Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1909-03-24
Sc g.'sVgMG A
SU M M ON s
Tho Strong Man Was Not
as Bad as He looked.

| served the summons on the strong
man?" said lawyer the other day
n the bar association. Several years
go when | first graduated from col
/ ,ege had a place as clerk in down
town law office and went through the
period of serving process, as we all
have to do.
One day the managing clerk
called to me and told me he wanted
me TO serve a summons on an actor
/ appearing at 'an--uptown music hall.
lie told me his name was Emil Hog
genheimer, or something like that,
and that he had eluded another man
from our Office so successfully that
there was $50 for me If l succeeded.
This looked like easy money, and |
4 took up the paper to see where and
when my man was playing There was
/ his name all right, but he was billed
! as a professional strong man. That
evening he was scheduled to lift two
! horses on his chest
mo one likes to have a summons
served on him. In fact, some people
become quite abusive and some quite
violent To make matters worse, on
opening my summons l discovered that
/ it was a divorce. My S25 didn't look
quite as easy money.
Il had played on ray college foot
/ ball team, however, and I called up an
/ other young law clerk who had played
on his team, told him the proposition
/ and offered to split the S25. We de-
cided that we must see him first in
! the show, in order to identify him
afterward So we went to the the
/ alter that night
"Mr. Hoggenheimer duly, appeared,
! He was colossal, with chest like a
/ barrel and arms like huge hams He
was ferocious looking German with
a fiercely twirled Kaiser Wilhelm
mustache and Snappy eyes.
According to the announcement he
lifted 10O-pound weights, broke iron
chains, tore packs of cards across,
lifted men with his teeth and finished
by allowing two horses to see-saw on
a platform resting on his chest while
he supported himself on his arms and
legs. My friend looked at me and
at him. Neither of us fancied his
rage at being served with a summons
in a divorce action.
/ However, we concocted a note in
which we told him how we admired
his performance and asked him to
meet us to talk over arrangements by
which We. could become his pupils
Incidentally we mentioned a cafe near
by where we would wait for him in
case he would do us the honor of hav-
ing something to drink with us. We
thought this might fetch him.m
1T did. The usher brought back
word that he would be pleased to meet
the young gentlemen as requested
1--WE hurried over to the cafe and
chose table near the door. We chose
our seats and discussed a plan Of
campaign by which / was to hand him
the summons and my friend was to
cover my retreat in case of need by a
flank movement Of chair under Mr..
Hoggenheimer's feet.
1--WE had chosen a table against the
| wall and had left no seat for our guest
except on the settee along the wall.
In this way we planned to have him
hemmed in by the table and hoped to
get away before he could get at us.
In spite of all our preparations, we
were both distinctly nervous.
when he appeared in the doorway,
we were about ready to give up. If
he had looked big on the stage, he
seemed enormous in street clothes
He was really one of the most g.
gantic human beings I've ever seen.
He came toward us twirling his mus
tache in very dignified manner and
eyed us rather severely with a rest
less, quick-moving gaze
After We had properly introduced
ourselves, we got him hedged in the
place we had intended. He would take
nothing but a glass of beer, so we or
dered beer, and while we were con-
Stunning it we made a great play about
taking lessons, etc.
my friend shot glance at me as II
to say: Get ready and we both
moved back our chairs warily. Poised
for instant flight, arose and said to
our guest:
Mr.. Hoggenheimer, sometimes in
our legal profession we have to do
disagreeable things
Hal Vot is that? Why? said he.
Because said I, producing the
summons and showing 1t into his
tremendous paw, I must now serve
you with summons
"'Vot for? said he, bristling.
We both edged farther away
That's the way we begin a law
suit in America my friend explained.
This is suit brought against you
by your wife for an absolute divorce.
HE rose to his feet and struggled
out from behind the table as we raced
for the door. l stumbled and fell
and he lifted me in his arms like a
kitten. You can imagine my feelings.
'Mein friend, mein friendI vot!
Divorce from mein wife! Ach! Colt
in himmel! 1t is too good Ach! /
shall be free! All, Colt be thanked!
Come to mein arms. nv friends he