The Red Cloud chief., 1882-02-09

When the steamer Potosi left Ply
mouth recently for Australia a practical
joker cried out: Mar oycrboard"n A
life-boat was lowered, but the falls be-
came entangled and five men were
plunged into the water. two being
drowned.
At L~inthwaiic, England. John Diskin,
a boy Of sixteen, thought it would be
great fun To scare his mate. a lad of tif,
teen, by throwing 4 rope around his meek
and putting the end of it round the ma
chine shaft. The object of the joke was
dashed To pieces.
At SiXty-fourth street. in New York
City. in August last. Pietro FranchiS
mates undertook To wake him from his
nap by wheeling a truck with a man on
it against him. Ii struck him on the
head and killed him.
At Chicago, Mr.. NJ. b. Gould, prom
incnt business man, resolved To scare the
%ianitor by o%verturniRg things in his room
and hiding in the closet. While he wa.
chuckling with 4 companion over the
Ice of their stratagem, the cantor,
having vainly summoned the alleged
burglar To surrender. fired through the
door and killed him.
There died at the IndiaEt"wn (N. 3D.
Asylum. last winter. Miss Clara Bagnali.
a Young lady upon whom a wa%gi>n
caller bounced one evening arraNc'i
Zen diablc.r She fell in Il fit and be-
came a raving maniac.
In Robcson County. y. C., recently,
little James Phillips Young friends I'M
dcrtook to cure him Of being "scary
by visiting the house during his parents
absence. irving the doors, etc. The
fright killed him.
Al Dcnnison, o.. an American hum"r-
Isl gave a little girl two r~ailroad-iorpe-
does, telling her they were candy pack
ages. 10 bc opened with a hammer. She
lost both eyes in opening them.
At Bombay, in October. 4 Schoolboy
came behind Il young companion, put
his hands over his friends eyes and
babe him guess who it was The
boy struggled Ia escape. the Joker tight
cned his grasp, and the victim WAS fair
" ~"gougcd," the crystalline lens being
broken.
In Brooklyn. +. d., the favorite joke
is stretching a line across the street TO
catch pa>scrs in the evening under the
chin. After a girl had been thrown
down and had suffered Il fracture of the
skull the authorities took action and the
next offender was fined five dollars.
I'm II. Louis il costs one dollar Ia
place Il split cork on the nose of a
sleeper. ornament it with matches and
light them.
James Stewart. a Sa~lOon-kccper in
New York City. kept a galvanic battery
which the unwarv were encouraged "a
believe was a lifting-machine. Ii proved
a great attraction until one of the sub
jcctS sued for damages and got two hun.
drcd dollars. with one hundred and fifty
dollars costs.
The Court at West Ncwbury. Mass,
rendered recently a curious decision in
the law of practical joking. Isaac
llibbS and Sundry of his companions
plotted 10 amusc an old gentleman by
hcaving Il rock through his window.
He overheard them. hid III the Shrubbery
in his undcrshirt, and bounced on
them. All ran away but liibbS, who
Knocked the old man down several
times. The old man brought action.
but HIibhs pleaded that he Thought il
was a ghost, and he wasn't going IL
run from no ghost and the Court
ruled that if he was possessed of the
idea that it was a ghost there was NJ
assault.
Il will shoot YOU. | believe. Ham,"
said a playful young lady of Matagorda
County, Texas, TO MIR. Hamilton Rug
ley, pointing 4 pistol AT him. The ball
struck him in the throat and killed him.
(P. S.-She did not know it was loaded. J
AT Peru. y. j., last month. Mr.. John
ii. Wolfe called on Miss Melinda T.
j~acubuS. intending 10 take her out for a
walk. While she was preparing he
playfully pointed a gun at her and
threatened 10 shoot her. Ii went of
and inflicted 4 fatal wound. In New
jersey, the careless handling of fire
arms, where il results in death. i an of
Tense subjccting the offender To trial for
manSlaughter. In the case of the State
against IIarlic. the defendant was held
guilty of manslaughter for killing Il
woman in attempting 10 brighten her
with a pistol which he supposed 10 he
unloaded.
In Virginia (Daingcrticld against
~Thompson), where some portive youths
pounded ut 4 saloon-door and gave a
salute" with 4 pistol, when the propria-
tor opened il, shooting him in the foot.
the Court gave 5000 damages, wilfIl
firing of n pistol in a city street. even
without malice, being unlawful. The
mulcted defendant was the person who
had urged the pistol bearer To salute"
The eases of Fenton. Powell, Roane.
Martin. Waters. Conrahy and Others
might be quoted, but that of Ewington
will suffice. where certain mad wags
banked n drunken man up with straw
and threw hot Goals on il. burning him
To death. The verdict was manSlaugh-
ter, the Court charging that if they real
ly intended any serious injury. though
not TO kill the deceased. il was murder.
but if the intention was only 10 fright
EN- him in sport, il was manslaughter.
The last warning to practical jokcrS'
To be quoted is 4 warning of the right
sort At AoSta a conScript who was 90
ing on guard was entertained by a pre-
deccS>or with a story of the wchr'yolf
beast that had appeared To himself.
Then the Jester put on Il blanket and
crcpt up 10 the post. growing in onin-
Gus fashion. The unfortunate cons.ript
was SO terrified that he presented his
rifle and blew off the humoriSt,s head.