San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-09-26
THE PUDDING LANE HOAX

My friend, Edward Noble, and had been
talking of the credulity of people, and had
agreed that they-the people aforesaid-liked
nothing so well as to be well humbugged We
had in mind certain late occurrences, and,
remember, drew considerable satisfaction
from the reflection that we would have shown
much keener apprehension of fraud had we
been in the situation of the victims. Sitting
among our books that hot afternoon, idly
talking metaphysics, it came to pass that five
minutes after | had agreed with my friend in
whole souled pity for humbug inviting man
kind, | found myself opposing him-pretty
stoutly, too, considering it was Juiy-and
presently declared that hatred and fear of
humbug was one of the very strongest char
acteristics of the average man; that | did not
believe he could go out into the street and
sell gold piece for pint of walnuts. Though
| withal dull fellow, Noble remarked that
while this was probably true, yet after all it
only went to prove his position; that APP
preaching the boy with the gold and offering
such an exchange would lead him to think the
genuine coin spurious, and that he was hum.
plugged out of his bargain. This suggestion,
however, would have been beyond Mobiles
depth; probably | made it myself and he
agreed with me.
Neither my friend nor | had ever been
popular at school | did not care to be. So
we had in manner struck up companion
ship between ourselves which continued after
college days, and will last through life Not
| that we like each other particularly, but we
endure each other better than either could
| any one else. To me every one but Noble is
| disagreeable and peculiar, and Noble is a
I(,tt Iva tl,ar
ably, in the day, talking, idling, sleeping, or
| doing something else equally improving"
and walking out i'll the night.
1t may have been in the afternoon when
the profound psychological reflections above
enunciated We're uttered; it was near the
same hour the next morning, before the The
atre Royal, in our nightly ramble, that No
BILE next broke silence by observing that he
believed we would try that. Believing for
both had been a habit of mine, but Noble
had caughtit. put my hand into my trou
| sers pocket for a coin, but my friend inter
rupted by saying he did not propose we
should make the experiment on a single boy,
but upon all the people of the city. He pro-
ceeded to develop his idea and l added a
suggestion or two that much improved it.
AS the first step, we drew up brief adver.
leading newspaper rooms, and went home
The morning papers contained the following
notice.
The debts Of all persons who are owing will be
paid for them on presentation of itemzed state
mentS Of same, at % Pudding lane, Cheapsde, on
Monday. Aug. ~. between the hours of and 4
p. m
From what we could judge in our nightly
rounds, from the many curious eyes directed
at our house and from paragraphs in the pa
pers, the notice made quite sensation from
its first appearance By our order it con
tinued to appear daily. Noble and mutually
declared our full intention of standing by our
proposition to pay every debt that should be
presented as long as our fortunes should hold
out. Passing the day in our darkened house
for we were enamored of night and strove
TO counterfeit her somber beauty when her
more brilliant rival held the field without
and stirring forth only during the hours
when most men sleep, it was not to be ex
pected that we should see much stir, if in
deed any, following our strange announce
ment. And yet some years of night walking
had made US adept at reading as an index
the midnight stragglers of the street; and in
deed no class SO thoroughly know what is do
ing in all grades of society, from the homes
to the jails, as these. So, in jostling men on
the street, at the entrance to the theatres
and before the clubs, among all the tattle of
the latest book, politics, the favorite in
music or thedrama, we heard always a word
about the Pudding lane notice.
1t was the second night before we heard of
any expressions as to the feeling with which
the proposition had been received generally
My own conviction had been that the first
feeling would be skepticism, and that the con-
tinued publication might induce some degree
of confidence. But in this was wrong. By
the close of the second day it was not to be
doubted that the overwhelming belief was
that the proposal had been madein good faith
The conclusion was that underneath the sur
face of the thing there was some scheme of
the originators for making money. AS to
just how this was to be done few gueSses were
ventured, but the almost unanimous opinion
was that it was a gigantic scheme of fearless
spectators. In order to feel all the varia
tons of the public pulse, we had allowed for
a period of two weeks from the first appear
ance of the notice till the day on which the
debts were to be paid
The belief in the trustworthiness of our
proposal continued throughout the third and
fourth days, though toward the close of the
fourth there WAS an appreciate weakening
Of confidence, If we did not misiudge the In.
dcations But on the fifth day the tide set