Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-02-04

lCRAT. MONDAY, FE HOLY INNOCENT HOAXERS.
 PRACTICAL JOKES PLAYED ON MEx,-
 GAN AL FOOLS DAY.
 Very Funny Editors. Who Can "Fake'' to
 Their Hsart's contsnt-Bogus Bandits
 and Mako Believe Highwaymen-Pranks
 Costly and Trousslesome.
 From his appearance the average Mexican would tnever be charged with the crime of practical joking. In fact an American would think more than twice before he tempered, tokingly, with the quiet dignity and solemnify, two char acteristically intuitive qualities of the Mexican Don, owing to the latter's readi- ness with the revolver and dexterity with the stiletto.
 little toddling boy to the white haired j Don and the dark eyed Senorita to the old wrinkled Sonora, are the greatest of all practical iokers. It becomes sort 1 of mania with them, as 1t did with their ancestors hundreds of years ago.
 Dec. 29, the anniversary of the slaugh- ter of the Holy Innocents, as the babes who were killed by King Herod on the oSefs Ge nhf m Me.oo haown s the as1s SaS Fiesta de los Santos Inocentes is anxiously looked for every year, and when it comes 1t is observed without stint. The exact origin of this peculiar day as one devoted to practical joking l has been lost, so ancient is the custom in Spain. 1-
 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 recognized. ~7-ss'sF -75- ss-5z~-~
 BOGUS NEWSPAPER scAREs. ~-
 The ways of celebrating it are, of course, many and varied. Mexico offers 8 particularly fertile field in this peculiar pastime, owing to the ernptive tendency country in which a citizen 1nauires of his neighbor the first thing each day, "Who is president this morningr' 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 i written so as to create immense excite ment, yet the circumstantial facts are so High government officials are generally I assassinated Gin print and robberies com l 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 tho same day two-thirds of the popula- tion of the town had forsaken their l homes to hunt for the mythical bonanza. Another Al favorite mode of paying court 1 population of small village some miles out from the capital by publishing alarm Ing stories of threatened raid by bands of bloodthirsty Indians and bandits Mounted couriers in the employ of the 1 newspapers leave the larger city with abundant supplies of the newspapers, 1 and, flashing at fu1t speed into the doomed town, throw the residents into a panic by reading from the public squares the horrible fate that awaits 1 them. In a few minutes the whole place Is in q 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 thankful that they have them to go to, and promising one another that they will not allow themselves to be fooled next year.
 i 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 it's rav-
 ihs dRe9e Rs deSset ths aT sions are hastily packed and safety is sought in the nearby hills and noun tains. In one instance, six families 1 lived in the open air for ten days before the joke perpetrated upon them was dis THE BULL FIGHT SELL.
 Franks at the expense of private indi- viduals are the commonest mode of cele- brating the day. It is no uncommon secluded portion of the town to lind himself suddenly confronted by two masked marauders, with revolvers in their hands and knives in their belts, 1 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 valuables, accompanied by cask of wine and 8 neat little note, stating that be was merely made temporary sacri- flee to King Herod. = A On one occasion notices in all the daily papers in the City of Mexico an- nounced that a grand bull fight would occur on the afternoon of Dec. 28, and that, as the admittance to the amphi- theatre on this occasion would cost noth- l ing, every one was cautioned to be on hand early. s- -szasgSsA sss5~'s-1 sas ss
 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 jamnued to it's utmost by o'clock. The great assemblage waited | al