The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-08-21
TOM TAGGART THE JOKER.
He Is Particularly Clever at SIefsht-
Of-Hand Work
From the New York Sun.

TO be a great practical joker, and many
are the stories told in Indiana of the
tricks that he played on his friends.
he has unusual skill as a sleight-of-
hand performer. Formerly he was
constantly using this gift in playing
practical jokes on his friends. He
doesn't do so much of it now. but
there are many men in various parts
OF the country who will testify to his
cleverness in this line.
Taggart's particular crony used to be
State Treasurer King, who lived in In
dianapolis. joke that they put up on
a friend of King is said to have taken
them three months to hatch.
King had friend. Arthur Johnston.
VINO represented the Mccormick Har-
vester Company of Chicago. Johnston
owned watch of very ingenious con-
struction, which was valued at $500 and
OF which he was very proud.
King and Taggart decided to play
trick with the watch the next time
Johnston came to town. They went to
a Jeweler and got watch that in out
ward appearance resembled Johnston's.
There was nothing to this watch ex-
cept the case, and the inside was fill
ed with a lot of unrelated springs and
wheels.
Soon after Johnston arrived at Tag
CARTS hotel, King started to talk about
watches. Then Johnston made a re-
mark about his own watch.
Yes" said King to Taggart, John
ston has the finest watch you ever
at it,
At this Johnston pulled out his
watch and handed it to Taggart to ex-
anime. Taggart looked at it carefully.
held it up to his ear and finally said:
yes, it is a beauty. 1t is certainly
the finest watch I ever saw"
Then he held it up for further exam
nation and all of a sudden dropped it
on the marble floor.
Johnston and Taggart both iuroped
for 1T with a cry of alarm, but it was
too late. The watch was smashed into
a hundred pieces. The floor for an
area of three or four feet was covered
with springs and wheels AID other
parts of the watch. The way Tag
CART sympathized with Johnston was
amusing to those who were in on the
joke.
well, that's too bad, isn't 1t ?" said
Taggart. II suppose that watch must
have cost you SIS or $1O0?"
Johnston went up in the air.
"A hundred dollars!" he gasped.
why, man, that cost me $780,"
That's too bad, too bad" Taggart
kept repeating. "I wonder If we
can't get it fixed at the jewelers.
across the street"
Such talk as this increased john
ston's fury
Fix that watch in an Indianapolis
jewelry store!" cried he. why that
watch was made for me in Switzer-
land There isn't a matchmaker in
the United States that could make that
watch
Taggart continued to suggest fixing
the watch, and Johnston was growing
wilder every minute in trying to i'm
press on Taggart the value of the
watch and the damage that had been
done. But Taggart kept on in an in
nocent, bland way, telling what a
good jeweler the man across the street
really was.
He got plate and began to pick
up the pieces, while Johnston stormed
around. Finally all of the pieces were
gathered up and Taggart started for
the door, as if to go across the street.
Then he stopped as If struck with a
new thought, and began to put the
wheels and springs back into the case
himself
There" said Taggart, as he COM
pleted the job and surveyed it with
apparent pride, that wasn't as bad
an accident as it seemed at first, was
it?"
At this he handed back to Johnston
his $500 watch. which he had been
concealing in his clothes and shifted
the dummy watch out of sight again.
THAT watch seems to be all right
after all, doesn't it2" he asked in the
same innocent way.
Johnston took up his watch in a daz-
ed manner and began to examine it. 1t
was fully half a minute before he tum-
bled to what had happened.
First, he looked the timepiece all
over, but held 1t to his ear to assure
himself that it was all right and opened
the case to find that it had not been
hurt. Then it dawned on him suddenly
that he had been the victim of one of
Tom Taggart's jokes. Johnston bought
wine for the party.
Here is another story Of Taggart's
cleverness as a sleight-of-hand man.
One day a travelling man, a particular
friend Of his went to the desk of the
hotel to register. After he had written
his name, Taggart came up and shook
hands with him, remarking:
I'm sorry. but I don't see how we
can keep you on the European plan
UtIts 4 IlONNl 10 ulA VII lAld Athletic
can plan, you know"
This was said in such seriousness
that the man never thought Of joke.
why, l want to stay on the Ameri-
can plan" said the traveller in sur
prise.
mo, you don't" replied Taggart.
you want to stay on the European
plan and we can't keep you"
What do you mean?" calculated the
Al
you / want to stay on the American
plan, as I always have"
"Oh, we'll, If you insist" said Tag
CART, IT suppose you know what You
want. but / imagined you intended
only to get a room here and do your
own cooking, judging by the provisions
you brought along"
At this Taggart reached in the mans
coat pocket and pulled out a string Of
bologna sausage. Then he reached in
another pocket and brought out half a
peck OF potatoes. Then he pulled out a
big porterhouse steak, from the mans
collar
All this time tho man looked at Tag
CART in establishment, until he
grasped the joke and began to smile.
Taggart never cracked smile, but
called a bellboy and told him to take
the things to the kitchen remarklng
to the man in a quizzical, suave man
ner:
II beg your pardon for my mistake
certainly thought you intended 10 do
your own cooking when you brought
all those provisions along"
--s-a--s-
of the ma rriaRea in ganeraI a. sho