Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1897-01-28
HE BET ON BRYAN.
And Joseph Messner Keeps a Twelve
Hour Vigil on Erismans Roof.

Hour Vigil on Erismans Roof
Resting quietly on board placed
over trough formed by the junction
of the roofs OF 213 and 2l5 Sycamore
street, Buffalo, is Joseph Messner, a
man who is paying a sad penalty for
rashness. One sentence gives the key
to the situation-he bet on Bryan.
1t was seven weeks ago, amid the
blue clouds of smoke in Schreiner's
saloon, at the corner of Sycamore and
Walnut, that Joseph Messner felt called
upon by fate to say in loud and blatant
tones that he was confident the boy
orator would sweep the country like
whirlwind.
He said it openly. He said it loudly.
He said it from the full conviction Of
an erring heart But Phillip Erisman,
a man stout both in body and purpose,
could not hear without retort such a
sally He dared the temerarious Mess
ner to back up his words Or eat them.
Rather ,han undergo this affront 10
his digesti he backed up bis words
by bet
He bet tina, ran would be elected,
even to the exto of sitting on Iris
mans roof for the space Of twenty-four
hours should his judgment fail-'the
time was afterward changed to twelve.
In the event of his winning young
Erisman himself would serve as a vo.-
Saloon keeper Schreiner acted as ar
bitter. notary and stakeholder and drew
up a formal document adding as an
alternative that if anyone failed to
comply to the letter of the law he
should be penalized to the extent OF
having one.half his mustache shorn
and his head shaved for a week.
Precisely az 10 o'clock from scuttle
II the roof, amid the shouts and jeers
of the neighborhood. Joseph Messner
mounted the roof. A sally Of jeers,
jibes, japes. jokes and apples saluted
him. He was muffled about the throat,
warmly clad and had bundle OF news
papers in his hands
1t was an evil day when Messner
selected Saturday to pay the bet. Satur
day is holiday with school children,
and a throng gathered, hopping about
and screaming with delight and giving
vent to shrill cries. A band of chill
dren is more terrible than an army
with banners or troop Of Apaches.
A brisk fusillade was started, but
Phillip Erisman, who won the bet,
cared more for his fathers windows
than he did for the further humiliation
of the man who dared to bet on Bryan,
and with a stout club he gently limited
that indiscriminate throwing Of mis-
siles would not be tolerated De-
prived of their natural means of max
ing the man miserable, the children
could only boot. But they hooted for
all it was worth.
Messner. according to contract, is
served half-hourly with pints of beer
by Erisman.
Great jovial women with baskets of
marketing stopped and shook with
joy. The children kept on hooting and
bowling. Drivers of wagons stopped
and wanted to know What was the
madder yit, already
Bat the most CALLING thing of all is
the fact that every few minutes the
rotund face of Philip Erisman appears
at the scuttle.
How is dot, up there yit, Choe?'
he asks with mock pity
sT.fc al ,rn,, u In, ~, ~, nv 3
gubber."
"Dumkupf."
MARI
"Esel."
Shut up"
''Er ist so alt, und noch so dumb, /
yit"
"Schofkopf"
''Vos ist los NIT Bryan"
"Faulenzer." buffalo Express.