The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-07-30
HOUGHTON DEPARTMENT
UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT
George clapperton's Story Caused
Holding Of indignation Meeting.

The next time George Clapperton OF
Grand Rapids tells a funny story to
illustrate a point In political address
IL is probable that he will think IL
over I'm advance and avoid the error
into which he plunged himself during
his discourse At the Musselman meet
ing i'm Houghton the other night. In
his talk the Grand Rapids lawyer made
some reference TO political promises
and the keeping of them and. partly 10
Illustrate his point and partly to get his
audience TO laugh. as every good po-
litical speaker should, he told story,
which although il Is an old story, Is
generally considered quite humorous
and generally gets the laugh. Indeed
Il caused considerable merriment when
when Mr.. clapperton told 1t the other
night but there was an afterclap.
This story relates how n Jewish
rabbi, a Catholic priest and a Method
list preacher became close personal
friends and at one time. when the
three were getting very old, it was COW
enanted between them, that, as an evil
dence OF their respect and esteem of
each other, when one of the three
should die, the others should place in
his coffin $1,000. each of the surviving
members of the trio contributing half
this amount. 1t came TO pass that the
Methodist preacher died first and the
rabbi and the priest, much affected by
the demise of their friend, met upon
the street. The priest called to the
mind of the rabbi the covenant that
they had entered into and told him
that he had placed $500 in gold in
their friends coffin. asking the rabbi If
he had contributed his quota. The
rabbi replies that he did so, that, up
on going to the coffin, he discovered
the priests $500, took it out and re-
placed it with his personal check for
twice tho amount.
OF course, the audience-that is the |
major portion of the audience-ap- |
preciated the humor of this situation |
and the Grand Rapids man felt that |
he had struck the responsive chord. |
After the speeches, a Houghton man
NNbh VIC sHNbhNlS Ia u iiNo 80 49, |
at the termination of |
which they drew up to the Douglass |
house. Here they ran right into a |
small gathering of some of the fore
most residents OF Houghton and Han |
cock, all of them being Jews and al
most all of them being very angry at
Mr.. Clapperton's reference to their |
race and, rightly enough, at his choos-
ing the spiritual leader of their race |
as the butt of this story. Judge"
Clapperton was promptly introduced to |
each of the men in the indignation |
another Houghton man do
ing the honors. When he had been |
all around the circle, the |
spokesman for the indignant citizens |
told the speech maker, very plainly |
what the assembled Jewish gentlemen |
thought of his funny story.
Mr.. Clapperton was covered with
much confusion and he promptly apol-
ogized to the man and declared that it
had been far from his intention to in
suit any person or persons. that the
story had popped into his head as he
was speaking and that he had told it
without giving it the proper considera-
ton. The Grand Rapids lawyer went
on TO say that he had only heard the
story the other day at Marquette and
that he had never told it, himself, pre-
viously, and probably never would
again. although he had been rather
the idea of telling it to some
Of his Jewish friends I'm Grand Rapids,
saying that he has many close personal
friends among the members of the
race i'm his home town. The abashed
said something about having some
thing in the way Of refreshments and
the little party adjourned To a room
where they could be served. III is re-
ported that the meeting ended quite
and that the indignant citi-
zens now think much better Of the
campaigner than they did
Just after the speech the other night.