The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-11-29

be worse. from ear to ear under his
chin, in "A Pair of Kids" as the foun-
dation of the tenets of the order. Ken
dali took the organization of the CLUB
seriously. So did others at the time.
and that is where the joke come in on
Kendall and others.
When Kendall appeared in the play he
wore a very thin throat latch of whis-
kers. L. NJ. Wood and w. F. McCartv
saw the farce. When the performance
was over they went to Woods office and
the two practical jokers formed The
Throat Latch Club Ezra Kendall was
made an honorary member, and twenty
three Topeka men, in addition to Wood
and McCarty made up the active mem
bersh.D.
Wood and McCarty elected the other
twenty three persons to membership
without their being present, and then
the two cast twenty-three proxies for
the clubs officers. Donatus O'Brien was
unanimously elected president, Charles
Hopkins received twenty three proxies
for vice president, and w. w. Gavltt
hao no opposition for the place of sec
rotary. Then Wood and McCarty took
the story Of the organization of the CLUB
to the morning paper, and it was
sr:nted.
The next morning O'Brien and twenty
two others suddenly discovered that
they were members of a club and that
every member had been elected to mem
bership with the understanding that
they had agreed to allow their whiskerS
the first man to shave the latch in less
than a year would be liable for the ex-
pense Of an oyster supper for the rest
of the club. Donatus O'Brien was indiS-
nant. He said he would not be presi-
dent Of any such tom fool organization.
He was informed that be was elected
president and that if he didn't act there
would be no president. He said he
would resign. Then he was told that he
was the only man empowered to call the
club together; that as he had resigned
there could be no meeting of the club,
and that as there could be no meetings
no one could be elected to succeed him,
and that as everything was statu quo
every member would have to allow his
throat latch to grow on forever, and
that the size of it was that by resignlilg
in such a furry that Donatus O'Brieu
had gotten the club into a deuce of =
fix. Then O'Brien said other things too
numerous to mention; And All this IS
what Kendall. as well as O'Brien, took
seriously. Kendall has remembered It
these twenty years, this joke of Wood
and McCarty's.
1t was the summer after that these
same two jokers organized another club
in the same manner: i. e., without hav-
ing anyone present but themselves.
At that time French flannel negligee
summer shirts we're in fashion. They
had a habit of shrinking a few inches
every time they were washed. ThW
were the fashion and those who did not
WISH 10 De out OF the NOT1Q wore lne1us
shrink or no shrink. Wood and Me-
Carly got together one night and de-
cided that under the existing conditions
it would be necessary to meet the emer-
gency. They proceeded to organize the
Mutual French Farmer Shirt Wearing
Society" The benefits of the order
were excellent.
Big Wade, a colored scavenger who
weighed 80 pounds was elected first.
He was No. l on the membership roll.
Porter Cox. 275 pound giant negro
who moved pianos alone, was elected
as member No. g Then came John
Carter as No. g. who stood over six feet,
but was size under No. 2. Other men,
bers were elected and numbered in the
same rotation and each member was
slightly smaller than the other. Sam
Radges was elected and given No "A
and DR.. w. H. Fighter was No. %.
The rule Of the club was that No
would wear the French flannel shirt
first. When it had been washed, and
shrunk as it does by force of habit, it
went to No. 2 and SO on down through
the membership until No. "a handed it
over to No %. 1t was decided that
after No. 25 had worn it as shirt then
the shirt should become a chest protec|
tor for winter wear and go to No.
again. He would tie the arms of the
shirt about his neck a la chest pro-
tector Then as the protector grew less
it should go on down the line.
The promoters thought this was an
excellent organization and as before the
list of members with the rules and
regulations of the club were printed in
the morning paper But once again the
jokers had made some members of the
club. especially those who received
small numbers quite wrathy. French
flannel shirts went out of fashion In
time to stop any long standing feuds
as result of the joke.
w F. McCarty. one of the good ma
tured jokers who helped perpetrate these
two clubs. was a jolly Celt who mad and
still has many friends in Topeka. But
even to jolxers comes the fate of all.
McCarty, poor fellow, wrote to a friend
in Topeka not long ago He penned the
letter as he lay in a hospital ward in
Denver. Il am dying" wrote McCarty.
Il may live month or 1 may live less
1t isn't everyone who is forced to or Is
brave enough to wEte such tidings of
themselves.
It has been announced that the min
listers of the city will start campaign
against Sunday theaters in hopes of de-
feating the plan. Some who are not in
favor of Sunday theatricals believe that
in the light of recent events it might be
just as we'll for the ministers to allow
somebody else to make this campaign
for morality.
Should a few pop bottles. some patent
paraffined sucking straws. candied cher
/ ries, empty Peruna bottles. labor saving
corkscrews and lemonade glasses give
Evangelist Williams the right to call
Elks boozers? In the language of Col
Montgomery Sellers. this is an insult
sa5i''
Look at that old Buff Cochin on the
south end Of that ballet said Jason
Snodgrass at the Sam T. Jack show at
the Crawford Wednesday. Looks more
like Leghorn," said Ananias Fisher
1t is understood that Ann Arbor will