Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-11-27
WHAT HE COULD EAT.
"REMINISCENCES OF A MAN WITH A
LARGE APPETITE.
spug Jachson's Record Breaking Feats
with Oysters and Dumplings-Offers To
Eat Twelve Pound Turkeys Hams
Wager-Hs Could Also Drink.

smooth lac ll2e Win Inc glasses,
land I've "a scmo pretty good ones in
my day, but there used % be fellow
down on tic Rowcry who could beat
anything TIT ever came cat &C the
west. You l. Iosr, al tAcs, crlckaJaCEs
Who can cat house and lot and Wa:
hem down vii can of vitr:cl are west
rners, bat my man was "a real product
If the Bowery, aAI ne showed under
anything that was ever pit up against
him. | never knew his first naMc, but
everybody called him Spug Jackson,
and for al | know he may be alive yet.
"Spug was i'll his prime about ten
years ago, and my meeting him was tho
result of a practical JOKE. Some friends
of mine introduced me 10 him without
letting me know Of his specially, and rs
we walked up the BOwcry one night
Spug cast longing eyes at an oyster
stand. 1t was ono Of the stands that
useu to line the Bowery from Chatham
square TO houston street. 1t had tuil
line Of fried cells and soft crabs on it,
with great pile of oysters topped by a
cake Of ice at one side, the whole light
ed up with circus fakirs gasoline
blaze
"Wcll, as | said, Spug gave a longing
glance at the stand, and |, being new
acquaintance, suggested that we have
few oysters.
No, said Spug, no, don't want
to eat half dozen oysters and then
stop. When eat oysters, | like to eat
rs 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 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 had kept silent,
out 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 i'll
the cellar.
Bring them both up at once, said
Spug, and s@ve yourself trip
Il called IA halt here, and after much
arguing got Spug away from the stand.
That WAS hoy | met Spug Jackson
| saw much of him afterward and was
soon convinced that he could eat more
Ihan any two other men. | remember
one time whom one of those fellows who
mad been going around making money
by eating 36 quail III SO days offered TO
bet that he could do up Spug.
What's quail;' asked jackson when
/ spoke to him about it and offered to
back him.
Why, it's a small bird Of about the
size OF pigeon, but very rich and
That's enough, said Spug. Bet
MIN two TO one and make it II pound
turkeys.
AT another time l got hold of fell
low who thought he could down Spug
at miscellaneous eating, and | took him
down TO saloon where knew jackson
would be- Spug mOdestly offered to try
his appetite against the other fellow 5,
out insisted on going at it then and
there SO 1t was arranged that the men
should eat the same things, one making
a selection and then the other, first
choice t. be decided by the toss of
coin Spug won the toss and his oppo.
nent remarked carclessly:
Well, what shall we start on?'
q" Hams, SAID Spug
How many slices" said the Other
'Slicasn roarcd Spug. who said
anything about slices. hams ! said
whole hamsn
The other man rc'.cCd ON the spot
Nothing can give yoL AN app0a
mate idea Of this mans appetite
WAS simply beyond description. nevo
saw HIM give up yet, ,..J hc tackled -
apple dumplings and a similar number
of cups of coffee before my face ono
night. I've seen him 90 into "a rcStau
rant, too, and order beefsteak dinners
for SIX. When they came, he'd tell the
waiter that he guessed he wouldn't
wait for has friends, but would start
right in. Then he'd go through the
whole pile.
AT drinking he was marvel too
He could drink whole keg of beer, and
speaking Of beer reminds me of story
they told Of Spug years before | me,
HIM. 1t seems that he was working in
"a brewery at the time, and some people |
bet IA friend Of his that he couldn't drink |
IA key 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 !
a key of beer. Do you think you can dc
it,
Wait minute, said Spug, and b,
left the room.
'Ten minutes passed, and he didn't |
come back. The ten minutes got to halt |
an hour, and then Spug came in.
Bet him, was all he said