Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-04-26
GEO. I'll. BLAKE, Publisher.
BUY A FEW.
"A Good Thing to Treat Friends With.

LOADED" cigars, as instruments Of
mirth-provoking torture. are liable to
come into more general use among
practical jokers on account of new
method of manufacture which lessons
the danger of explosions. small
cartridge of powder inserted in the
middle of cigar was able TO furnish a
large amount of hilarity, but it was liza
BILE to damage the eyesight of the unsus-
pecting smoker who had been selected
as victim by the jokers. Serious acci-
dents, followed by suits for damages,
made the old style "loaded' cigar un-
popular. When a man who had been
known to indulge in fun at the expense
of his friend offered a cigar of the finest
brand to an acquaintance, he was
obliged to answer such questions as
"Will it 90 offp'' or (Which way shall
/ point it?" A man with a reputation as
Joker could keep box of cigars open
in his office with safety. His friends
would be sure to think that articles left
exposed in such tempting way were
dangerous to fool with.
Recently some manufacturer has
adopted method of ''loading" cigars
of a certain brand with a chemical
weed is lighted. There is no sudden ex-
plosion which skaters the wrappers and
sends fragments of burning tobacco in
all directions, but from the end of the
cigar stream of fire shoots out to a
distance of about three feet in direct
| line. 1t makes man look for a few
seconds as if he was gas tank and
held piece of broken gas-pipe in his
meuth. The man is in no danger so
long as he keeps still and lets the cigar
sputter away. To hold the weed firmly
in the teeth at such a moment is a bet
ter test of a mans nerve than to hang
on to the end of burning Roman can
die. The chief danger to be feared is
that some man may drop cigar and
start confagration if he attempts to
smoke indoors.
In one department of the city govern
ment the clerks have found much
amusement lately in dealing out cigars
of the new brand and waiting for the
displays of pyrotechnics. They suddenly
abandoned that form of diversion a few
days ago on account of an unexpected
accident One of the clerks had present.
ed a cigar to an official. but it had been
consigned to the officials pocket until
a more convenient time for smoking.
That time came when the official got on
the front platform of a street-car and
borrowed ''light'' from a stout Ger
man. Two heads were close together,
and the official was sucking the fire
from the end of the Germans half
burned weed, when there was fiZz like
that which attends the flight of a sky
rocket. A stream of fire played directly
into the Germans face scorching his
cheeks and obliterating one large, red
side whisker in an instant. The German
Jumped off the car with howl of an
guish. He was followed by the aston
ished official, who began to make an
apology.
"You make one big joke" screamed
the German, ''but haf you arrested"
The official was obliged to show his
shield and give the name of the clerk
who had furnished the obnoxious cigar
, before the German would believe his ex-
PLANTATION. A day or two later the clerk
received letter from the German S law
yer stating that a suit for damages had
been authorized. Fearing that his posi-
ton in the department would be forfeit
D ed if the facts came to the notice of 8
q commissioner, the clerk made haste tC
settle. The sum of money which wa.
needed as a salve to the Germans feel
f ings made big hole in the clerks
o monthly pay. Warned by his experience
the other clerks have since been expert
= menting with cigars ''loaded" only
p with teeth extracted from rubber combs
The fumes of burning rubber miXeC
: with tobacco smoke have turned the
. stOmachs of several case-hardeneC
9 smokers. Y. Tribune.