Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-05-23

SALESMAN KEPT DANCING ALL NIGHT IN
DISHABILLE BY COwHAGE.

A SALESMAN KEPT DANCING ALL NIGHT IN
DISHABILLE BY CoWHAGE.
From the Baltimore sun.
young salesman In large Baltimore street
house and a student at the College of Physicians
and Surgeons reside at a boarding house on
Hanover street. The landladys niece, bright
young lady, lives at the same place. Yesterday
afternoon all the persons mentioned were at the
southern police station, before Justice Talbot.
The young lady was charged by the salesman
with having put cowhage in his bed and night
cap last Saturday. The student was accused of
being accessory. Cowhage is plant grown in
America. Its fruit is n crooked pod about four
inches long, and covered with brown bristly
a sensation of intense itching when
they come in contact with the human
room shortly before midnight Saturday. and
after reading for awhile began to prepare for
bed. He took off his outer garments and put
on his night-gown and cap. The moment the
cap touched his ears they felt as if they had
been suddenly pierced by needles. Removing
the cap he tried to find out what was the mat
ter, but could not see anything unusual. While
moving around the bed his legs brushed against
the covering and commenced to burn and itch
"1'n bet the washerwOman has got something
on these bedclothes by mistake" he remarked
to his roommate. Nonsense was replied
from the opposite bed: "hurry I'D and 90 to
Sleep" The sufferer rubbed his ears and legs,
and suspicfOusly inquired if his friend had put
anything on the bed. The friend declared he
had not, whereupon the salesman regained con-
hdence and SpraIg under the covers. "Great
Scott" he exclaimed, there must be something
II felt" said the victim, in describing the
scene, "that thousand sharp points were
pr1cking my feet, and when rolled and tossed
around my waist thought the whole bed had
been transformed into cambria needles I got
out again as soon as possible and scratched and
scratched my legs and arms and body until the
blood came. Meantime my roommate had
gotten out of his bed to see what was the mat
ter. He put his hand On my head and then on
him q
hOwled and scratched, and I danced and
scratched l couldn't remain still a moment
but Kept bObbing all around Che room in my
nightgown, and the harder I scratched the
worse the itching became. We didn't get much
Tuesday, the itching continued with me. and
was nearly crazy, for could neither stand nor
sit down with comfort"
The victim says further that when he dis
covered that cowhage had been put in his bed
he knew that 1.-THE DOCTOR as the student was
sometimes called, had something to do with it,
He spoke to 1.-THE doctor, he says, and wanted
10 fight bim. but the doctor declined to meet
him except in duel at Druid Hill park. Il
man, Ito risk it in a duel, which / think is q
very senseless manner of settling quarrels.'
The victim decided finally TO have the doctor
arrested, and when he ascertained that it was
the young lady who had put the stuff in his
bed he had warrants issued for both. having
been informed that 1.-The DOCTOR had given the
cowhage to the lady and asked her to dispose
OF 1T as described, for the purpose of playing a
practical joke.
Tine Doctors account of ''the practical Joke
is similar to the victims. He does not deny
having given the cowhage to the young lady,
nor does she deny having sprinkled it over the
bed lit was a big dose-a whole handful The
doctor says the reason the joke was played was
because the salesman's attentions to the lady
were distasteful to the young lady and to him,
also because 1t was the only way ito get salts
faction of a man who would not fight" "And
tell you it made him lively" said the doctor.
"Why, he was so red hot with itching that he
could not stay in his room. He came down
stairs in his night clothes and asked for medi-
cine. He must have spent most of the night in
the parlOr on the sofa. for he found there
the next morning" The victim says that when
he heard that his acquaintance with the lady
was distasteiul to the doctor he stopped speak
ing to the young lady. At the southern police
station the complainant said ne did not feel re-
sentful toward the lady, and for her sake would
not prosecute the case and it was therefore dis
missed by the magistrate.
\ wellknown druggist says that cowhage
possesses powerful vermifuge properties, for
which it is used. Occasionally young men try
to buy some of it to play jokes upon their ac-
quaintances, but if their purpose is known drug
giSts will not sell it. ITO get into "a bed sprin-
Killed. with it, said the druggist, sis like being
covered with sea nettes."