Lincoln telegraph. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1836-1846, 1842-02-03
miscellaneous.
From Bentley's Miscellany.
MUNGO MACKAY,
The Practical Joker.

Joking, of all the inveterate manufactures of mis-
chief in this line of acting the most notorious, the
most systematically troublesome that ever heard
of, was Mungo Mackay, of the good town of Bos-
ton, in Massachusetts, Bay. Others follow the
sport as most men follow the hounds, or cultivate
music for recreation-but Mackay might be said to
follow it as though it were his trade. With them
it is the bye-pay, with him it was the business Of
life 1t was food and raiment to him he old not
exist with plot against the tranquility of his
neighborhood- laughed but when others were
in rage, and enjoyed life to mark when those
around him were suffering from the results of his
inventive genius. His father died just as he had
grown to mans estate, leaving him comfortable
independance-and from that period he passed
his days and nights in a crusade against the peace
Of the good people of Boston. He an Ishma-
9litsll witt for truly, )" his hand against every
man, and every mans hand against him, and
the hand OF every woman too from the River
Charles to South Boston, and for many miles
round the villages, BY semi-circle of which the
ancient capital of the land of steady habits is en-
closed.
fellows neck-but verify believe that if it had,
1t would be all the same to Makcay, who seemed
to think that the whole human race had only been
created for him to play pranbs upon Or perhapshe
quoted his conscience by the belief that the
amusements afforded to the many more than coun-
terbaanced the annoyance, and sometimes actual
pain, which he dealt out to the few.
Old Ben Russell, or Major Russell, as he was
usually styled, was a tall, fine looking man, at
that time in the prime Of life, stror Hercules,
but with good deal ofthe neatness of dress and
polished manners Of "a gentleman ofthe old school.
lie had for many years owned and edited the Bos-
ton Centinel, and prided hmselfupon two things,
always having spaper out at a certain time,
and always having in it the most exact and au-
thentic intelligence. No man in the city could
at word tell you correctly the position Econ
tending armies in the last European battles, or
the points at issue in the latest Continental ne
gotiation, When two armies went into the Meth
erlands for summers work, and as Sergeant Cot
ten, the Waterloo gnide, says, Amt it the
cockpit of Europe9 No matter where they quar-
rel, they'r sure to come here to fight" Ben
Russell unfurled the map Of the country upon the
wall of his sanctum as soon they unfurled their
burners in the field, and two pins, the one black
and the other white, stuck through the map, serv-
ed to mark the places at which they first entered
the country, or opened the campaign. Those
pins shifted their positions, and either advanced
or retired the belligprents changed their ground
and when any part ofthe main force was detached,
PIN of a small size seen to watch it's line OF
march, and declare its operations. The editor by
this simple contrivance could not only tell at a
glance, by looking at his pins, where the armies
were but by tracing the holes which the pins had
left behind them, could read you oil from his
maps at the conclusion of long war, the history
Of every campaign.
As this worthy, but somewhat frey and digni.
fed person was bending over the last proof of his
editorial column, which contained ''leader, -
of some Importance in his eyes, IN much as il
gave the latest intelligence from France, and cor
rected an error which had appeared in the Boston
Gazette, relating to the movements of Genera
Dumourer, a strange kind of blinking noise was
heard at the foot of the long staircase which LED
to the printing olhce at one end of which was
Ben's sanctum where he was examining the proc
aforesaid Nearer and nearer came the noise as
footsteps appeared to ascend the staircase .-clink
cnk--clinli- clink Every body wondered
what it was the devil stopped scrapng the ball
ior rollers, like Mackntoshes, were not dreampt
of them the composters leaned on their left feet
and left elbow-as compositors will, when THEN
is likely to be any sport and the pressman stood
at the bank, with the heap between his arms, anC
his ear turned towards the door Ben Russell
heard the strange noise upon the stairs, and he
noticed the kind Of dead calm which had sudden.
Iy come over the printing Office at moment toe
of all others, when he felt that every body should
be on the alert, in order that the 'Centinel' might
90 to press Ben liked neither the noise nor the
silence; and as the cink-cnk came nearer
and nearer, his choler rose with the cause of it.
until Just it boiled up TO his teeth, and was
sure to flow over on somebody, a tall, rawboned
fellow, with stick over his shoulder, on which
was slung motley collection of small iron and
wire wares staked into the Office. To Ben Rus
SELLS furious What the-do you WANT" the
itnerant worker in iron and wire designed moi
any reply; but threw off his back load Of ladies'
screeners Aeshforks, gridirons, and pot-covers
with much GOODNESS as fine had just entered his
own cabin after a hard days. work Ben stared
n 1