New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-12-29
The Biaaeat PractieaI JoIke "a ,he seaeon.

: =
morning newspapers and read of the grea
practical Joke that had been played on Nj
Lee, the husband Of Miss Nelson, the cele
| brated English tragedienne, now playing a
| Wallack's Lee had complained to hi
friend SUthern, of Lord Dundreary fame
that things are 80 dooced stoopid in thi
blarsted country, you know and Sothern
as an Englishman who had become accH
| matted to America, fixed matters for giving
Lee a little surprise. At his splendid suit
| of rooms in one Of the hotels, on Sunday
December 8 SotherE laid a superb Dime
to which he invited Lee and those mac
| wags, well known to the profession anC
| the public, Billy Florence, Nelse Seymour
Dan Bryant, Neil Bryant, Chris Connol
and others who were in the secret anc
ready for the fun. What followed after
the company sat down 30 the magnihcently
furnished table. and how things were made
lively for the Englishman suffering from
ennui, is thus told by the Herald
! While the soup was being served, Mr.
| Neil Bryant drew from between the back OF
| his coat and his shirt huge dirk-knife, the
| blade Of which, measuring over foot long
| he unclasped solemnly and placed it by the
side Of his plate gravely. Chris Common
I pulled q six-shoOter out of his coat tail
| pocket and placed it carelessIy by his plate
| Not a word was said. Mr.. Lee looked around
| ia doubt and stared. Nelse Seymour drew
a scythe from under the table and a police
| mans club, and, alter the manner of one OF
| the .'Argonauts of 49," laid them ON the
middle of the table.
Mr. Lee moved uneasiIy on his seat, and
whispered to his friend SOthern;
"Mg God, old fellow, what does this
mean"
keep quiet my dear Lee" said SotheTn;
''it is as i have feared. These gentlemen
have been drinking, and they have quar-
relied about a mutual friend of theirs a Mr..
Weymiss Jobs0n, quite an eminent scholar
and very estimable gentleman. But
hope for our sakes that they will not at
tempt to settle their quarrel here. 1t is
dreadful, but l hope, dear boy, that they
will go away quietly and have no row. 1t
is fashion they have here to settle their
disputes at table, or wherever they meet.
All we can do is to await events"
But there will be murder here. Can We
not notify the police of their Intentions"
impossible, my dear fellow" answered
SOthern, in distracted whisper; "were You
even to lie suspected by these men OF at
tempting to leave the room, you would be
shot like a dog, and no satisfaction would
ever be given your relatives i'll a court OF
justice"
BY this time Mr.. Lee was thoroughly
frightened, and his soup was left untasted.
What an internal country it ISL he NUT
tered in a stage whisper For few mo-
ments nothing was heard but the clatter of
knives and forks. when, suddenly row
arose at the lower end of the table. Neil
Bryant suddenly jumped to his feet and
screamed at the top Of his voice:
Whoever says that the History of the
French Revolution written by my friend
D avid Weymiss Jobson is not as good a
book in every respect as that written by
Tom Carlyle, on the same subject, is liar
and no gentleman, and if there is any fool
actor present who desires to take it up,
am his mani"
All the guests rose suddenly and every
man seized his weapon in an instant. Chris
Conner roared out, as he seized his pistol
"YOu are another Bryant and by nv
halldome viii prove it on your traltor0us
body -
Then a sho1 was fred by somebody: an
other shot succeeded, and the room was
filed with smoke and din and uproar
Several of the guests clinched and stIug-
gled, and Nelse Seymour, while struggling
across the table in the powerful grasp Of
Jim Collier, thrust his huge foot in the
handsome soup tureen, which was built to
hold eight quarts. He made a wild plunge
and was knocked down on the tl00ro but
found it impossible to release his foot from
the soup tureen. Mr.. Lee ran in the direc,
ton Of the door, but the cOnspirators had
locked it. and he could not find egress.
John Wild, the negro minstrel, thrust d
long knife with the blade opened into the
hands of Mr.. Lee, and cried out. Lee. for
Gods sake defend yourself. This is butch.
butchery -
Sothern KEEP: saying continually TO lee.
y Keep cool and don't get shot, This IS
awtul-~a thousand pardonsA-i am a strano
ger in the country, aud had no expecta.
zion of meeting these demons at dinner
Pn tTsaT5 o ba so -. :
had been alarmed and she guesls
and walters outside we're making frantic !
7nd9avGTs TO break open the doors, fearing
hat font murder would be dome It is
needless so says from tie known character |
3f the men involved, chat all this row was
; huge practical joke perpetrated on Mr. |
Lee, the guest OF the evening, but unfortu- |
1ately he could not see It in that light and |
le was seriously frightened
The sequel of this was az rich as the !
original performance S6thern and Flor |
3nce determined sc draw Zee into sham |
tueE on account OF the affair, and there.
ore the latter wrote cOmical challenge to |
Scthern, signing it in Lees name They |
ook Judge Downing into their confidence, |
he plan being that after Lee received the |
challenge the judge should have him ar
.est'd and bound over to keep the peace.
But the judge thought that he would turn |
he joke. and so. instead of issuing sub |
)ena Tor Iseo ne had Florence and Sothern
brought up before him on the charge
# being accessories to duel. the
ime for their appearance at the
rombs being set for seven O'Clock in the |
morning. which was particularly disagree
.ble for gentlemen who were not accus-
omed to rising before eleven The end of
all was that they got up at six o'clock in
he morning, swearing at the cold, and
lrOve bPeakfastless 10 the Tomhs whara
fter cooling their heels on the stones for
hree hours, they were permitted to depart
With the assurance that they might 90 un-
ghipt of justice. Sothern's last remark
vas not that " this is one Of the things no
elbow can find out" but with da1nnatory
detectives he certified to all hearers that he
would never again attempt to play prac-
lcal joke on anybody.
The late William Kellogg.
We copy the following from the Chicago