Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-08-06
A DOUBLE.BARRELED JOKE.
San Francisco Post.

San Francisco Post.
The other evening, around at Meow
ern's saloon, the boys were putting up
an elaborate practical joke on some
body, and they asked old Capt. Skiddy,
who had just happened in, to take o
hand.
"No, gentlemen said that estimable
old citizen, decisively; "you don't catch
me taking part in any practical jokes
went out of that business for good
over ten years ago"
Glow was that 81 asked the group of
beer eXterminators.
"Well, it was in the winter of no.
maybe II. ] was living in Davenport
Iowa, and a man came round there
giving balloon ascensions. One day it
was advertised that the mayor of the
town was gong up with him. Now, the
mayor was a big, fat man, who always
wore light suit of clothes and white
hat. This put me in the notion of work
ing off a joke Oh the people. | got ac-
quainted with the aronaut, and he
agreed to assist me IN the scheme. We
then got an old suit Of light clothes and
fixed upa dummy, which we filled with
sand, 50 thatit weighed about 200, and
would, therefore, drop straight and
heavy like q man. The day of the as
cension there was over 80, 900 people on
the ground, and the excitement was
very great, as there was light wind
blowing at the time. After the balloon
got up about a mile, and maybe that
far south of the town, they dropped the
dummy over.'
Big sensation then, eh "
"Well, ! should say so. But that's
inst where ! lost my grip. While the
crowd was shouting and going wild with
horror, ! just laid down on the ground,
rolled over and laughed until | was'just
sick"
SHOULD think the crowd would have
taken tumble, too suggested the au-
dience.
"But just wait. Of course the crowd
made break out of town to scrape up
the remains, and rushed home to get
my fishing tackle, for it struck me that
the most healthy thing l could do
would be to go fishing for a day or two.
Before | left the house, however, l was
arrested for MURDER"
''For murder"
Exactly. A lot of the boys, accom-
panied by the Sheriff, rushed in and
collared me. They claimed that the
dummy had fallen on farmer and
driven his skull clear into the heels of
his boots. They said that the balloon
attic had turned States evidence, and
the chances We're Id be hung by mob
before night"
THAT was rough"
'Well, so thought, was just scared
plum to death, and / begged the boys to
stand by and protect me. pended up
$50 for legal expenses, and they hid me
in a garrett Of neighbours house. They
kept me there ten blessed days, and
there wasn't day but they struck me
for a twenty or two for contingencies.
One night the whole gang came around
full OF. beer-on my money, mind YOU
and said that they had concluded, asad-
ditional precantiOn, to hide me in the
hollow of an old oak tree about three
miles out in the woods. ] saw through
the whole business then, and drove 'em
out with club. 1t was a good square
case of the bitter bit, | know, but they
never let up calling me Dummy Skiddy'
after that, until they actually run me
ont Of the town, and | had to emigrate
to thisjumpins off place ofcreation." And
the captain shook his head with a dis
gusted air as he paid for his hot Scotch
and walked out
When Young man is deeply in love
with pretty girl, to squeeze Ter hand