The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-10-06
The Neo desha F axe.

About the funniest fake that Kansas
ever produced is the "Neodesha fake. -
For months the eastern papers have
made frequent mention and allusion 10
the fact that no fat person can remain
fat and live in Neodesha. The Neodesha
Register tells of the origin Of this story:
THAT widespread fake about Neodesha
being a natural anti-fat sanitarium has
reached a stage at which it is no longer
a joke. 1t has gone out to the world
that we have no fat folks, that there Is
some certain property in The gas and oil
laden soil that reduces flesh without in
juring the health. As a matter of real
fact the whole story is untrue. If any
thing, Neodesha has more fieshy pc sons
than her share OF the fifty bushes
men who have been here for I'VE years
or more, not more than ten or fifteen
weigh less than $50 pounds. You who
know them all, make your own estimate
and see if this is not true. 1t is hon
estly doubtful if any town of 1000 Ier-
sons in America has more persons who
weigh more than 200 pounds than has
Neodesha.
This is how 1t all started:
Zone day in Jack Bogue's barber shop
among the number who were waiting for
a shave were Charles Cowdery. one of
the editors of the Neodesha Sun, and
Charles Wyman, Missouri Pacific railway
agent here Mr.. Cowdery is no feshier
than he might be and Mr.. Wyman Is
no fatter than Mr.. Cowdery.
Why don't you get little flesh on
your rafters.' said Mr.. Wyman.
"'At least" said Mr. Cowdery, I
weigh sixteen ounces to one pound You
don't weigh more than fifteen
Both Of you with towels around
representative of starving India said a
third man.
The conversation may not have been
that verbatum, but the total is the same
anyway.
THE next week Mr.. Cowdery printed
in his Sun a five line paragraph to the
simple jocular effect that Neodesha had
a few persons who. il stood up IN a
row. stripped. with towels where the
towels ought to be, would look Ike the
pictures of starving India.
1T was simply a bit OF psragr pm cal
pleasantly on the part Of the innocent
Mr. Cowdery and he had no idea that It
would return TO him after mighty few
days and. chase him, perhaps into an
early grave.
Mr.. Cowdery's Sun circulates as far
as Wichita where live half q dozen can
ni5als disguised as correspondents for
eastern papers that pay space rates for
anything, the only specification being
that the anything shall get 10 nearer
the truth than the average Pop prophet
does. The next day Mr. Cow5ery got a
telegram from one Of those canni balls
asking for a story for the New York
Journal showing that Neodesha was the
real snti-fat cure. Mr. Cowdery. being
an honest man, telegraprhed right back
and told the Wichita cahnioal 20 write
his own story
The c2nnibal did
1T was nice fat subject and this
cannibal divided the story with all his
brother cannl5als.
The result was that every Chicago
and New York paper that pays for fool
stuf provided il IS untrue. contained
illustrated stories showing that the great
natural diluter Of flesh had been found
at Neodesha-
soon fat letters from fat folks began
70 pour into Neodesha asking about RE
truth of the story. They came from
many places east and vest All letters
were answered With The truth. 10 On
being more vexei al The false result q
his pleasantly taan CIR. Cowdery him
self
''Fortupsteiy no Fat rerson care here
expe< ing 10 oe heueated IN spite q tie
fact that really rsl.a5le papers we're fool
ed into taking the fake ssr!0usly
This - the truth and the xhdIs truth.
THE only aufs-fst cure that -Ceodeshs
has are The same two VS. thas may -
foUnd sTsFyE here and anyE here-worz
and worry