Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1900-01-03
( A Hundred Dollar pie

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Jim Matters Is one of the best known
newspaper men In Washington. He
was here long before the war and has
certainly been here long while since.
His venerable horse and ANTIQUE green
wagon have been contemporaneous
with much of the history of tie capt.
tai and have likewise formed NO small
part of the same. Jim and the lorse,
and probably the wagon, have known
every newspaper correspondent and re-
porter in the city for the past forty
years All his life Jim has been gather
ing information-tons of it at cent a
pound. To be brief, he deals In old
newspapers. And he deals also in a
good story now and then.
Il have just been over to camp at
Dunn Loring, said Jim to Star re-
porter, "and went over to see If there
was an opening for any business in my
line. ! did a good deal of business
during the warm several lines.
ii sold thousands Of your Star extras
for % cents apiece That was In the
Union camps ! sold hundreds of them
in the Southern lines for several times
that. And | sold good many things
besides newspapers, too, | can tel you
For a year | did rushing business
with an old wagon in Il. More than
once | was chased by the cavalry on
both sides, but | knew the lay of the
land and | always got away to bob up
secretly somewhere else.
THE best stroke of business did
was in selling pies in the camps. 4
got rid of tons of them and they paid
we'll. Soldiers seem to like pie better
than any other class of human beings.
| suppose it reminds them of home and
mother. Some of the pies used TO sell
them must have reminded them OF their
grandmothers Now and then the
baker couldn't make pie fast enough
to keep up with my trade and then
had to make them myself. That was
the kind that probably made the boys
thinks of the old folks at home.
Il think the best customers ! had
were the Pennsylvania bucktails
Great Seott But they were pie de-
stroyers! Every one of them stood six
feet in his stocking feet and the way
those long-bodied citizens could put
away my goods was caution.
'0ne of the pleasantest recollections
4 have of my army experiences was of
a little transaction on pretty June
day when sold nl.tu old custard pie
for rhe gentle sum of one hundred dol
lars had disposed OF all my stock
except this one old pie that had been
around with me all day. As l was
coming across the Long bridge ] met
Jersey artilIeryman. He stopped me
and asked me If had any pies. At
tirst was tempted TO tell him | hadn't
But he lifted the lid Of ns5 dig basket
and saw the one pie. Then be rammed
his hand deep into his trousers pocket
and pulled out a bill. Grabbing the
pie with one hand he showed the bill
at me and went on. ! called out to
him that there was some change COM
ing to HIM.
,sOh. 90 TO blazes with your
change was all the politeness got
for my honesty. and took up my
basket and went on.
Il hadn't gone far before ! looked at
the blu. which Gp to that time J had
supposed Is be dollar note. To my
surprise it was a OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
SIN Of the Allegheny Bank OF Cunber
laEe. That was in the last days Of
thu. wildcat system of banking.
tnou.ht | had been fooled with some
worthless paper. but reconciled myself
Win, the thought that the pie wasn't
any better than the bill. In fact, was
ss,ra that the pie was. bal. and there
u,as vet some doubt abosl the bill. The
next day took il TO fne panK ana g
INV everlasting surprise they eashed II
for $3.50. The Jerseyman had evident
" won 1t at poker and did not know It's
value. He probably thought pc was