The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1888-10-26
April FIRST in other Lands.


The custom OF April-Iooling is very
old one, it having been long practised
by the Hindoos. During their festival
of Hull, which ends On the first day of
April, the people send each other on
fools errands, and play all manner of
tricks, just as is done in many other
lands. The Scotch country people take
delight in sending Of some simple fel.
low with a sealed letter, containing on
ly the words This is the first OF
April, hunt the gOwk another mile"
The first receiver tells the bearer that
the message is for some other acquaint-
ance, who does the same, and so on
v ith the next, and the poor fellow is
sent from one person 10 the other, often
tramping for many miles before anyone
is goOd-DaJured enough TO explain tie
joke. This IS called hunting the
gowk, ;" a word which, strictly speaking
means cuckoo, but is used, at season.
TO signify fool. Dean swift, the IA
nous Irish writer, says in his journal,
under the date March 81, 1713, that he
ard two friends, a lady and a gentle
man, spent the entire evening in"cOn-
triving lie for to-morrow," and 1t is a
great pity that they could not have
found some more sensible manner of
passing their time. The "lie" agreed
on was that a man named Noble, who
had just been hanged, had come TO life
again, aud the story probably caused
great excitement. One of the divisions
OF London hospital (some three hun
dred years ago), was known as "Abram' 5
Ward" It's inmates, infrm, simple,
old men were allowed to go out and
visit their friends every first of April :;
the sight or one of these poor
abrams" as they were called, always
excited compassion in the beholdeIs.
and many a penny was dropped into his
hands as he hobbled through the streets.
One April Fools dav, some idle vag4-
bonds disguised themselves as Abrams,
and went about Begging from morning
till night, thus reaping rich harvest.
This imposture was repeated year after,
year. until law was passed TO prevent
1t, and from this circumstance it was
that the word Sham Abram came to be
used for impostor. In France it is said.
nobleman and his wife once owed
their escape from prison to :he fond
ness of the people for April-fooliDg.
Francis, Duke of Lorraine, and his
wife, who were imprisoned at y Nantes,
planned a flight, and disguised them
selves as laborers the duke CARRYING a
hod on his shoulder, and the duchess a
basket OF rubbish on her back. Early
one morning (it chsnced to be the first
OF April, they left the prison and
reahced the the street ,fely, but sud :
denly woman passing them recognized
their faces, and ran to the sentry of the
prison gate, saying that two prisoners
were escaping. The man cslled TO the
other guards, who, however, thought
that trick was being played on them,
and cried out April fool or rather
April-fsh (poissoH az 4rr1D, as the
French have it. \ by-stander repeat
ed the words laughingly, and they were
caught up by the crowd and passed from.
mouth TO mouth until the street rang
with merriment,, while the fugitives
slipped away with meIrimeut, while .he
fugitives slipped away unuotIced auC
their friends, who conveyed them TO q
place of safety. y little later in tn,
day, the governor was told OF the tricI
that had been played on the sentry, anC
fearing that all was not right, sent a
once to the prison. only to fnd that tn,
birds had indeed flown.