American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-02-27
A Mardi-Gras Incident.

| The Mardi- gras procession on Tuesday
was Witnessed by large crowds, and the
ludicrouS representations OF character will
live long in the memories of the masses,
who laughed until their sides ached.
| Among the motley host who perambu-
lated the streets in the procession was a
| long, cadaverOus-lOoking fellow repre-
senting a Comanche Indian. His face
| was painted red, his suit was we'll made
| up. Upon his ponderous feet were a
pair of new moccasins, and hanging
| from the beaded grit that encircled his
| body were half dozen boss pistols
and as many scalps. Inside this belt
| stuck a cheese-knife and a scythe- blade.
| His long, black hair was banded with a
| brass hoop, from which stuck about a
dozen of turkey and geese feathers, and
in his right hand he held with an iron
grasp a tomahawk, red with some vic
TINS blood. Anyone who had read or
heard of the famous Indian warrior,
Bloody Nose, would have said he had
arisen from the dead and joined that
procession. But it was not the blood
thirsty rover of the forest. 1t was Skin
ner who personated him, and he did it
to perfection. His appearance was a
terror to women and children, while his
bloody tOmahawk were certain death to
de culled population" Everybody saw
the wild Indian, but nobody knew it was
Skinner.
While the procession moved through
the various streets Skinner would get
dry and break ranks by dodging into bar
rooms and taking in his usual dose of
e tire-water.' BY the time Skinner had
war-whoOped" ten or fifteen blocks, and
hid about half keg of " tire-water"
about his person, he was in fine trim TO
play Comanche, and began to think he
was " Bloody Nose" sure enough, for he
tried to g scalp" no less than IL dozen
darkies that fell into his hands.
The procession passed within square
or two of SINNERS house. Skinner has
wife, and she is the mother of five
little male and four female SINNERS.
SINNERS wife docs her own work; in
fact, she's boss" of SINNERS house,
and instead of her rushing off with
string of little SINNERS. after her to see
the procession, she kept the little ones
at home and stayed in the kitchen at
tending to cleaning the pots, kettles and
pans after dinner.
A new idea struck Skinner He would
go home and scare Mrs. Skinner and all
the little SINNERS. He cut loose from
the procession, took another dose of
" fire-water," and by the time he reached
his front gate he was the most reckless
looking COmanche the world ever be-
held. Picking up new courage he
rushed into the front room where the
little SINNERS were playing circus"
His appearance was accompanied by
wild yells and fancy dancing, while he
made that tomahawk fly around the room
over the children's heads as if he meant
business, the little SINNERS shouting,
" Oh! Mr.. Injin, don't!' mothern' muir
deri' &" fire!' and there were such
screams as would have made any "sure-
enough" Indian run.
Skinner was just in the middle of his
fun, when the screams of the children
and the war-whoops of the Comanche
brought Mrs. Skinner to the scene, armed
with AN iron skillet. She slipped up be-
hind the playful Indian" drew a bead
on his nose, and landed that skillet with
the force of a sledge-hammer and the
rapidity of lightning against it. The
hand let go the tomahawk, the feathers
flew, the belt bursted, and the scalps,
pistols and knives fell to the floor. There
was flesh-and blood spot in the middle
of his face where that nose was
moment before the skillet mashed it. 1t
now looked like Il bursted tomato spread
all over his face. There was a groan, a
fall, a somersault or two, and all was
gu ct. That Comanche had found the
''happy hunting grounds"
Instead of Mrs. Skinner sen ling for the
doctor and bathing his face, she looked
do IN into his mutIlltcd face and, shah-
Ing the skillet over him with her right
hand, exclaimed: I'll war whoop you.
You thought you'd scare somebody, you