Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-07-26
PERKINS ON BAOKUS.
Some Personal Reminisc srcss Of the Late
Hon. Charles Backus.

Hon. Charles Backus.
The death Of the Hon Charles Back,
us, ex-member of the California Legis-
ture. IS peculiarly sad.
The genial minstrel had everything to
live for. He had professional prosperity
and beautiful wife, whom he worship
ed beyond everything else on earth.
Nothing could have been more coun-
ter to the truth than the minstrel's an
swer to the nightly interlOcution of the
end-man:
"Well, Mr.. Backus, howdo you feel?"
ooh, | feel very happy; I'm married
man, YOU know"
'Then your wife is with YOU, is She?"
ooh, no; she is spending the summer
in Europe" Laughter.
Then Backus would look up into the
box and bow to his wife.whom he loved
so well, and all the time the audience
thought he .was flirting with young
lady in the audience.
The newspapers have said that Mr.
Backus never liked personal jokes. This
is a mistake, for the minstrel was con-
tinually ndulging in them. The best
personal joke Backus ever perpetrated
occurred eight years ago. 1t was al
So another instance where q joke kicked
back
One day the minstrel rode up through
Stamford Connecticut, with Mr.. Lem
Read, the bosom friend of the lamented
minstrel, Dan Bryant. As the train
stopped before the Stamford station for
water Mr.. Backus saw a good, old, red
faced Connecticut farmer sitting in the
station reading the Brooklyn scandal.
''Do you want to see me get good
joke on that old dufier, Lem? asked
Mr.. Backus, pointing to the old farmer
eyes, y said Lem, ''lct's see YOU.
s'Well, YOU wait till jes' before the
train starts, Lem, and I'll show YOU fun
fun till YOU can't rest. Yes, you
wait, > said Charley, laughing and pound
ing the palm of his left hand with his
pOnderous right
.'All right I'll wait" said Lem.
When the train came to full stop
Mr.. Backus jumped off, telling his friend
Lem to save his seat; for, said he, ''as
soon as the bell rings | want to bound
back on the train.
Then Mr.. Backus rushed up to the in
nocent farmer, snatched the paper from
his hands, stamped on it with tragic
stamp, and, shaking his clinched fist in
the poor man face, exclaimed:
you old rascal! I've found you't
last, you miserable old scapegrace; now
I'm goin' to lick the life out of YOU
you contemplate old scoundrcl, you
you"
Ding-a-ding! ding-a-dong! ding-a
ding! went the bell, drowning Charlev's
voice, and the train began moving out.
Eyes, tn lick YOU" said Charley.
"'Tn get an ox-whip and
And then he jumped back from the
aStonished farmer and got on the last
car of the train moving out.
The old farmer was astOnished. He
stood up bewildered. His knees quak
ed, and his German-silver glasses fell t.
the floor, Then gathering himself to-
gether, he picked up his newspaper and
glasses and started for the train.
'"Whar's the man who wanted to lick
me?' he shouted. ''Whar's the man
who called me 4 scoundrel? Whar $"
Here he is, said Charley from thu
rear platform of the moving car, as he
held his thumb derisively to his nose
amid the laughter of the passengers.
''Here am, sir-Tm your Roman-take
me-
Just then the bell went ding-a- ding
again, and what do you think? Why,
the train backed down! 1t backed poor
Charley right into the hands of the in
furiated farmer, who took off his coat
and went for that poor fun-lOving min
sire.
You want to lick me, do you?' said
the farmer, jumping on to the plat
form, while Charley ran through the
car. You miserable dandy! You want
To-
And then he chased that poor minstre
through the cars with his cane in tn.
air, while his big fist came down on his
back like q trip-hammer. you've
found nue.. have you? Yes, | guess you
have!' said the old farmer, rs Charley
left his hat and one coat-sleeve in his
Infatuated grasp. Evidently you have"
Mr. Backus is said to have remarked,
as he washed off the blood and went in
to interview 4 tailor in New Haven two
hours afterwards:
Il guess the next time / want to
make Lem Read laugh | won't try to
scare Connecticut farmer. o no! I'll
get some pugilist to fan me with an In
dian club or go to sleep under pile
driver. You hear mei'