The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1896-10-03
WHAT HE COULD LAT
"REMINISCENCES or A MAN WITH a
LARGE APPETITE.

"REMINISCENCES OF A MAN WITH a
LARGE APPETITE.
SpuS Jackson'a Record Breaking Featr
With Oysters and Dumpiines-Oners to
Eat Twelve Pound Turkeys or Hams on
q Na.er-Hc Could Also Drink.
Two heard tell Of caters, !" said the
smooth faced nar with the glasses,
land I've seen SEE 2rc:ty good ones in
my day, but there Used to be a fellow
down Gil the Bowery who could beat
anything that ever came out of the
west. You know, all these crackaiacks
who can eat q house and lot and wash
them down with a can of vitriol are west
erners, but my man was q real product
of the Bowery, and he showed under
anything that was ever put up against
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. It was one Of the stands that
used to line the Bowery from Chatham
square to Houston street. It had a full
line Of fried cells and soft crabs on it,
with q great pile of oysters topped by a
cake Of ice at ore side, the whole light
ed up with q circus fakir's gasoline
blaze. r.
"Well, as I said, Spug gave a longing
glance at the stand. and I. being a new
acquaintance, suggested that we have a
few oystera
mo, said Spug. mo, I don't want
to eat half o dozen oysters and then
stop. When I eat oysters, I like to eat
as many as I want
"'Well, I said with much dignity.
when l invite any one to have any
thing, I generally mean for him to sat-
isfy himself
"Ihe upshot Of it was that we went
up to the stand, where Spug paralyzed
me by remarking:
"tOpen me five Dozen
He ate the whole lot while I 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 I had kept silent,
but Spug's next remark settled me.
"'Got any more?' he asked, swallow
ing the last oyster.
well, said the oysterman, scratch
ing his head. I've got two barrelfuls in
the cellar
Bring them both up at once, ; said
Spug, and save yourself q trip
II called a halt here, and after much
arguing got Spug away from the stand.
"That was how I met Spug jackson.
! saw much Of him afterward and was
soon convinced that he could eat more
than any two other men. I remember
one time when n 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
back him.
why, it's a small bird of about the
size OF a pigeon, but very rich and
That enough said Spug. Bet
him two o one and make it IL pound
turkeys
"At another time / got hold Of a fell
low who thought he could down Spug
at miscellaneous eating, and I took him
down to q saloon where l 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 it 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 carelessiy:
".Well, what shall we start on?'
:Hams, > said Spug.
"'How many slices?' said the other.
"'Slioesi' reared Spug. Who said
anything about slices? Hams, / said
whole hamst'
THE other man retired ON the spot.
Nothing can give xoe N approx