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I was not at all sure of the origin of the story, although some of our older
"seasoned" citizens said they remembered it in several flavors throughout
the years.
I suspected the urban legend aspect, but didn't check too deeply. I figured
if Kay wanted to use the story either she or her husband would check further
into the voracity of the story. It did provide some of the more basic needs
of her husband's assignment.
Glad I could provide you with 15 minutes of entertainment this Labor Day
weekend. ;-)
For what it's worth, the story is usually told of one Robert Gibbon
Johnson, and is said to have taken place on September 26, 1820, on the
courthouse steps of Salem New Jersey.
Johnson probably became identified with the story because he was a major
promoter of the use of tomatoes, which did become more popular about
that time. The setting is explained by the fact that New Jersey was the
site of some of the first tomato canning factories.
Sorry to debunk. If it's any consolation, tracking down the story did
provide about fifteen minutes of entertainment for me.
A landmark hotel, one of America's most beautiful cities, and
three and a half days of immersion in the state of the art:
IPCC 01, Oct. 24-27 in Santa Fe. http://ieeepcs.org/2001/
+++ Miramo -- Database/XML publishing automation. See us at +++
+++ Seybold SFO, Sept. 25-27, in the Adobe Partners Pavilion +++
+++ More info: http://www.axialinfo.comhttp://www.miramo.com +++
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