The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1899-09-29
WALW0RTH CO. FAIR.
George WyIie, 46 Years Marshall,
and His Jokes
''BURsETT" FALLS FROM A HEIGHT.


| 10000 People on the Grounds-Fair
by Farmers for Farmers.
Madison, Sept. 26.-'David Harum"
| has been located. He lives in Elk
horn. For forty-siX years he has been
| marshall of the Walworth county fair.
| innocent blue eyes, but he was not
born of a Sabbath. His face is smooth
! Shaven and the chin is square.
Getting Old, but Still Active.
I first saw him from the grand
stand. Horses were between heats
and the high diver from the 7O-foot
| perch was hunting about for place
| to undress. The great crowd was
| eagerly watching every detail.
There's the old man." said my
| friend. The best-knOwn man in Wal
worth county was riding to and fro
on the track, with a silver badge
| cleaning on his navy-blue coat-one
| could scarce see the G. A. r. button
in the glitter. His nose and chin get
nearer together all the time" said my
friend, "but his skin has that healthy
red glow Of snow apples as it gets on
toward Thanksgiving time
liz was VI SOOu uclSul. Llculuu
weight. A red sash was flung legion
of-honor fashion across his breast.
He turned the head of his old frame
Of a horse toward the grand-stand.
and, in a voice that isn't as powerful
as it used to be, shouted:
I'm a few moments the carrier pig
cons will be let loose from the judges
stand. We want to let Milwaukee
know what we're doing"
The information was received with
interest; and then David Harum
steered his old hOrse-Which turned
the whole length of her neck toward
haven where she would be before the
aging frame felt impelled to follow
over against the fence that shut in the
teams in the center of the track. Adj
dressing a small knot Of boys and a
pair of lovers eating popcorn and hold
ing hands in buggy from which the
horse had been detached, Harum de-
livered the same message and at inter-
walls could be heard up and down the
track telling the people not to miss
the carrier pigeons.
eve want to let Milwaukee know
what we're doing"
Not Uneventful as He Looks.
Once | saw man stop the horse
and David leaned over to hear the
communication. AS a result the whole
frame of David shook, but his face
was stOlid and cheerless as a wooden
Indians. 1t is George Wylie's way of
| expressing mirth-I mean Harum's-
! for Wylie-Harum is a famous Wag.
Wylie came into WalWOrth county
| as soon as the Indians would let him.
| You may infer that from the fact he
was boomer of the first fair-the one
held last week was the fiftieth ami
verSary. He has been sheriff. once
| before the war; once at it's close; and
once in 1SS2-When people gave him a
| fancy cane. George Wylie owns a go
! acre farm two and One-half miles from
| the city, but his son runs that Wylie
| lives in ElkhOrn to be nearer his bust
| ness. His sole business is selling"
| people. He prefers clergymen; but
| will "dO business" as he calls it, with
| United States senator's, and has a
| fOndneSS for Smart AlecS from the
city, who enjoy him for what they call
local character" and invite their
friends to meet and enjoy him.
| Georges reputation for "sells'' is wide
! and he has been building it up for a
! good many years. 1t is one of the as
sets of the town along with the new
| courthouse and the scenery on the
road to Delavan.
Elkhorn people measure time by
Georges most famous "sells." For
instance, Briggs, the Percheron King,
! will tell you that blue-ribbon mare
was fooled the same spring that
George Wylie "sold" 10 Quarles. And
| the new hotel was built that summer
when the high-salared st. Louis pull
pit orator fell into Wylie's net.
Wylie Prepares to DO Business.
l had been told of this curious in
| dustry in Elkhorn, and so was on my
! guard. | met Mr.. Wylie, who seemed
kindly, and he gave me much infOrma-
ton about what is called the greatest
| fair in America. / met him by ap-
pointment at the Methodist lunch
room-for many church organizations
spread meals at this great fair and
derive, in one case, $500 a year from
| this source. Mr.. Wylie said he had
some Methodist blood on his wife's side
and he followed that creed to the extent
| of taking his meals there. He said the
women rush home from the fair and
kill chickens and pull feathers until
midnight that the famous chicken pie
may be in abundance next day. The
| church societies have everything given
by their members except butter and
sugar. Sometimes they kill one of
their own cattle for the church table.
| Any church in the county may set up
lunch room.
Then George told me of himself.
| Born in New York state; moving to
| Ohio; coming to Wisconsin in 1912 as
boy Of 49, with four brothers and
two sisters. He farmed government
lands and held all kinds of town Off
| ces He was quartermaster of the
| Twenty eighth Wisconsin, and Colonel
| E. B. Gray commanded the regiment
at the close of things. He was presi-
dent of the fair for two years. It
started in 1S49 in East Troy. The
| farmers made up premiums of per-
haps 500 and held blowing matches.
Probably the crowd was not over 100
people. 1t was four years before there
was any racing. The show was free
A 6io1o