The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1890-11-08
IKE Laughs Hest Who Laughs LAS, -
illustrated by the Police.
From the Morning Leader.


| Friady night was ''Hallowe'en,', the
old, time-honored festival which has
its origin so far back as to make it an
impossibili'y to trace its first observ-
ance. The Teutonic races called the
| day "Osterfener," and the Celtics
"Eeatline. 1t was customary in days
long gone by to light huge bonfires and
+! keep them burning all night to drive
| away the witches, whom it was said
visited different localities and were in
visible, but would not go near the fire,
as their figures and purposes would
then become plain to the people, and
their evil intents fall upon themselves.
So the festival was handed down, and
the idea Of the witches playing pranks
probably gave rise to the custom of
playing tricks on that night. such as
throwing cabbage stumps at the doors,
changing gates and all such actions
that cause fun for the PERPETRATORS and
annoyance to the victims.
1t was probably this tradition that
was in the minds of several Young men
at the East Side Friday night when
they started forth to commit deeds
of Darkness little dreaming of the
awful fate in store for them ere the
sun should shine again. There were
two popular ''tonsorial artists from
barber shop on Second street, some
painters and few others of various
occupations They removed and ex-
changed several gates, tore down
three or four outhOuses, battered doors,
took off the wheels from wagons, and
all the time were unaware of the pres
ence of two policemen watching their
movements from the shadow of build
ings. They finally proceeded to the
premises of Judge Roberts, and were
three blocks away, marching glorious
~ down Second street With an out
house suspended on two poles, when
the policemen made sudden appear
ance and a wild panic ensued. In the
confusion and the darkness all but one
individual escaped. lie was taken to
the Fire Hall and the policemen told
him he had but one way to save him
self from the hands of the law, which
would surely wreak vengeance the
next morning. They proposed to hide
and give him his freedom for twenty
minutes to entice the rest of the night
hawks into the hall, which he did, and
when they were safely inside the po-
liceman locked and double locked the
doors and arraiSncd their surprised
prisoners, whose surprise increased
when they were told of the various
Jokes they had perpetrated during
the night. There were fifteen of them
in all engaged in the escapade, but one
Was missing. One OF the erstwhile
brave BARRIERS, fearing something
wrong, had not gone to the hall, but
sought refuge on his couch His
slumbers were of short duration, how
ever, for soon the two officers with
their fourteen prisoners marched toh his
room and he was forced to accept the
inevitable and join the chain gang,
who, under the supervision of the
police, began the irksome task of un
doing and repairing all the work they
had previously done. Commencing
with the first house and finishing with
the last, they were kept hard at work
from l O'Clock until after ), and day
light found everything as it had been
the evening before, but weary, sac.
and much wiser lot of young men.
Some other scamps creased the street
car rails where the grade goes down
and then up small hill at Central
Park. and the electric car going to the
East Side Saturday morning, slid down
with great rapidlty in spite Of the set
brakes, and then the wheels refused
to turn on the up grade. An eXami
nation showed the cause, and it was
fifteen minutes work for the street car
men to get the grease off.