Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-01-26
HOLY INNOCENT HOAXERS.
PRACTICAL JOKES PLAYED ON MExi-
CAN ALL FOOLS oAV.


Their Hearts Content-Bosus Issndits
and Mako believe nighvsymcn-rrants
Costly and Troublesome.
From his appearance the average
Mexican would never be charged with
he crime Of practical Joking. In fact an
American would think more than twice
before he tampered, jokingly, with tho
luiet dignity and solemnity, two char
lcteristically intuitive qualities OF the
Mexican Don, owing 10 the lattcr's readi-
hess with the revolver and dexterity with
hc stiletto.
Yet on occasion the Mcxicans, from the
title toddling boy to tho white haired
Don and tho dark eyed Senorita to the
I'D wrinkled Senora, are the greatest OF
III practical jokers. It becomes a sort
n mania with them, rs II did with their
ancestors hundreds of years ago.
Dec. 2S, the anniversary of the slaugh-
YER Of the Holy Innocents, as the babes
who were killed by King Hcrod on tho
birth of Christ are known, is the day Of
Ill others in Mexico. Tho arrival OF
fiesta do los Santos Inocentes is
lnxiously looked for every year, and
when Il comes It is observed without
tint. Tho exact origin Of this peculiar
lay as one devoted TO practical joking
has been lost, SO ancient is tho custom in
Spain.
The fact that 1t is spoken Of as the day
81 Holy 1nnocents seems to have inspired
lhe Spaniards with the idea OF making
nnocents or fools of one another and any
pne else that can possibly DO victimized.
Ever since this happy thought occurred
10 some ingenious Spaniard some time In
The Fourteenth century the day has been
auly recognized.
BOGUS NEWSPAPER sCAREs.
Tho ways Of celebrating 1t are, OF
course, many and varied. Mexico offers
! particularly fertile field in this peculiar
pastime, owing to the cruptive tendency
bf tho government and people. A
country in which citizen inquiries OF
bis neig ghbor the first thing each day,
hWho Is president this morning. natilr-
lily affords an ingenious practical joker
abundant material for unlimited pranks.
The newspapers are the leaders in re-
:ognizing the day after tho popular form.
All sorts Of bogus stories aro artfully
written SO as TO create immense excite
ment, yet the circumstantial facts are so
related that suspicion is seldom aroused.
High government officials are generally
assassinated lin print and robberies COM
mitted of great magnitude.
On one occasion a gold mine of fab
alous wealth and extent was discovered
four miles out Of the City of Mexico, and
The same day two-thirds of the popula-
lion of the town had forsakcn their
homes to hunt for the mythical bonanza.
Another favorite mode Of paying court
10 the Holy lnnocents is to frighten the
population of small village some miles
put from the capital by publishing alarm
Ing stories of threatened raid by bands
pf bloodthirsty Indians and bandits.
Mounted couriers In the employ of the
newspapers leave the larger city with
abundant supplies of the newspapers,
and, dashing at full speed into the
doomed town, throw the residents into
panic by reading from the public
squares tho horrible fate that awaits
lhem. In n few minutes tho whole
place is in a terrible state of commotion,
Ind in another hour tho town is COM
pletely deserted. Every one takes to
!he high road and makes tho best tinsa
possible to the larger city and safety.
When the hoax I, discovered, no mat
Ter what the cost to tho victims, no
trouble ever ensues. They pack up their
| goods, collect their families and return
In high good humor to their homes,
thankful that they have them to go to,
| and promising ono another that they
will not allow themselves to DO fooled
hext year.
Yet when next year does come and
with it tho terrible news that yellow
fever or some other deadly scourgo Is
raging In tho vicinity, threatening to
| lepopulate tho whole town by its raw
ages, the people forget the resolutions
| formulated tho previous year. Provi-
| sions are hastily packed and safety is
| sought in the nearby hills and noun
tains. In ono instance, six families
| lived in the open air for ten days before
The joke perpetrated upon them was dis
| covered.
THE BULL FIGHT SELL.
| Franks at the expense of private indi-
| viduals are the commonest mode of Cele-
| brating the day. 1t is no uncommon
| thing for wealthy old Don walking in
| secluded portion of the town to find
himself suddenly confronted by two
masked marauders, with rcvolvers in
| their hands and knives in their belts,
who command him to give up his valu-
ables quietly or they will tako his life
and valuables both. The next day he is
not greatly surprised when ho receives
his valua6les, accompanied by cask OF
wine and a'ncat little note, stating that
he was merely made temporary sacri.
ice to King Hcrod.
On ono occasion notices in all tho
daily papers In the City of Mexico an
nounced that n grand bull fight would
occur on the afternoon of Dec. 2S, and
that, as tho admittanco to tho amphi
theatre on this occasion would cost moth
Ing, every one was cautioned to be OF
hand early.
Long before midday the people were
pouring into the immense building in
hordes. Although the first encounter
was not to take place until o'clock, The
building was jammed to its utmost by
o'clock. The great assemblage waited
patiently for almost two hours, and ther
hnxfous queries about the matadors anC
their victims were made.
After another two hours wait it begar
TO dawn on part of tho audience that
they had been made victims to the popu
lar day. In small parcels they left thu
building, but it was long after nightfal
before the place was empty.--New lorl
Journal.
| a Coffee Growers Advice.
| Tho ,rritnr hoe cnant ot l.aSt tho hntt n