Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-02-07
HOLY INNOCENT HOAXERS.
PRACTICAL JOKES PLAYED ON Mex
CAN ALL FOOLS oGY.

Very Funny Editors. Who Can Fake Ia
Their Hearts Content-Bo bogus bandits
and Make Believe HlghWaymen-PrnnI-
Costly and Troublesome.
From his appearance the average
Mexican would never be charged with
the crime Of practical joking. In facta
American would think more than twice
before he tampered, jokingly, with the
quiet dignity and solemnity, two char.
acteristically 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 Senorita to the
old wrinkled Sonora. are the greatest of
all practical jokers. IL becomes sort
of mania with them. as it did with their
ancestors hundreds of years ago.
Dec. 90, the anniversary of the slaugh-
ter of the Holy Innuccnts, as the babes
who were killed by King Herod on the
birth of Christ are known, is the day of
Fiesta de los Santos Inocentes is
iNtlhtu lbl NNtl1 lCdl, anu
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 Innocents seems to have inspired
the Spaniards with the idea of making
innocents 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 rp ngnized.
L GUS NEWSPAPER sCARES.
The ways of celebrating it are, of
course, many and varied. Mexico offers
q particularly fertile field in this peculiar
pastime, owing to the eruptive tendency
of the government and people. A
country in which q 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 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
ulous wealth and extent was discovered
four miles out of the City of Mexico, and
the same day two-thirds of the popula-
tion of the town had forsaken their
homes to hunt for the mythical bonanza.
Another favorito mode of paying court
to the Icly lnnocents is to frighten tho
populat N of small village some miles
out from the capital by publishing alarm
ing stories of threatened raid by bands
of hloodthirsty Indians and bandits.
Mounted couriers in the employ of the
newspapers leave the larger city with
abundant supplies of the newspapers,
and, dashiny at full speed into the
doomed town, throw the residents into
q panic by reading from the public
squares the horrible fate that awaits
them. In u few minutes the whole
place is in 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 over ensues. They pack up their
goods, collect their families and return
in high good humor to their homes,
thankful that they have them to 20 to-
and promising one another that they
will not allow themselves to be fooled
next year.
Yet when next year does come and
with it the terrible news that yellow
fever or some other deadly scourge is
raging in the vicinity, threatening to
depopulate the whole town by its raw
ages, tic people forget the resolutions
formulated the previous year. Provi-
sions are hastily packed and safety is
sought in tho 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
himself suddenly confronted by two
uieohSu lu,lI auuCio, Will lcNOlNClo LII
their hands and knives in their belts,
who command him to give up his valu-
ables quietly or they will take his life
and valuables both. The next day he is
not greatly surprised when he receives
his valuablcs, accompanied by cask of
wine and Il neat little note, stating that
he was merely made-a temporary sacri-
fee to King llerod
On one occasion notices in all the
daily papers III the City of Mexico an
nounced that grand bull fight would
occur on tho afternoon of Dec. 28, and
that, as tho admittance to the amphi-
theatre on this occasion would cost moth
ing, every one was cautioned to be 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, tho
building was jammed to its utmost by
o'clock. The great assemblage waited
patiently for almost two hours, and then
anxious queries about the matadors and
their victims were made
After another two hours wait it 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 nightfall
before tho place was empty New York
Journal
4 Coffee Growers Advice.
Tho writer has spent at least the better
part of his life growing and curing tea
and coffan and howavar wanting he NAV