Omaha daily bee., 1896-10-03
ODD BETS ON THE ELECTION
Political Bias Prompts Many Amusing
Campaign Wagers,
EXILE TIE PENALTY OF DEFEAT
Losers Mind Themselves To Undertake
Ridiculous Tnsks--Lots of Luz
macy Developed by ro1iu-
cal partisnns.

tesque. The gentleman VINO agrees not 10
shave his whiskers or wash his face until
bis party candidate Is elected has fallen into
the sero and yellow so far as novelty Is con
cerned. The whoelbarrow idiot who trundles
the winner OF an election bet four or five
miles to the accompaniment OF bands. fish
horns and flying banners has folded his tent
like a circus man and silently "snuck' away.
The American people, athirst for the new,
even in their variety Of women, have de-
manded that no stale and Improbable last
years election bets be made on the lmperd-
ing struggle. The seriousness OF the coming
election. the vital interest taken in its out
come, warrant the laying Of the most ridicu-
lous wagcrs possible. says the chicago
Chronicle. Even the ladies have caught the
prevailing fever and have scornfully thrown
aside all thoughts of gloves or candy ana
are nov setting themselves the task of evolv-
ing something odd, bizarre, unique, TO use as
the basis of an election bet.
"If Mckinley is elected president OF the
United states l am going to get out OF the
country, never to return
con- pshawl I don't believe you're game
enough to do anything Of the kind; you're
just talking through your hat. I'll just bet
that you won't do anything of the SORT
what will you bet? I'll 80 you for any
thing | have
well, to test your nerve, I will make an
agreement that II Bryan is elected I'll leave
the country, and If Mckinley is elected you
must clear out and never show your face In
the United States again.
"Ill go you in a minute. Charley, you
draw up the agreement. I'm not a blutter,
and | do not allow any one to bluff me"
And that is how two Milwaukeeans came
TO make the prize wager of the campaign, a
bet that has attracted attention all over the
country. During every presidential cam
paign many odd wagers are made. The
wheelbarrow fends usually predominant.
srl., 4I.,, ,rn ~, r,t1,v-g VNhn yypuy thny
will never get their whiskers cut If their ia
vorite is defeated. but Milwaukee has set a
new pace; it has evolved the exile wager.
And the contracting parties are terribly in
earnest. 1t is no Joke with them, no matter
In what light it may be viewed by the thou
sands OF people who have read of their odd
wager.
WHO THE BETTERs ARE.
The men who made the wager are Freder-
lex w. Burke and a. n. Donaldson. If Nc
Kinley is elected Burke is the man who
must leave the United States. while II Bryan
is elected Donaldson will be the exile. They
are old-time friends, but differ in politics.
Burke Is an ardent silver man, while Don
aldson pins his faith on gold and Mckinley.
Burke Is city editor of the Record. a free
silver daily that was established upon the
south side about a year ago. Donaldson Is
a railroad man. Both formerly lived in La
Crosse and are bosom friends of Major ID.
Frank Powell. better known as white
Beaver" a title conferred upon him by the
Indians, by whom he is greatly admired.
When in La Crosse Donaldson was white
Beavers private secretary, while Burke
was engaged in newspaper work.
Charles j. Alden is a pension agent, with
an office at 2lS Grand avenue. Like Burke
and Donaldson, he formerly lived at La
Crosse, and the three are fast friends. Burke
and Donaldson have been in the habit OF
spending their evenings in Alden's office.
Ever since the opening of the campaign
Burke and Donaldson have been having some
hot arpllmpntS over the money u%lpStiOp
The climax was reached on the evening Of
September 7. when Burke boldly declared
that he would quit the country in the event
of McKinley's election.
Here is the prize wager in its entirety:
"MILWAUKEE, Wis, Sept. Z, 1S96.-It is
hereby agreed between Albert N. Donald
son and Fred w. Burke that If W, J. Bryan
is elected president of the United States
Albert n. Donaldson will leave the United
States on or before the LIST day of January,
1897. but If William Mckinley is elected
president OF the United States Fred w.
Burke agrees to depart from the United
States, never to return.
FIRED w. BURKE
"a. N. DONALDSON.
witnesses:
"CHARLES J. ALDEN.
"H. JANSEN.
"The above is a true copy.
'CHARLES j. ALDEN, Notary Public
A WOMAN'S HEROIC BET.
Mrs. Macarthur of the north side has
agreed as follows IL Mckinley is elected:
That she will chop all the kindling. make
tho fires and bring in all the coal and take
out and sift the ashes for one year after
the date of the election of the major. Any
one who has split tough-grained pine kind
ling for two or three months with a dull
hatchet (McArthur never sharpens that
hatcheD knows what a tough, back break
ing job 1t Is. But sitting ashes is the mean
est work in the whole schedule of house
kppDiup To stand Out in tho olIpy and
shake the pepper so that all the fine ashes
Will sift out Is not such a wearying task,
but the wind is always behind a barrel wait
Ing for you. It blows the asnes in your
eyes, and when you open your mouth to
swear it blows the ashes into your mouth
and fills the crevices between your teeth
with ashes. And when you get through and
go in the house to tackle a plate of pan
cakes every cake disappears ballasted with
grit and fine cinders. That is what Mrs.
Macarthur has laid herself liable to.
Macarthur, who thinks he has a "cinch."
has agreed to do all the rough washing and
ironing for a year If Bryan is elected. Mac
doesn't think he stands a ghost of a show
or having to do the extraordinarily act, but
Mrs. Macarthur just dreams right along of
seeing him bending over at his work, a
bar of yellow soap on the washboard, his
hands crumpled up like a piece of old parch.
ment and the suds piling up in the tub. She
thinks II she could just sec Mae scrubbing
away for dear life, getting the spots out OF
a sock, or Flowing around in an atmosphere
OF hot steam, that she would be happy.
About the ironing she has visions OF a smell
of burned clothing, but she Is sure he will
burn his fingers with the fiat irons.
A tlrEl Of gTOcers on the west side have
entered into a written wager, signed, sealed
and witnessed. the terms of which are in
tended TO bear hard on their respective lean
ings as TO creature comforts. Wilson loves
a good cigar and never spends less than 10
cents apiece for his weeds, wholesale. Ed
wards doesn't smoke, but he likes occasion
ally a nip of whisky, a glass of wine or {
''snit' or a stein" OF foamy beer. If there
Is one thing he hates it is ginger ale, Says
he would Just as lief drink the stun they
pack telegraph batteries in. Wilson's chief
detestation is a scent ciga.. He thinks a
drugstore 5-cent cigar is actually poison
GUS When Wilson gets home at night he
goes to the library after dinner and fetches
up before a coy little crate with a table al
his right hand loaded Nth books and peri
odicals and lighted by a students lamp.
Ihen Oracle comes In and lights papa's cigar
aud papa sits and reads and smokes for Z
couple of hours. Oracle is Wilson's oldest
girl and the very apple OF his eye. Some
times she will seat herself at the piano and
play a dreamy nocturne While papa leans
back and watches curling smoke WTpathS |