Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-22
ELI PERKINS ON A DEAD MIN
STREL.
Charles Backus, Best Joke.

The newspapers have said Mr.. Backus
never liked personal jokes. This is mis-
take, for the minstrel was continually in
dulging in them. The best personal Joke
Backus ever perpeTated occurred eight
years ago. 1t was also an instance where
joke kicked back.
One day the minstrel rode up through
Stamford, Conn.,, 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 Con-
necticut farmer sitting in the station
reading the Brooklyn scandal.
''Do you want to see me get a good Joke
on that old duffer, LemW asked MIR.
Backus, pointing to the old farmer.
eyes," said Lem; ''let's see you"
swell, you wait till jes' before the train
starts, Lem, and I'll show you fUIn-fun
till you can't rest. Jes' you waltz said
Charley, laughing and pounding the palm
of his left hand with his ponderOus right.
''All right, I'll watt" said Lem.
When the train came to full stop Mr..
Backus jumped off, telling his friend Lem
to save his seat; ''for," said he, s'as soon
as the bell rings want to bound back on
the train.'
Then Mr.. Backus rushed up to the inno-
cent farmer, snatched the paper from his
hands, stamped on it with a tragic stamp,
and, shaking his clenched fist in the poor
mans face, exclaimed
sob, you old rascal Pve found you't
last, you miserable old scapegrace-now
Pm going to lick the lite out of you-you
contemplate old ScOundrel, yOu-yOu-'
Ding-a-ding! ding-a-dongl ding-a-ding!
went the bell, drowning Charley's voice,
and the train began moving out.
eyes, Pll HEX yOu," said Charley. "Tn
get an OK 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 quaked
and his German silver glasses fell on the
floor. Then gathering himself together,
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 a scoundrel? Whar's-"
"Here he is" said Charley from the
rear platform of the moving car, as be
held his thumb derisively to his nose
amid the laughter of the passengers.
"Here | am, sir-Pm your Roman-take
me"
Jast then the bell went ding-a-ding
again, and what do you think? Why, the
train backed down! 1t backed poor
Charley right into Lhe hands of the in
went for that poor fun-lOving minstrel.
Express by the types, if l am compelled
to write it, he went for that poor minstrel
about thus:
ST. BOXSDVCCCKCLl
'You want to lick me, do your" said
the farmer, jumping on the platform,
while Charley ran through the car. "You
miserable dandy! You want to-"
And then he chased that poor minstrel
through the cars with his cane in the air,
while his big fist came down on his back
like trip-hammer. you've found me,
have you? Yes, / guess you haveV said
the old farmer, as 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 with Enoch
Morgan's sapolio, and went in to inter-
view tailor in New Haven two hours
afterwards:
81 guess the next time l want to make
Lem Read laugh l won't try to scare
Connecticut farmer. Oh, no! Pll get
some pugilist to fan me with an Indian
club, or go and sleep under pile driver.
You hear meW ELI PERKINS.