The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-03-29
STUCK!
That's Whot Happend to Poor Ike
Witherspoon 1t Was a Tur-
ribIe 0rdeeI He Went Through
Full PartickIers as Folders

Ike Witherspoon, one of our most
respected townsmen. met with pecoo1-
lar and otherwise horrible experients
on Tuesday morning last about a. m.
or Whereabouts, which he calllilates he
will remember to his dyin day or longer
if possible, notwithstanding that no
bones was broke and he was not injured
except bein blame near skeered outen
his hide and disfggered so as his init
mate friends wouldn't have knowed who
he was if they had met him under 9TH
er circumstances.
For week or two past Mrs. Wither-
spon has had a awful lot of trubblc
with the open fireplace in the sittin room
not DRAWN as it ort to. The smoke
would come out into the room and make
Ike and his wife blame near snceze
their dod-rotted heads off. Sometimes
the smoke got SO thick that it made tire
tears run outen their eyes and they
would have to go out doors and stand
there for breth of fresh air. At last
Ike got sick of it and told his wife he
was a goin up on the roof some day to
take a look down the chimbley, being as
he thought it must be choked up or
somethink.
So on Tuesday morning Ike he Dor
ried a ladder and climbed up on the
roof, whereas his wife thort he had
went to the P. o. or some place, TAX
ing broom with him, and when he got
to the chirnbley he looked down and
saw that some of the bricks and mortar
had fell in and lodged and been showed
on, which was why the chimbley didn't
draw.
So Ike got inside the chimbley and
braced hisself agin the sides and went
to reach down for the obstruckshion, as
you might say, and his feet slipped and
be jiggered if he didn't shoot down
into the inside of the chimbley about
S feet, where he stuck fast, being I'M
help, and Mrs. Witherspoon, who was
a setting in the setting room knitting,
heerd his voice coming down the CHM
bley and not recognizing it as Ike's and
being sooperstishious she thort the
house was hanted and run across the
street to her nabor's, Mrs. Wilkins, all
out of breth and skeered, and said she
wouldn't go back home for 10 cts.
After spell Deacon Butterworth
past Ike's house and hearing Ike's orful
cries of anguish he stopped and issened
and lookt around and saw the ladder
up agin the house and the broom layin
on the roof and put two and two to-
gether and elm up the ladder and ap-
preached the chimbley and looked down
and was Mortified to see likes black face
staring up at him and hollerin 'helpi"
The deacon didn't recognize Ike, who
had SCOT all over hisself, and thort he
was likely a burglar and grabbed a
brick often the top of the chimbley and
was jest a goin to hit Ike on the head
with it when Ike yelled to for the lands
sake not do it or he would break his
skull and explained that he was Ike
and had fell into the chimbley and got
fast and wanted to get out so alfred
bad that he didn't know whot to do.
The deacon told Ike to hold on until
he could go and get some help, but Ike
said he didn't haft to hold on because
he was stuck into the chimbley tightern
wax, so the deacon elm back down
ho1lerin fre-hre-hre-and the fire
dept. responded promptly, and Gabe
Tucker, who is cheef, wanted to know
wher the fire was at and the deacon
told him that Ike was in the chimbley,
and Gabe misunderstood him and got