The log cabin Democrat., 1921-10-31
CLAIM SHARP RAN
 OFF WITH POSSUMS
SHOW HELD AT QUITMAN
Gazette Traveller Brings Event to Abrupt End, According to Story
 by Charley Davis.

at &uitman Saturday is vividly de- scrlbed Tn the following story by Char ley Davls, veraclous press agent of the Dunaway zoo, appearing in Sun days Arkansas Gazette:
 A. $. Lindsey, Quitman, R. F. D. No. ?, first; Cyrus Patterson, Higden, second. This was the news flashed to the waiting world over leased press wires from Quitman yesterday. It IS the result of the All-American Pos sum Sweepstakes staged in that me tropolls under the more or less per sonal direction of Prof L. Sharpe Dunaway, unnatural historian, pos sum fancier and so on.
 Professor Dunaway brought more detailed information to the Gazette last night, much of it not for publi- cation. The prof. was in an extreme ly nervous state, and showed a ten dency to duck behind a desk whenever visitor came into the news room, A group of departing l. o. o. F. dele gates passing down Third street threw him into a profuse perspira- tion.
 According to the prof., however, the possum classic was tremendous success. There were 38 entrants. The grand championship prize, won by MT. Lindsey, was six months sub- scription to the Gazette; the second, three months subscription. These subscriptions are to the daily or pre- ferred edition of the Gazette, which contains the Ramblin' Aroun' col umn instead of the semi-weekly, which contains only allopathic doses of the All Over Arkansas column. The judges were Dr. H. B. Hardy of Enders; County Judge Elias L. Smith of Conway, and George Phil lips of Quitman. Claude Jones of Heber Springs was master of cere- monies.
 "To make long tale short," as Professor Dunaway so wittily and fre- quently observes, the judges, after giving the field a careful once over, retired to reach a decision. Return ing later to pin on the blue and red ribbons, they discovered that there were no possums. Every bench was empty, and fading across the Gle burne county line into the foothills of Faulkner was such cloud of dust as might have been caused by a TO- l tund jazznaturalist herding 38 prize possums before him at hand gal lop. The prof. made clean getaway with the whole show.
 Now, dern it," the professor said last night. Don't you go writing any of that funny stuff about me. These possums were given to me- | Whether or not this is true, the prof. is entitled to his bag. Every one of the 3S possums "sulled" about two miles yon side of Enders, and the prof. toted the entire collection all the way into Conway. Also, the prof. Justities his somewhat irregular ac- tion on other grounds. He, himself was intending to enter a contestant which without doubt would have set mark for all possum shows of the i future.
 Up in the hills south of Desdemona, the professor for three weeks had been training dark horse for the contest. This was a possum named Jabez. In referring to Jabez a week ago the prof. declared that he would tip the scales at 35 pounds, undoubt- edly. Yesterday he spoke mournful- | ly of the loss of Jabez, his 67-pound possum-a gain of 32 pounds in seven days, which marks Jabez as an unusual marsupial, whatever else he might have been.
 | Jabez's trainer was negro named Smoke. By early candle-lighting Frf day night Professor Dunaway got the news to Smoke to have Jabez in Quit man bright and early Saturday morn ing for the big show. Smoke started with Jabez by first cock crow come Saturday morning. Smoke also load ed into his wagon some extra giant powder and few excess cases of this government picric acid he had been using to clear up new ground. He aimed to return them to the store at Quitman.
 l Smoke overalmed. Crossing Coon creek the wagon struck a rock. l Professor Dunaway said he hap pened to be up early in Quitman that morning and that he saw them pass -nigger, possum, mules. wagon and all. The professor said they were wrapped about with fire, and that they went up and up until the outfit died down to bright spark ant fad ed out in sidereal space. While ad hitting that the occurrence is sovie- what unusual, Professor Dunaway de- clared that it is not without prP Pce- dent, and that at least one other well l authenticated case has been estab lished; that of Elijah and the fiery chariot; II Kings, 2:11.
 There also was to have been a fid. dlers' contest at Quitman yesterday,