Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-12-05
N THE CLUBS.
The Mystery Of a Man Who Stole Food
at Free LuncheonS.
He Had Plenty Of Money-Was a
Practicing Lawyer Of Good Fam
lily and a Member of Several
Prominent Clubs--Another Man
Who Took to Wearing Old
Clothes and Was Dropped.

A decently dressed man, with a
stumbling gait and shifty eye, walk
ed down Broad street one afternoon
last week and attracted the attention
of broker who was standing in his
office window, says the New York Sun
The broker watched the man closely
until the fellow had disappeared
around the corner into Wall street.
He had called a visitors attention to
the man.
John Blank" said the broker, men
tioning family name that was we'll
known. Il am a member of three
good clubs, and | have seen some curl
GUS club skeletons. They are I'M
pleasant. Blank was skeleton in
the - club until we finally got rid
of him.
"a member of the club came to me
one day and said:
"Se here, I've got a disagreeable
duty to perform. You know that re-
freshments are served at every regular
meeting of the club, and | have no.
ticed for several months back that
John Blank has towed away a lot OF
things in his pockets on every such
occasion"
Why that is absurd, l replied,
and | suspect that he has been drink
ing too much. You know that these
monthly lunches are free to the mem
bers'
THAT was the view l took if it the
first time that l noticed it, he replied,
but | watched this man at the last
meeting very closely. He was not in
toxicated. He ate his lunch and then l
saw him wrap up piece OF chicken,
some lobster salad and a brick of ice
cream in separate packages, put them
under his overcoat and leave the club.
It's an amazing proceeding, and
think that it is high time that some
thing was done about it,
"This mans complaint interested me,
and | investigated it. There seemed to
be no reasonable explanation for his
little steals He was and is a lawyer in
good practice, and he lives very COM
fortably. We decided to look out for
Blank at the next supper. He turned
I'D promptly, and, sure enough, we saw
him stealthily make up package from
the lunch table and walk out with it.
Charges were preferred against him and
a formal NOTIFICATION was selt, to him..
Rlank ,Gid,1fo attention to it. We sent
him another and made sure that it
reached him. Blank ignored it, and
then we dropped him for conduct I'M
becoming gentleman. Blank never
came near the club house after his first
fnr I q
has never given an indication of resent
ing our action in dropping him. Now,
what do you suppose was the explana-
ton of his thefts 4. II never have been
able to find one that was satisfactory
l meet him occasionally, and he is all
ways affable.'
A man who had listened said:
Il can equal that with an experience
in my own club. The man was Arthur
Blank" mentioning a historical name.
about three years ago this man began
to wear very shabby clothes. He had
always been very careful in his dress,
and this change was surprising. He
came to the club and sat around look
ing like a tramp His linen was ragged
and even the walters looked askance at
his clothes He was an old bachelor
and he had rooms in an expensive
bachelor apartment house. His condi-
ton was a disgrace to the club, and as
last resort half a dozen of his old
friends got up purse of 800 and went
to his tailor and ordered a new quit of
clothes for him. They told the tailor
that it was in payment of wager.
! When the suit was made they placed it
in box with new hat, shoes, collars,
shirts and two scarfs and sent it to
Blank. A letter was enclosed which
read:
Dear Blank-By express l send you
the outfit that l lost by my last cleo
ton wager
THE signature was such that no one
could read it. There was some spec
ulation as to how Blank would take
this hint. Two days later he turned up
in his new clothes, and when he was
congratulated on them he said they
were the result of an election wager.
The new clothes were too much for
him, however. He got drunk on the
strength of them and staid drunk at
the club for the next two weeks. when
he was dropped from membership