The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-06
LOSES SUIT
 OF CLOTHES IN BET
 AGAINST LOCKLEAR
President of Fair Must Pay Aviator Suit of Clothes as
 Result of Wager Made Several Weeks Ago

It's hard enough in these days of the high cost of living and everything to shell out enough nard-earned cash to buy a suit of clothes for your own personal use But how would you like to have to put down for three piece fall suit today that you had lost on a bet? Pretty tougn, isn't it?. That's what R. A. Brown. president of the Alabama State Fair association. has to do. But the strangest part about the whole thing is that he is glad he lost his bet. Doesn't sound | reasonable. does it? Maybe not, but 1 it's fact, just the same. When the l Louisville and Nashville train from Cincinnati arrives in Birmingham th!s morning Buster Brown will be the debtor of Lieut.. Omer Locklear, dare devil aviator, to the extent Of one
 Now don't get the idea that the ] president of the fair is any common 1 gambler. nor is he even one of the boys who usually places few shehels on the long end of every horse race l Far be it from Buster. for when ne | puts out a dollar he usually gets some pretty fair return. But here is how he l happened to make this little wager which he will be called upon to pay ! today:
 | Some weeks ago MT. Brown made a | tour of a number of states and into Canada to see some of the big fairs | then in progress. At one of these l places he saw the remarkable eXh'5i- tion of Lieutenant Locklear, who changes from his aeroplane to another in mid air while travelling at 80 miles an hour. He saw this act performed, and he saw Locklear perform other | tract to get Locklear and his two aS- as if he were standing on the ground and he marveled at the exhibition. | Always on the lookout for the big | gest and best attractions for tk@ state | fair, MT. Brown first closed con- l tract to get Lockiear and his town as | sociates Lieutenant Elliott. a Gads-
 den boy, and Lieutenant Short, to put | on their remarkable series of sensa- | tional stunts at the fair here. Later he had several conversations with Locklear and in one of these Mr. /, Brown expressed his doubts about Locklear living through a season if
 he continued to do the stunts he was l then performing Finally he told the
 aviator he would bot him a suit cf clothes that he would not live to get 1 to the Alabama state fair on October i 6, and the wager was on.
 When Locklear came down to the l earth dIteT HIS illSHl uludy iiC i"A
 completed his act 150 times. And i when the train arrives nere this morn ] ing he will have mace good and Presi- | dent Brown of the state fair associa-
 ton will have to dig down and shell
 out the price of a regular suit of 1 clothes.
 And private advices received by The Age Herald last night were to the effect that the lieutenant was quite | a flossy dresser. Not only is he the
 worlds most daring aviator, but he
 also knows how to wear good clothes
 and is not at all backward about buy
 ing the best that modern tailorlue
 can produce. So when MT. Browr
 makes good with a surt for MT Lock
 lear the local man IS likely to have
 a shock from which he will not re
 cover for some time. Hundreddol,a
 suits are no novelty to the aviator
 and it is reported that his best suits
 cost figure which would surprise l most people. But that's matter whicl Buster Brown can worry over.
 The keenest interest attaches to the flights of Locklear. Elliott and Short today While Locklear probably has the most sensational individual stunt
 in the aviation world today Lieuten-
 ant Elliott. who halls from Gadsden
 is reported to be one of the greatest
 trick fliers of the day As this is Gads-
 den day at the fair it is anticipated
 that a tremendous crowd from nj;
 home city wilk be here to greet him
 on the occasion of his initial flight
 Lieutenant Short is also rated as q
 remarkable flier