Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-06-17
HACK ALLAH :! BASCp tCK

IF 7 X : Hackaliah Basconn, was4ths nnluolsiesa man, I-sapose,. .tth at ever hyad aatd. l" said ths
 man who persisted that he is eztitlet to be believed when1s hssasys he IYes
 over toward Pochuok,f as he leaned against the wall facing thes Rowland house cash register. Then, again you might say hewas the luckiest man that ever lived. There are two sides to every question, and itia poor rule that won't work both ways"
 The manipulator of the cash regis. ter was compounding cocktail for a stranger who came in, and said he had been all night at Goshen. The stranger quaffed his Stippls, and went out.
 "A cocktail" said the man from over toward Pochuck, "was something that my Uncle David Beckendarter's $ brother-in-law, Hackaiah Bascom, never would drink.
 "'Give, me mine straight he used to say, and then if fall by the way, ain't gofn' to git mad and abuse the bartender, and lay it to too much sngar, squirt more bitters than there ought a-been,s or the lepon that was squeezed in it. he used to say
 ''Hacka1iah was philosopher, but I think he carried his philosophy little too far as to the matter of what he took to drink. Now, I ainb partic Tar whether mine is < cocktail or dead straight"
 The man from Pockhuck paused. The manipulation of the cash register was busy fixing his neektie at the mir TOT among the glassware. No one re- marked anything. The Pochuck cit izen sighed, sat down, cracked a couple of fingers on both hands, and sad:
 ''Yes, Hackaliah Baseoxp was the luckiest and the unlucldest man that ever lived. He was always havin' nar- row escapes until year ago. He hadn't whole bone in his body when he died-for Hackaliah is dead, and I'm feelin' mighty bad about it--and as to scars, he'd have made good twin brother to the tattooed man in the side show.
 "Ag soon as Haekaliah Bascom went anywhere near railroad an ingine would blow up and give him clip, or he'd git run over, or his horse would git scared and run away, and break a leg or somethfn' for him.
 "Once he was ridin' on an express train, goin' up the mountain, over in Pennsylvania, near where he lived. The train hadn't gone far before Hack allah got 1t into his head that he'd go back in the hind car. He walked out of the door, and square off the plat form. He was in the hind car all the time. aud didn't know 1t.
 "He tuInbled around on the track in the wake of the train for about quar- ter of a mile, and was cut and gIsshed and scraped in away that would have filled a peddier of arhica plaster with joy. Hackaliah,piclced himself up by and by, and started on His way aeoot..
 "He had walked pretty near all the way to his station, when along came the emigrant train, going his way. The cowcatcber of the ingine lifted Hackaliah up and pitched him ag'inst the bank as if he'd been shot out of 4o-pounder. The ingine didn't seem to mind the shock 8 bit, but wentright on as if nothin' had happened.
 "The enigrant trainsfin them days was more than half mile long. Hack allah Bascom had plenty O time to consider what was; best for him to do. He felt somethin' like piece O meat might feel after 4t had passed through a sassage machips;@
 "'There's. one thing certain says Hackaliah; T ain nt going to lay here alf' night, and I'm blistered fl I feel much like walkfn' any further. I guess I'll ride the rest. O the way on the enni- grant, says he.
 ''so he jatked hirnself up till he got on his feet. The train was gotn; 20 n1ils an hour. When the hind car canas along, Haokahah Basoom madS a grab for, t. He lset6had ia and goa on, iesb as sure fe 5 youre drawin' beer for thet fe11er, who ', is gsemin.ty ag dry as if he'd heans tarkin' for the last tS minutes, and nobody hadn'S sSasd nothinS."
 The customer who came in for the beer, got # and went out again, The mantpulator of the cash register whis- tied. Tn 3 Jonah Man, with a far away look in his eyes, The man from toward Pochuck cracked some, more fingers and assumed. - ..--
 "Haekaliah, ketehed that .hipd oap," said he, "and got on 10 tho train as slick as straddhn., a, sawhdsk. for git how many stitches the doctor took In him, whsn he got haaps, but Uncle David Beckepdart says they had to send to the county seat after more thread.
 "Then thege was ths time Hackal3ah had the big runaway aeeident. He was watering his horses, and stood right in front of 'em. Some boy or other sot of 8 hrecracker, and away the team started,
 ''The old man - Haokaliah was