Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-10-10
SUNDAY night FUN
FOOLlSHNESS BREAKS OUT IN A NEW
LOCALITY.
A Couple Of Hundred Young Hen Find Amusement
in Watching Pedestrians Kick at Hats With
Bricks Concealed in the Crowns.

People approaching the corner OF
Market and Fourteenth streets from any
direction, between the hours OF and 9
o'clock last night, were convinced as a
first impression that there was either a
fire, fight cor bad accident at that
locality. As rule, however, this first
impression was dispelled by roar of
laughter and more or less disorderly
cheering, and on closer inspection 1t
was found that the disorder had its
origin in a couple of battered old hats
and an equal number of common, every
day bricks. These things are not usu-
ally productive OF amusement, as ordi-
narily seen, but when the brick is
inserted in the hat and the loaded
tile Is laid careleSsly just where 1t will
be in the way of a young man prone
nading with his best girl, there is apt to
be room for smile when the youth at
tempts TO kick the hat lightly out OF his
path. Profanity also sometimes results,
as well as considerable amount OF en-
barrassment.
Just who it was started this particu-
ular form of amusement, last evening,
could not be ascertained. The police
were looking for the party for quite a
while, but his modesty was sufficient to
keep him in the background.
A oft fnh MI
was produced and with brick in its
crown it was laid on the crossing be-
tween Schnepf's and Pollock's mill,
while dozen young men, who were in
the secret, stood on the corner in a
careless way. Soon an elderly gentle
man came along, saw the old hat right
in his path, kicked it, and went off
swearing. A dozen more people were
attracted by the profanity and the
laughter of the loaferS, and they stopped
to watch the next victim. Pretty soon he
appeared in the person Of we'll
dressed youth, who was probably late
for church. He kicked the hat a
vicious blow and must have jammed
his toes up half an inch, judging by
the way he limped off. Result, more
laughter, more attention attracted and
a still larger addition to the crowd.
The hat lay there for quite a while.
Most people passed it, many not OBJ
serving it, and others sCspecting some
trick, but once in about three minutes
someone would give it kick. and
laugh or swear, according to how hard
he hit the brick, while the crowd
on the sidewalk yelled with de-
light and grew larger and
larger. Then, as they were
more people on the west side of the
street than could look at one hat with
out getting in each others way, some
one obligingly got another hat and
placed it on the crossing on the east
side. This just doubled the profanity,
The laughter and the crowd, and at
nine O'clock there were two hundred
people standing where they could see
what was going on, and as some inno-
cent pedestrian kicked at one or the
other Of the hats the laughter and jeer-
ing could be heard from the postoffice
to Twelfth street.
The fun was furious when Officer
Creighton hove in sight, removed the
hats, threw the bricks away, and dis
persed the crowds. The police were
anxious to find the man who was re-
sponsible for this Sunday evening ex,
hibition, but their enquiries resulted In
mighty little information Of value.