Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-01-24
HOLY INNOCENT II0AXERS.
PRACTICAL JOKES PLAYED ON Mex
CAN ALL FOOLS DAY.

CAN ALL FOOLS DAY.
Very Funny Editors Who Can Fake" to
Their Heart. Content Bogus Bandit.
and Make Believe Highwaymen Franks
Costly and Troublesome.
From his appearance the average
Mexican would never lie charged with
the crime of practical joking In fact an
American would think more than twice
before he tampered lokingly. with the
quiet dignity and solemnity, two char
Systematically intuitive qualities of the
Mexican Don. owing to the latters readi-
mess with the revolver and dexterity with
the stiletto.
Yet on occasion the Mexicans. from the
little tod,fiing boy to the white haired
Don and the dark eyed Senorita to the
old wrinkled Sonora, are the greatest of
all practical jokers 1t becomes "a sort
Of mania with them. as it did with their
ancestors hundreds Of years ago
Dec. %. the anniversary of the slaugh-
ter Of the Holy lnnocents, as the babes
who were killed by King Herod on the
birth of Christ are known, is the day of
all others in Mexico The arrival of
Fiesta de los Santos Inocentes is
anxiously looked for every year, and
when it comes it is observed without
stint The exact origin of this peculiar
day as one devoted to practical joking
has been lost so ancient is the custom in
spain.
The fact that it is spoken of as the day
Of Holy lnnocents seems to have inspired
the Spaniards with the idea Of making
4 IS a. a
one else that can possibly be victimized.
Ever since this happy thought occurred
to some ingenious Spaniard some time in
the Fourteenth century the day has been
duly recognized.
BOGUS NEWSPAPER SCAREs,
The ways of celebrating it are. of
course. many and varied Mexico offers
particularly fertile field in this peculiar
pastime owing to the eruptive tendency
of the government and people. A
country in which citizen inquiries of
his neighbor the first thing each day
who is president this morning. natur-
ally affords an ingenious practical joker
abundant material for unlimited pranks,
The newspapers are the leaders in re
cognizing the day after the popular form
All sorts of bogus stories are artfully
written 50 as to create immense excite
ment. vet the circumStantial facts are so
related that suspicion is seldom aroused
High government officials are generally
ass:issnated I'm PRINT and robberies com
United Of great magnitude.
On one occasion gold mine of fab
ulous wealth and extent was discovered
four miles out of the City of Mexico, and
the same day two-thirds of the popula-
ton of the town had torsaken THEN
homes to hunt for the mythical bonanza.
Another favorite mode Of paying court
to the Holy lnnucents Is to brighten the
population OF a small village some miles
out from the capital by publishing alarm
ing stories of threatened raid 10y bands
of hloodthrsty Indians and bandits
Mounted couriers in the employ of the
newspapers leave the larger city with
abundant supplies OF the newspapers,
and. dashng at full speed into the
doomed town. throw the residents into
a panic by reading from the public
squares the horrible fate that awaits
them. In a few minutes the whole
place is in a terrible state of commotion,
and in another hour the town is com
pletely deserted. Every one takes to
the high road and makes the best time
possible to the larger city and safety.
When the hoax is discovered, no mat
ter what the cost to the 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 one another that they
will not allow themselves to he fooled
next year.
Yet when next year does come and
t,n l.. hoo. Ii
fever or some other deadly ecourge is
raging in the vicinity, threatening to
depopulate the whole town bv its raw
ages. the people forget the resolutions
formulated the previous year Provi-
sions are hastily packed and safety is
sought in the nearby hills and noun
tains. In one 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. II Is no uncommon
thing for wealthy old Don walking in
a secluded portion of the town to find
himself suddenly confronted by two
masked marauders, with revolvers in
their hands and knives in their belts,
who command him to give up his vau-
ables quietly or they will take his life
and valuables both. The next day he is
not greatly surprised when he receives
his valuables. accompanied by a cask Of
wine and neat little note. stating that
he was merely made a temporary sacri-
flee to King iierod.
On one occasion notices in all the
daily papers IN the City of Mexico an
nounced that grand bull fight would
occur on the afternoon of Dec Is. and
that, as the admittance to the amphi-
theatre on this occasion would cost moth
ing. every one was cautioned to he on
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 assenblage waited
patiently for almost two hours, and then
anxious queries about the matadors and
their victims were made.
After another two hours wait ii began
to dawn on part of the audience that
they had been made victims to the popu
lar day In small parcels they left the
building. but it was long after nishtlail
before the place was empty New York
Journal