The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-04-27

hiz negro crew" and Orlando, the
dried-up little cook. and Alice. the
daughter OF the hairy old medicine
faker, arrived at the levee at Meotock
Iowa. the town was still chuckling over
the card Hinjin & Horth. the jewelers.,
had placed in their window the morn
ing after the burglary.
The burglar-it was known he was
Sims Tudd-had broken into the store
through a barred rear window, and lie
had had practically the entire night for
his work He was an amateur. and the
safe in which Hinjin & Horth placed
all their valuable stock every night was
sn imposing affair: but Sims Tudd-
working patiently-had opened 1t and
taken It's entire contents-twenty thou
sand dollars worth of jewelry and I'M
set river-pearls.
Hinjin Cthe Mississippi valley is FULL
of strange nGmes) was seemingly the
most serious and unhumorou of men.
unless Horth. his partner, be excepted
Hinjin was tall and lank. and sad Of
countenance- He looked as one sup
poses an undertaken should look; but
undertakers often are plump and Jolly.
Hlnjin was the saddest-looking man in
Meotock Horth, on the contrary. was
short and solemn. His fat-faced solem-
nifty had a stupid fiabbiness that sug-
gested that no joke could ever pene-
trzte him. Hiniin was the sort of man
you would have sworn would not joke.
and Horth was the sort you would
have taken oath could not joke. None
the less. within two hours after the
burglary was discovered, they put in
their window a card:
CONUNDRUM
When is a safe not safe?
Five dollars reward for the correct
answer
Hiniin & Horth.
The loss Of twenty thousand dollars
was a severe one to the firm. but not
severe enough to kill the sense of nu-
NOR. The two men had been in bust
ness together thirty years-Hinjin
usually waiting on cu-tomers. and
Horth at the low shelf in the window,
his watchmakers glass in his eye en-
craving wedding rings or manipulate
ing the innards of watches. They had
accumulated goodly fortunes. They
had accumulated also a reputation for
humoz.
One summer. years before the bur-
glary, the city laborers had scraped
the mud OF Main street into piles, but
had not removed il for a week, and
Horth daubed a sign-Pike's Peak
and stuck 1t on top of the especially
large pile Of mud before their shop.
In an hour every merchant on Main
street had a sign-Mt. Everest. Mt.
Washington or the like-on the pile of
mud before his establishment. That
night the city laborers worked until
midnight. but the mud heaps were re-
moved. and Hinjin & Horth had won
fame as humorists.
In those days there was a particular
ly hideous woodcut kept in stock by
nearly every American newspaper for
the use of advertisers. It bore +he
words And don't you forget it," and
showed an extremely tall man, bent at
n right angle over an exceedingly short
fat man, laying down the law to the
latter with a raised fist. with which he
was always about to strike the palm
of his left hand. To Hinjin & Horth
this cut seemed excrucia tingly funny
The first time they saw it Hinjin ac-
tually smiled and Horth chuckled: this
was equivalent to roars of laughter
from other men
''Youl" said Hinjin. pointing to the
fat man.
''YouI" said Horth. pointing to the
tall thin man
They bought the cut outright from
the newspaper and used it to head theil
town. with "Hinjin & Horth" under
meath. followed by whatever message
they wished to give the public Il
added greatly to their popularity; Il
was considered a good joke. And 1t wa,
good advertising. It had personality
like the use of the portrait of the mar
who makes shoes and the men whit
make cough drops. Hinjfn & Horth hat
q stencil made and had the Don't
you-forget-it!" men daubed on fences
and barns.
For years Hinjin & Horth used IN,
fat man and the thin man to advertis,
themselves. Today you may see tn,
large tin posters they finally used
tackled to trees. barns and fences TO
miles around Meotock. and here an,
there along the roads in Illinois, acros.
the Mississippi from Meotock- Thar
is one on the big elm facing the spo
where Sims Judd lived in hog shelte
at the time he broke into Hinjin 4
Horth's safe.
It was there when he opened his eye
IN the morning and there when he clos
ed them at night, brazenly Cor tinnily
showing the caricatures Of Hinjin !
Borth. It did not allow him to forge
the physically ill-assorted jewelers.
The idea of robbing Hinjin & Hort
probably grew gradually in the min
of Sims Tudd. They carry the larKss
stock OF gold. diamonds and pearls Il
these parts" came into his mind ever
time he saw the tin poster. and 1t sug
gested that he would like to have som
Of that wealth. The poster did not lie
him forget. and finally he went over t
Meotock one dark night. broke open tn
safe. and took every item of the la-g
est stock of gold. diamonds and pearl
In these parts" Evidently a sense G