The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-05-24
A Practical Joke.

For several months past there ha.
resided in Cincinnati a broken dowr
gambler known as monkey Todd,
noted as having spent his patrimony
amounting to some $25, 900, in lighting
the tiger" and other kindred sports, unit
of late he has been left without nickel
or any other burden, except handsome
wife, who assisted him in making away
with his inheritance. There lives in the
suburbs Of Cincinnati young man, heir
to considerable estates, whom we shall
call Ed. Goodson, for want of q better
name, who became enamOred of Mrs.
Monkey Todd" and on Sunday after
noon escorted her "over the Rhine. v
Monkey Todd knew nothing of this until
late on Sunday night, when he was
gravely informed that Mrs. Monkey was
faithless. 1t was but the work of mo-
ment for Monkey to indite challenge to
Goodson and send it by his friend John
Smith, being melted thereto by a num-
Der of his gambler friends.
The challenge was at once accepted,
and Charley Feeney, Goodson's second,
informed Mr.. Smith that the meeting
should take place at once, and that pis-
tolls would be the weapons. AccOr d.
ingly, at an early hour Monday week
two hack loads of people, the principals,
seconds, and two or three friends each,
crossed the Suspension Bridge for the
sacred soil of Kentucky. They passed
through Covington, going to the flats be-
tween that city and Latonia Springs.
and, driving into the woods, came to a
secluded spot, fit for the work of carnage
they were bent upon. Here the ground
was marked of, the combatants placed,
pistols loaded and placed in the hands OF
the principals. Both were in dead earn
est, but not go the seconds. The pistols
were loaded with powder only. After
the usual preliminaries, the word fire was
given. Monkey" fired first, being lit
tie nervous, but Goodson, to show his
magnanimity, and his reluctance to take
advantage of an accident, fired his pistol
into the air. Still Monkey was not sat
isfed, and demanded another shot. The
pistols were loaded as before, and the
firing was simultaneous, but to the great
surprise of the principals, neither of
them was hit. At this, Monkey got very
angry, threw his pistol on the ground,
and when it was picked up it was found
the tube was filled with earth that could
not be picked out. After short parley,
it was decided that the two pistols should
be placed beneath hat, neither princi-
pal knowing which was loaded; that
they should each draw one, should take
their distance and fire, and that it should
be the last round of the combat, whether
anybody was burt or not. To this both
principals agreed. The loaded pistol
without balD was drawn by Monkey, al
though he did not know it, and Goodson
swore after the fire that he heard the
ball whiz past his ear. The combatants
then shook hands, got into the carriages,
and came back to the city by the Fifth
street ferry, for fear they might be ar
rested in the goodly city of Covington
Neither of the principals knows at the
present writing the practical joke that
was played upon them. They were both
in dead earnest, and conducted them
selves in the most cool and collected
manner. Goodson made his will on
Sunday night.-Cineinnati Gazette.