Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1885-06-25
FROM JEST 10 EARNEST.
The Happy Outcome of IA Proof-Reader's
| Prank.

Prank.
Kansas City Journal.
One hot night last July, when the bur
den az proof reading Ia a close room in
The Kansas City Times seemed almost
suffocatlng, when the hot air of blazing
gas burners and the sitting fumes from
nifty jets over typos cases seemed beyond
human endurance, Dick Shanks might
have been seen working rs only night
hends on morning papers can work,
gazing intehtly at the agate and nOnpa-
riel takes. ueciphcring bad manuscript
aud laboriously contributing his share
10 make morning paper, With fever
ed brow and tired eyes the old copy
holder tOiled on through the busy rush
OF heavy" night, gazing through his
spectacleS to catch turned 70" or a
wrong font g" About $3.50 there was
slack in the run of copy, and while
Shanks and his fellow workman were
waiting for other proofs, he began to tell
how night work was wearing on him,
how he could not sleep through the hot
days, and how dependent he was upon
his small salary for IA livelihood! He
lOnged to leave the desk, and told how
he had lost fortune in the war and now
had to work like slaye; that he was
poor and discouraged with his condition
and he did not care how soon the good
angel called him to another world, A
few minutes later than this the proof
reader who sat beside him came to lit
tie telegraph take" which said some
thing about vast fortune in Kentucky.
Thinking he could have a little fun by
inserting his companions name in the
dispatch, the prOOf-reader added in few
lines on the manifold paper of the dis
patch these words:
1.-The only known heir of the Kentucky
| Shanks is Il. l.. Shanks, proof reader,
supposed to be working like slave on
the Times"
The old copyholder read it and laugh
| ingly pat it in his vest pocket, where 1t
remained for many months. OF course
no one ever dreamt that there was a
word of truth in the silly prank of 4
leisure hour, but ii has now come to
light that every word of that manufac-
tured telegram Is true. Mrs. Shanks
one day found the telegram in her hus-
bands vest pocket, and asked what it
meant. Just for fun he said it was a
true telegram which he had received.
| She told her sister-inlaw. and this sister
| in-law wrote to Stanford, Lincoln Co.,
KY, to know If 1t WAS so. The answer
came that there was a fortune there for
the heirs of David l.. Shanks, formerly
of Virginia; that he had at one time
owned number of shares in turnpike
road. He died in lS41, and the annual
dividends had accumulated and been In
the public treasury ever since, and that
the hoirs could not DO found. When
Dick Shanks saw that letter he krew
that his father who died just beforeDick
was born, was the former owner OF thOsf
shares, for his name was David L., and
he came from Virginia. The story is a
large one, but it Is enough to say that
subsequent communication with the
State Treasurer and county officials hat
placed Dick Shanks' identity without a
doubt as the heir of thIee-lifths of thu
entire fund, which has been accumula
ting for over forty years. The case il
in the hands Of Mr.. j. G. Bower. OF }hi:
city. and Dick will soon have his money