Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1889-01-30
INNOCENT lIOAYERS.
PRACTICAL JOKES PLAYED ON Mex
CAN ALL FOOLS DAY.

SNN NCE TOOES LAY,
Very Funny Editors, who Can Fake, t.
Their Hearts Content-Bogus Bandit,
and Make Believe Highwaymen-Pranb
Costly and Troublesome.
From his appearance the average
Mexican would be charged will
the crime of practical joking. La fact an
American would think more than twice
before he tempered, iokingly, with the
quiet dignity and soleinnity, two char.
enthusiastically intuitive qualities of the
Mexican Don, owing to the latter's readi-
ness with the revolver and dexterity with
the stiletto.
Yet on occasion the Mexicans, from the
little toddling boy to the white haired
Don and the dark eyed Senolita 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 Innocents, 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 I~nocentes is
a~nxiously 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
i%fnocents or fools of one another and any
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
a particularly fertile field in this peculiar
pastime, owing to the eruptive tendency
of the government and people. 4
country in which a citizen inquiries of
his. neighbor the first thiag each dav.
sWho 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 SO as to create immense excite
meat, yet the circumstantial facts are SO
related that suspicion is seldom aroused.
High government officials are generally
assassinated Tin print and robberies COM
mitted of great magnitude.
On one occasion a 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 forsaken their
c tn 1.t.,,t Fn,. f1,a -. .-l l---L-L.
Another favorite modeof paying court
70 the Holy lnnocents Is to brighten the
Of q small village some miles
out from the capital by publishing alarm
stories of q threatened raid by bands
OF hloodthirsty Indians and bandits.
Mounted couriers in the employ of the
newspapers leave the larger city with
supplies of the newspapers.
,dashing at full speed into the
aeen,aa E,wn, threw the resi- e sss :..s
q panic by reading from the public
the horrible fate that awaits
them. In a few minutes the whole
place is in a terrible state of commotiop.
md in another hour the town is COM
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 eve ensues. They pack up their
goods, collect their families and return
in high good humor to their homes,
thankful that they have them to 90 to,
promising one another that they
will not allow themselves to be fooled
next year.
Yet when next year does come and
with IL the terrible news that yellow
fever or some other deadly scourge is
in the vicinity, threatening to
the whole town by its rav-
ages, the people forget the resolutions
formulated the previous year. provi-
are hastily packed and safety is
sought in the nearby hills and moun-
tains. In n instance, six families
lived in the open air for ten days before
joke perpetrated upon them was dis
covered.
II BULL FIGHT SELL.
Franks st the expense of private indi-
siduals are the commonest mode of eele-
the day. 1t is no uncommon
tliing for a wealthy old Don walking i.
, secluded portion of the town to find
suddenly confronted by two
masked marauders, with resolvers in
heir hands and k~niyesain their belts.