The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-26
JONES, TIE SHOWCASE JrMPER.
A Drummer who Made Hit on the Road
and Then Had n Fall.

did any Of you fellows ever meet Jones. the
showcase Jumper" asked the mems furnIsbings
man as he stretched his legs aeroes the smoking
compartments Of the sleeping car. No ono had
and the furnishings man went on
"Ho travelled for a Memphis cigar house Tho
first time mc' him was In The barroom Of ST.
Louis hotel The way he introduced himself
ofcycryh,ty else in the place and the whole crowd
'tanked up' IN honor Of tie cv ent Several Of us,
the bar taking thirgs easily when Jones camo
In lie gave no preliminary warning Of his ad-
he was shaking hands with the cigar man. whose
Sticking oa, n his sa sa The eSss c
china chr i doll Jones carried grip in one band
Other hand on The S extreme eSrs There s Sas .Ss
q, particle Of wood or metal frame work about
ihe nrpe :, par, Of 'he case and one e:cn readily
There had Jones failed 10 make proper connec-
tars with tho floor.
Il met him q number Of times thereafter Ho
told me he had always been good at hieh jumpinq
and when he went on the road he conceived tho
idse oil uTpins eyer The fhowcascs as soon as he
He said be made hit from the start and was the
most popular man on the circuit This occurred
saro, lie wasn't exactly wreck. but he wasn't
by long shot he chirrer Jones had met three
years Dclorc. tie hdn lett The road, he said and
was doing inside work. When asked him how
he came 10 quit the grip he opened his hands and
showed me the palms They looked as though
some one had been at work on them with meat
chnnner, simply Two masses OF criss cross scnrs
III tell You how II was, he said. when had
recovered OF course. YOU know all about my
showcase jumping act Well. il was another in
stance ot the cause Of my prosperity being also
me medium OF my downfall | was making all
KINDS OF money in commissions and had reached
That condition where was really hailed with de.
,ieht by my customers. You've been ON tho road
long enough 10 know that that position Ia tho
EonI always aimed at but rarely attained by
That th"rc was one town In my territory that
never visited So in an evil moment went there.
entered the hotel In my usual hurricane STYLE
and gave my nyinr lean over the cigar showcase.
heap right inside the case There was a wreck
you can bet ] remembered walowing around
in a mass Of blood, glass and cigars and when /
next woke up. which was that night about mid
night, was in bed swathcd In bandagcs and feel
Ing as weak as kitten.
learned later how II happencd. II appeared
mat The showcase was one 81 the kind with lift
inC top, and Just as had started 10 vault over Il
the attendant raised the top TO get a cigar for a
customer The result was that smashed into
II and wrecked the whole outfit I got nd OF 80
much blood that ! tainted right there. and they
hsd to IN me out a. tho ruins Of the case. don't
know how many svcrs Of glass they took out Of
me, the doctors telling me they had got tired Of
counting. II was weeks before | got rid Of the
bandagcS and after the cuts had healed found
that was Unable to carry grin. the wounds had
~ weakened my hand llaier discovered that The
Lean was Travelling for, ST Louis cigar arm, and
that b" had caught sight Of me through the window
iuSt betor" entered the hotel He ccrtainly sue,
ceeded in pushing me OF his beat for fair :"