The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-10-01
USELESS ACQUISITION
French Chef Who Was Out Of PGs
with Buffalo Bills
The Man OF Many Meals Soon CaEs
to Be Regarded a. an Expensive
Luxury IN the Western
WSldS.

Some wears ago, when Col. Cody
started on a tour Of the Rocky noun
tains as the host OF number of for
eign military officers, having Esen
feted by them in their clubs and
homes, he was anxious TO cater 10
their every taste AID comfort WA:!e
in camp life on this side q the great
pond, relates the Detroit Free Press.
His orders were TO spare no eN-
pense, AID. among the luzafiSs
taken along was French chef with
a rscord and 4 price. He was secured
from the Brown Palace hotel il Den
yer, Louis Pierre Gasc:rgus was his
name; but tor the long trail, and the
generous price paid to him. GO
pluuks week." l. cowboy said Inc
chef consented to be called Gas" for
short.
He had the selection Of the canned
goods to be carried along, and turtle
soup, OF the very best, N. Gas or
dered. and it took al extra wagon to
hold them The chef was radiant III
a snow-white suit and cap, ard pre-
sented the appearance the first night
in camp OF a ghost. and was regarded
with superstitious suspicion by the
cowboys AID others of that ilk-
Gas" set in to show the wild west
erners a thing or two III the culinary
y, had
g patent cooking stove, the VIDE
world for kitchen with heaven for
q roof. while china, fne linen and
wines were right at hand. Six o'clock
was the dinner hour that first night
at the base of the San Franc:sco
mountains. and Gas was in raptures
over his dinner. Buffalo Bill, tine
host, looked serious. the guests more
So Such q dinner they could get in
any club in q city, but they did not
sag 50. If they Cd keep Up devil Of
g thinking. 1t was not what Col.
Cody liked, but it was what he
thought he ought to have for his dis
tingui>hed guests. The latter stood
it for two days and then went on q
strike.
~ say, Cody ventured Sir St. John
Mildmay, major of the Grenadier
Guards. do you call this wild west
ern camp fare and cooking? You see,
we are all half dead with dyspepsia
now, and thought we would get some
good, wholesome food on this thou
sand-mile trip in the saddle with
you"
The others joined in the chorus to
the same eject, while monsieur, the
chef. looked as solemn as q country
parsons horse. As for Col. Ccdy, he
beamed with delight, said tat Rocky
mountain trails end table d'hotc din
ners didn't mix well, and Ges was at
once given leave to go along, as ne
couldn't be sent back, as an orna-
ment, a useless acquisition, ard two
scouts were installed as cocks. And
with the chef, the canned goods,
china. fine linen ard the stove were
scaled M in the wagon, aid tin plates
ard c,l-s were brought forth.
AID sue, cooking as these scouts
did could not be improved upon. while
Col. Cody showed that he was first
class cool: himself. He coald throw a
fianinck from frying pan into the
al 81 feet, turn it over and have it
come down on the other side, rsTer
o%cc making miss and falling INTO
th2 fire. The guests tried to learn
this trick, but it was found TOO e1-
pensire, as they never missed the fire,
hut always the frying pan. NJ. Louis
Pierre Gascirgue could not be pre-
vailed upon to taste any of the from
tier cooking, but stuck to his soups
and plum puddings, while he looked
as though he had buried his best
friend. He sought excitement in rid
ing broHcho, and was thrown daily.
He took to wagon and was upset,
after which he walked, dropped be-
hind, and was scared nearly to death
by the Indians. One day he stood
looking up disconsolately at the sun
and said in funereal tone: Dat sun
do shine for all persun, but it do not
just seem to shine for me-"
When the long trail ended at Salt
Lake City the French chef was the
only one Of the party who had indi-
gestion, and he drowned his sorrows
by getting gloriously drunk, hence
was happy for the time being. But
COL Cody braced him up and returned
him to Denver, having paid well for
a luxury" not to be taken On q
Rocky mountain trail.