Morning journal and courier., 1888-09-18
THEODORE HOOKS JOKE.
How He Made a @uies Street the TAl
 ofAH London.

HOW He Made a 4uies Street the Talk of All Londen.
 Theodore Hook wes famous practical
 joker, and once at least he perpetrated jest
 that disturbed all London and amused all
 England. writes William Shepard in Lippen-
 cott's Magazine. This was the famous Ber-
 ners street hoax. BerneI5 street in 1910 YVES
 quiet street, inhabited by well-to-do fami-
 lies living in genteel way. One moI ming, soon after breakfast, a wagon load of coals
 drew up before the door of widow lady Gv-
 ing in the street. A van load of furniture
 followed, then hesrse with coffin and a
 train of mourning coaches. Two fashiona-
 bIs physicians, dentist and an accoucheur drove up as near as they could to the door,
 wondering why so many 1umbeI-ng vehicles
 blocked the way. Six men brought great
 chamber organ; brewer sent several barrels
 of ale; @ grocer sent carload of potatoes.
 Coachmakers, clockmakers, carpet manpfac- turers, confectioners, wigmakers, mantua-
 makers, opticians and curiosity dealers fol- lowed with samples of their wares. From all quarters trooped in eoachmen, footmen, cooks, housemaids and nurserymaids in quest of situations. To crown all, dignitaries came in their carriages-the commander -in- chief, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chief Justice, a Cabinet minister, a governor of the Bank of England and the Lord Mayor The latter-one among many who speedily recognized that ell had been the victims of some gigantic hosx-1rove to Marlborough street police office and stated that he had received letter from lady in Berners street to the effect that she had been summoned to attend at the Mansion House | that she was at deaths door, that she wished to make deposition upon oath, and that shs would deem it great favor if his lordshil i would call upon her. The other dignitariel | had been appealed to in similar way. Pc l lice officers were dispatched ts maintain or, | der in Berners street. They found it choked | up with vehicles, jammed and interlocked | one with another. The drivers were infuria' ted The disappointed tradssmsn were clamoring for vengeance. Some of the vans | and goods were overturned and broken; 6 l flow barrels of ale had fallen 8 prey to the large crowd that was malieiously enjoying
 the fun. All day and far into the night thil ! state of things continued. Meanwhile thu old lady and the inmates of adjoining houses were in abject terror. Everyone soon saw that hoax had been perpetrated, but Hooks connection with it was not discovered until long afterward. He had noticed tht | quietness of the neighborhood and had laid
 8 wager with a brother wag that he would
 make Berners street the talk of all London A door plate had fuInished him 1ith Mrs i--'s name, and he had spent three days 1T | writing the letters which brought the crowd to her door. A&the appointed time he had
 posted himself with two or tbree compan ions in lodging just opposite, which he ha6 rented for the purpose of enjoying the scene | He deemed it expedient, however, to go of | quickly into the country and there remain | incognito for 8 time. Had he been publicly
 known ss the author of the hoax he nigh have fared badly.