Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 December 1883 — Testing an Arkansas Senator’s Stomach. [ARTICLE]

Testing an Arkansas Senator’s Stomach.

A United States Senator who is fond of a joke had been initiated into the mysteries of an alleged caramel, which one of the boys of bis hotel had invented for the purpose of making miserable the lives of other children. The Senator owed Garland, of Arkansas, one, and saw his Opportunity. He procured some of the alleged sweets and placed them carelessly on his desk. The game succeeded. Garland spied the deceptive chocolates, and, carelessly sauntering by, picked up one of them and said: “What are these, Senator ?” “They are caramels. Take one.” “Thank you; I will,” and he took ono. Now, the caramel was filled with soap, and the jokers expected to see Garland spit out the nauseous stuff. That was where the laugh was to come in. But Garland disappointed them. He ate up the whole thing, soap and all, and never made a sign. The perpetrator became frightened and ran out into the cloak-room, exclaiming: “Good Lo rd! I’m afraid the man’s poisoned.” “Oh, you needn’t be alarmed,” said Butler, of South Carolina; “Garland’s got an, Arkansas stomach. ” To this day no one knows whether Garland tasted the soap or not .—Washington Capita