Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1874-06-11

his hands to the musket, slowly bent his
body until he let the weapon assume horl-
zontal position, moved it around over the
heads of the spectators near him, and then re-
covered an erect position. Several gentlemen
afterward found that they could scarcely
hold the musket out at arms length when
catching it by the bayonet. During the ex-
hibition Dr. +. F. Maury, assisted by Drs.
Gross, Wallace and Pancoast, made a close
examination of the performer, especially
while the latter had Spanish sabre, twenty
nine inches long and one inch wide, in his
throat, the end of the blade being easily felt
from the exterior by the doctors as it pressed
outward on the left side of the body below the
umbiicus. The opinion of the professors was
that the blade displaced the stomach partially,
tilting and passing down the left side OF it.
The organs of Signor Benedetti's throat were
found to be of the ordinary formation and
character. r.-Philadelphia Enquirer.
sTOM COLLINS"
For the last two weeks people have been
talking about "Tom Collins" newspapers
have published mysterious hints about "Tom
Collins" the brick piles have been placarded
with allusion to "Tom Collins" the negro
minstrels have advertised songs about "Tom
Collins" and peripatetic venders ofcard pho
tographs have offered to sell correct likenesses
of "Tom Collins" The words have suddenly
grown into the popular slang of the streets,
lust as "Walker," "Who's your halter" ?"
"Here's your mule" and other absurdities
did in their day. TO the uninitiated it was
very provoking to hear one man say to an.
other, "Have you seen Tom Collins?" and
then for both of them to explode with laugh
ter. 1t seemed very stupid, and, upon the
whole, I think that it was. | have just been
able to find out who is this Tom Collins, who
is in the mouth of everybody in New York,
and whose reputation, suppose, will speedily
extend to other parts. He was born in the
brain of Harrigan, a noted negro minstrel at
one of the minor theatres, who is the author
of the still popular song of "The Mulllgan
Guards" Harrigan, emulous OF the fame OF
Sothern, concocted huge practical joke to
take in the town. He got all the hotel clerks
and the leading BARRIERS, barkeepers, restau-
rant men and druggists to join him in the
plot. The trick was played this way: One
of the conspirators approached his friend
Jones and said, "I'm really sorry, my dear fel-
loy to hear that your wife has ran away
with Smith," Of course Jones is indignant
He demands to know who is the author of
such an infamous slander. "Tom Collins
told me-" says the conspirator." "Who the
dash, dash, dash is Tom Collins?" howls the
enraged husband. "Why, don't you know
Tom Collins, the little fellow with the black
moustache-why you'll find him over at the
St. Nicholas. Now Jones goes and gets big
stick and starts for the St. Nicholas. He
asks the clerk, "Say, is there fellow by the
name of Tom Collins stopping here?" "Col-
lins, sir? Tom Collins? Yes, sir" responds
the clerk politely, "a little man with black
moustache-here just moment ago, sir. He
has stepped over to Wallets barber shop" Mr.
Jones rushes across the way to the barber's
That artist exclaims, "Tom Collins-know
him well-just left here-took stage up to
Delmonico's to get his dinner" Jones grasps
his stick anew, hastens out to the sidewalk
and halls an omnibus. At Delmonico's the
clerk says that Mr.. Collins has been in and
ordered a dinner to be ready an hour hence,
and has, in the meantime, gone around to the
Spngler House to play game Of billiards.
At the billiard saloon Jones is told that Col
lins thought he wouldn't play, and has gone
to Brentano's to get the evening papers.
Brentano reports that Collins was just in and
took Graphic and Post, and said that he
was going to the Fifth Avenue Hotel to get
cigar Jones abandons the chaseand returns
to Delmonicos to await the dinner hour OF
the maligner of his family honor. He spends
some time impatiently walking up and down
the marble floor, humping it with his cane at
every step, the bland clerk informing him at
intervals that he is "sure Mr.. Collins will
soon be in" After weary vigil, long past
the time appointed for dinner, exhaustion be-
gins to blunt the edge Of wrath, and then it is
that suspicion steals into the mind of the
victim that he has been "sold," and that fifty
people in the secret are at that moment
watching him and laughing at him.. He
sidles for the door and attempts to sneak off;
but rs his coat tails disappear the chorus
rings in his ears, amid screams of merriment,
"Here comes Tom Collins at last" This is
the practical joke that has been played on
thousands of people during the past fortnight,
the hotel clerks, BARRIERS, newsmen, &C., being
employed all day long answering inquiries for
Tom Collins. The secret is out, and every
body knows now that Tom is myth; but
the theatres and newspapers are not likely to
let the sensation die out Immediately. The
strangest thing about the joke is that it could
so easily deceive so many people. 1t has not
even the merit of freshness. remember that
that most incorrigble of wags, John Kenifick,
used to vctimize Meeting street pretty much
the same way years ago.-N. Y. correspond
emit Charleston News and Courier.
REGULAR EATING.
Half of all ordinary diseases would be ban
ished from civilized life, and dyspepsia be.
come almost unknown, if everybody would
eat but thrice day at regular times and not
IN atom between meals, the intervals being
not less than five hours, that being the time
required to digest full meal and pass it out