The Portland daily press., 1882-02-09
Practical Jokes.
And the Congenital Idiots Who Are in
the Habit Of Playing Them.

'sNot the least curious thing about the at
tractve subject of practical joking" says the
New York World "is that whenever, through
the stupidity or brutality of humorous ruffi-
an, person is killed or disfgured for life, the
newspapers chronicle the occurrence under the
heading, "A Warning to Practical Jokers.'
If the wag had been MANNED or slain, or il the
neighbors had fogged him or lynched him,
then there would have bsen some excuse for
the headline. The practical ioker's doiDgs
take wide range, and are performed at the
expense Of all classes of the community. Thus
in January last, Mr.. W. 7. Timmons, Of South
Carolina, having been rejected by his sensible
sweetheart undertook to move her heart BY
writing letter to the press in another per-
sons name, announcing that his lifeless body
had been foand at Adams Run. The only
person seriously affected was his brother, who
instantly bought coffin at Charleston, and
travelled to the spot to discover the hoax. In
Chicago, the other day, a merry lawyer gave a
saloon keeper, who prided himself on his ex :
actness in financial affairs, two-dollar bill
received one-dollar bill in change, then
showed the artist another twc-dollar green
back, and went off feigning exultatioa. All
went we'll till ON his next visit he gave the sa-
loon-keeper ive-dollar bill, and the saloon
keeper kept the dollar out of 1t. In New
York, on election night. iovial politician, de :
sirous of amusing himself at the expense of a
saloon-keeper, who claims to rival anv bank
cashier in the detection of counterfeits, under
took, for the delectation Of party of friends
to ring in bad V on the busy Boniface. and
was horrifed when, ere the bill had fairly
touched the counter, another barkeeper caught
it up, saying he wanted change for ten, and
paid it out to fourth party. The late Count
Bellavitis, an eminent mathematician of Pad
ua, some time before his death prepared Lett
ter to a friend at Rome, informing this friend
that the writer had just died Count Bellayi-
tis left space in the strange epistle Tor the
date to be inserted, and had instructions pre-
pared for his executors that when he died the
day was to be filled in and the letter sent to its
destination. The instructions were faithfully
obeyed and the grim joke was completed, and
the first intmation the Roman friend had OF
the death of Count Bellavitis was the receipt
of letter from him stating the fact.
"a facetious young lady from Philadelphia
once issued hundred or moro invitations to
dinner in the name of one of Mr.. Child's near
neighbors-skillfully arranging the list OF invi-
tations so as to include fifty assorted pairs OF
mortal enemies-and then kindly ordered a
magnificent dinner from a restaurant for the
occasion A decidedly sensational practical
Joke was perpetrated in Brazil on the occa-
sion of tho introduction of a new safety brake,
Dom Pedro, who was on the train, being an
accomplice. At one part OF the line, where 1t
passes through cutting bounded by rocks, a
gigantic construction of lath and canvas,
painted to represent a mass OF fallen rocks,
was placed on the rail SO that the driver
would catch sight of it just as he rounded
curve. He did, and stopped the train in huK-
ry, so that both the joke and the trial were
successful But suppose he had jumped off?
When the steamer Potosi left Plymouth re-
Gently for Australia practical joker cried out,
Man oVerboard!' A lifeboat was lowered, but
the falls became entangled. and five men were
plunged into the water, two being drowned.
AT Linthwaite, England, John Diskin, a boy
of sixteen, thought it would be great fun TO
scare his mate-a lad of fifteen--by throwing
a rope round his neck, and putting the end of
it round the machine shaft. The object OF the
joke was dashed to pieces At Chicago Mr..
M B. Gould q prominent business man, re-
solved to scare the janitor by overturning
things in his room and hiding In the closet.
While he was chucklihg with acompanion over
the success of their strategem, the janitor fred
through the door and killed him. There died
at the Indiantown IN. b. asylum last winter,
Miss Clara Bagnell, young lady upon whom
a waggish caller pounced one evening arrayed
en- did6Ee She fell in fit and became a raw
ing maniac. In Robson county, North Caro-
lima recently little James Phillips's young
friends undertook to cure him OF being scary
by visiting the house during his parents ab-
sence, trying the doors, etc. The fright killed
him. At Dennison, o., humorist gave a lit
tie girl two railroad torpedoes, telling her they
were candy packages to be opened with ham
mer. She lost both eyes in opening them. Az
Bombay in October, a schoolboy came behind
young companion, put his hands over his
friends eyes, and bade him guess who it was
The boy struggled to escape, the Joker tignt
ened his grasp, and the victihf was fairly
'gouged,' the crystalline lens being dislocated.
In Brooklyn the favorite joke is stretching
line across the street to catch passers under the
chin. After little girl had been thrown down
and suffered fracture of the skull the author
tiles took action, and the next offender was
fined five dollars. Il will shoot you, believe,
Ham, said playful young lady Of Matagorda
county, Texas, to Mr.. Hamilton Rugley,
pointing pistol at him. The ball struck him
not know it was loaded.) In New jersey the
careless handling of firearms, where 1t results
in death, is an offence subjecting the offender
to trial for manslaughter. In the case OF the
State v. Hardie, the defendant was held guilty
of granddaughter for killing woman IN at
tempting to frighten her with pistol he sup
posed to be unloaded. The cases of FentoB,
Powell, Roane, Martin, Waters, Conrahy and
others might be quoted, but that OF EW1ngton
will suffice, where certain mad wags banked
drunken man up with straw and threw hot
Goals on it, burning him to death. The verdict
was manslaughter, the court charging that II
they really intended any serious injury, though
not to kill the deceased, il was murder; but II
the intention was to frighten him, in sport, IL
was manslaughter. The last warning to prac-
tical jokers' to be quoted is Of the right sort.
At Aosta, a conscript who was going on guard
was entertained by predecessor with story
of the wehr-wolf beast that had appeared to
himself. Then jester put on blanket and
crept up to the post growing in ominous fash
ion. The unfortunate conscript was so terrified
that he presented his rifle and blew of the hu-
morist's head"
To the above might be added that one more
victim of "only practical joke" has forfeited
his life for his credulity A negro sailor on
board French bark, was told by the crew
that human flesh of the negro variety was
highly reished by the people Of Marseilles, to
which port the bark was bound. The negro
was very ignorant, had never been in France,
and fully believed the story. 1t so preyed up
on the poor DEVILS mind that just as the boat
was approaching the inner harbor OF Marseilles
under easy sail, the negro suddenly clambered
upon the bulwarks and plunged into tho
water. All efforts to rescue him proves
futile and the negro went to the bottom
of the sea, never to rise again alive.
The cause of his fright having become known,
all of his tormentors were arrested, and st last
accounts were in a Marseilles prison awaiting
trial, which it is hoped win result in their get