The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-01-14
DAYS OF THE
LINEN BUSTER
From the Philadelphia Record:

FROM the Philadelphia Record:
Il bemoan the passing Of the linen
buster" said Colonel Adam Beaupre, Of
St. Johns Parish, Louisiana, to q few
congenial friends who Joined him at the
bar in a Broad street hotel and anchored
alongside quartet of mint juleps. mo
new-fangled wraps for me-" continued
the aforesaid veteran from Natchioges.
LAS thousands OF persons value their
paJamas and 'nighties' 80 do value my
linen duster. But. like all old style fash
ions. it is rapidly passing into oblivion.
On my honor, sahs the long-talled linen
buster was at one time a component
part Of our Southern civilization. It was
no class garment. The parson, the gam
bier and the Southern gentlemen wore
it. 1t accompanied the former to the
vestry room, the gambler to the race
course and cock pit and the gentleman
to his club.
Between the Georgia and Kentucky
'colonels' 1t was g. tie that bound. The
prosperous planter and the ftinerant
horse trader followed the same fashion
in dress. and my French relatives took
20 the garb just as the negro pickan.n-
MES hunted the sunshine. The buster
never appealed strongly to you 'uns in
the North. With it's disappearance the
South loses a mark as distinctive as the
brand on a banker pony, and it is with
reverential feeling that we recall the
old days.
1T was no uncommon sight, sahs, in
the days of the old Charleston Jockey
Club TO see half thousand Of our gen.
tlemen apparaled in similar raiment-
many OF them grouped in the betting
ring wagering thousands of the long
green or putting up slaves in place or
currency 'Twasn't commonplace scene
like unto what you see at Gravesend,
Brighton or Saratoga nowadays. Plan
tations and droves of darkies changed
hands many's the time on single SELL
ing race. The men in those days were
none of your cheap present-day race
track fellows. They plunged and won
or lost big stakes.
But, sahs, there was at one time a
lnen-duster revival When John Skel-
ton Williams, Of Old Virginia, opened
the Seaboard Air Line Railway clear to
the southern end Of Florida he came
through the South wearing a linen
buster. He went out in the byways. and
hedges and invited everybody to ride
free for two weeks. Williams counseled
that busters be worn on the trip, and
they were. However. they were soon
discarded and went into the limbo of
dead things. in closing my dissertation
1 must express my admiration of true
American gentleman in the person Of
Op:e Read, The Kentucky novelist. Read
was ON his way to Buffalo just two years
ago to write the sad incidents connected
with the removal of the body Of Presi-
dent Mckinley to Washington and from
there to the vault in Canton. Opie was
working for several Western papers, and
there were other correspondents on the
train with them. Reads clothes were
shabby, and companion ventured to
inquire whether he had no better OUT
lit In his grip.
travel like Kentucky gentleman
sah,' responded the novelist to his critic
Opening his grip, he showed linen
buster and a quart bottle of choice
whisky"
SO saying. Colonel Beaupre removed
his perfecto from his lips long enough
to enable MIN to send in an emergency
call for his fifth julep.