Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-11-05
THE MAN FROM WISCONSIN
Chicago Daily NewsJ


We had eaten a well ordered, well-cool1-
cd and well-served dinner. The buttons
mon each waistcoat in the party needed
ali their energies to keep them IN place.
Each man had pushed his chair back
from the table with a feeling that among
the pleasures Of life the art Of eating ana
drinking held o distinguished place. a
s.nse OF perfect contentment was eHpe-
rienced-a contentmeut that can only De
evpreased bv silence. But nothing lasts
I'm this restless world and just as balmy
coincidence was creeping over us one OF
the marty. who had the misfortune 10 slip
I'm fitting his chair, suggested that an
other bottle Of wine might not be uhac-
ceptable.
Hope YOU haven't eaten too much
said the major.
THE other man shook his head and tap
ned the bell that 3tS5d In IL suggestive
position on the table.
When the wine had been supplied ana
we were afectionately piedging each
other again the major said: wv heneVer
7 eat as I've done tonight IT reminds me
OF a rather stifiish wager l once lost over
eating
over eating? What was the amount.
MAJOR dShtu d ihoiA va" $50
ness for figures.
"The stakes" replied the major were
500 q side" .,
"\VeU. l don't mind" said the major
"slncs there is a moral 20 81. / was ira
yelling in Canada 10 was IN the spring
and | had halted at Ottawa. The city
was fun Of lumbermen and the river was
fun of logs. / was looking Jt the TAILS
one day. when a tan, lank fellow, very
Casefus with his lean and hungry looks,
sloucbcd ND TO me and said: Perhaps
YOU couldn'c lend me a dollar, stranger
II he'd said half dollar ia probably
have handed 10 over. but dollar Wss TOO
much. and / said SO. Not Tor me- the
man said.
Il looked at him closely. Tie vas GER
tainly down on his luck. You could see
his toes through his boots, and his clothes
were no better than his boots. In a
chatting way 1 asked him what he would
do with a dollar II / gave it 10 him. Get
something to eat he said. why, nan
il. man. / said, you don't mean 10 ten
me YOU couldn't get something TO eat Tor
less than a dollarg Not for me-, lie an
swered. lie had said that before. The
expression and the way he uttered IL
made me curious so / said. What 90
you mean by saying Not Tor YOU
well, you see rs this way boss ne
went on. I've been numbering All WINTER
and 1 spent all my money before We came
out of the woods, and m broke on,
well. If you've gambled IT away, / inter-
ruuted that's your lookout, and you get
no dollar from me- But / DIDN'T gamble
II away he said I don't play cards nor
10 games OF chance, except one
and what's that? asked.
'Eaun',' he replied.
Now. said the major looking around
the party, L don't suppose there's one OF
YOU can guess what he meant
The party shook its collective mead III
the negative. .
"WelI continued the major 81 myself
had no idea what he meant, 50 l ques'
toned him. and he explained that until
the autumn he had been champion
eater. He had begun his career by eat
ing 30 oysters At a sitting. His next
match was against a man who had de-
voured ten pounds OF beefsteak and calf
ed for more. He defeated him. lie had
been born in Wisconsin. he said, and az
lar he had eaten all the antagonists ne
could md in his native state into con-
dition of abject poverty he moved 70
Ohio. and then further eastward. In the
course OF three years he ate his way from
Wisconsin to Maine, and matched MS
stomach against all corners. He won all
his matches. and he came 10 deem hlm-
self impregnable.
There was one edible. however, that he
had never tackled. lie met IL IN Maine.
He struck Bangor one day, ana ne 4et II
be- known in a modest way that ne was
,,rauorsd IA aaf any man in the state out
~ house and home. He was Wiling 10
meet any one he announced, Tor any
amount OF money, the challenged party
10 have the privilege Of naming weapons.
Four or five days passed. and he was be-
dining to get tired OF Bangor. At last
he threw out the suggestion that ne was
omen 10 back himself AT the rate OF TWO
TO one. The citizens OF Maine are rather
"A smooth people. and they had been hans-
ing back for odds. As soon as they We're
offered they were accepted by the land
lord of his hotel on behalf Of d mysterious
unknown. The match was 10 be for ~
a side. The weapons weren't 10 be named
until the day Of the fray This was fixed
for a Saturday. The match had been
made on Wednesday OF the same week.
Saturday duly arrived, and 80 ala the
unknown. He didn't look like an eater
my man said. He was loose Joined, MS
clothes didn't fit him too closely, and ne
wasn't as tall as the challenger by SIX
inches. What's the weapons% demanded
the man from Wisconsin. Pumpkin pies,
was the reply
Now. the challenger had never seen a
pumpkin pie. 1t is difficult TO imagine :.
mere dangerous article when taken In
diometer, about quarter or an inch
thick, and only little less heavy IMAM
lead There was a small but select COM
pany 70 witness the encounter. The man