to Spug
'Spug, he said, these gentlemen
want TO bet me $50 that you can't drink
keg of beer Do you think you can do
til?
wait a minute, said Spug, and he
left the ROOM
''Tpn minutes paSSpd and he didn 4