Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-16

THE smoking habit develops very large
number of peculiar things in the manner
and conduct of men who smoke" said
local tobacconist: land get deal OF run
GU, of studying the little things which marx
the conduct of man toward his cigar. for
Instance. l know men who will not take
cigar unless X is perfectly round; II 1t Is
the least bit fat or the least bit crooked
they will not touch it. On the other hand,
there are men who will pull nearly all the
cigars out of a box in an effort to find one
that is a little fiat or bit deformed ana
out OF shape The peculiar fact about the
matter is that each man will Insist that
the cigar holding the particular shape ne
likes will smoke much better. But these
are not the only peculiar things ABOUT
smokers One man will not smoke more
than half of his cigar before quitting 1t.
Another will insist that the real good or d
cigar is ir the tip. One of the most pecu-
liar things and the most marked Is the way
men have of preparing the cigar, the way
they nip the end off. light the cigar ana
40 on. One man will bite the end of his
cigar off another will pinch 1t on, and sun
others will some kind or patent oe-
vice to get the cigar In shape for smoking.
Each man believes the method of the other
fellow is simply barbarous and he cannon
understand why 1t Is that more clVilizeu
scheme is not employed. Smokers are like
drinkers They think there Is just one way
to get the best results and that Is the way
they go about 1t. But whatever else may
be said about it 1t is an interesting subject
and get deal of pleasure out OF watch-
ing and studying the eccentricities OF
smokers.
First Lieut. Ernest D. Peek Corps of
Engineers, who recently completed tour
of duty in the Philippines and is now
stationed at Washington barracks, is said
to be the tallest officer in the United
States army. He is six feet four and one
half inches in height. A native of Wis
consin, he was graduated at the u s.
Military Academy in 1897. Being one or
the star graduates, he was assigned to
the Engineer Corps On account of his
height he is known among his intimate
friends as Pixies Peek and road in
the Philippines built under his supervi-
sion Is faceiously described as "Peeks
Pike.
X i x
A department clerk from Kansas is just
now engaged in handing out paens of praise
to the honest merchants of Washington.
He has only had experience with one OF
them, but he says this passes all under
standing, and he is of the belief that it
must be the general rule among the people
of Washington to be just as honest. His
wife came downtown from their Capitol
Hill residence one day last week to make
some purchases at a large department
store. She found everything she wanted
without wasting any time and went home
In a hurry. A day or two later she an
swered q ring at the door bell and neat
IL uniformed messenger handed her note
bearing the department stores letterhead
Fearing something WAS wrong with her
purchases she hastily tore open the missive
and silver ten-cent piece rolled out OF the
folded paper that was found inside. note
from the firm accompanied the dime. in
which was contained the information that
the firm took great pleasure in returning to
Mrs. Blank ten cents she had inadvertently
left at one OF the counters In her hurry to
get away. Mrs. Blank was unused to that
sort of thing, but subsequently remembered
that she had left one of the departments in
such haste that she forgot her change.
Wherefore the department clerk is loud in
his praises of the honesty OF the business
mon of Washington.
It's singular how people appear when
taken into court on pleas of insanity" re-
marked a member of the police force one
day after a jury had declared an old col
ored man insane.
Unlike many criminals who set up the
plea of insanity when the prison doors are
opening for them, the old man was alleged
TO have lost his reasoning powers and was
protesting that he was not insane"
1t was explained by the officer that the
old mans mania was of a religious type
Such persons are always considered dam
gerous, because the idea of a sacrifice in
Varably crops out.
The testimony had been heard" said the
officer. and while there was no doubt of
the disordered condition of the mind of the
subject of inquiry, one of the jurors show
ed that he was inclined to take a charitable
view of the situation and declare for the
old man. The juror had lived in Alabama,
he said. where it was not an unusual thing
for the negroes to act peculiarly under re-
ligious excitement, and the man on trial
was no worse than hundreds he had known
Sanitary Officer Frank was engineering