The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-29
SoaE SHORT STORIES
Tales and Incidents Out OF the
Ordinary Heard About Town.
Late CAPTAIN Whitsits Grim Practical
Joke-Mr. Skaters Night of Ter
ror-Queer Requests.

Tho late John A. Whist was, In his
Younger DAYS the perpetrator of various
grim practical jokes. and one particularly
.uccessfuI one is told to this day with a
little shiver OF terror by those associated
with him In the Twenty-sixth Indiana dur
ing the war.
It was during that bleak and dreary Ar
kansas campaign Of 1863 that the boys were
In camp upon an Old battle ground located
upon swampy territory. They had been
enduring a spell of weather." with bleak
winds and cold. drizzling rains calculated
10 turn cold the marrow In ones bones.
The whole camp had been wrapped In
cherries gloom for a week and everybody
was feeling blue. Whist had. by that time,
become captain of Company 1. and be-
longed to a mess Of young officers who had
pitched their tent upon a foundation OF
logs and turf, built UP about two feet from
the ground. They had skirmished about
somewhere and gotten a little sheet-iron
stove. about the only heater in camp, and
the tent was accordingly popular.
On one OF the rawest days of the whole
miserable period Whist walked into the
tent, which was fairly we'll filed with Off
GERS, and stood gloomily staring at the
stove for few minutes
Il don't see any use of living any Ionoar
he finally remarked with an air of desper-
ate doggedness: I'VE might as we'll die at
OF once ts,s ana easily. as to perish with fever
he deliberately drew from under his cloak
stx-pound shell and laid it upon the red
hot stove.
The effect was electric One officer fell
70 the floor, paralyze6 with terror while
the others simply lined out of the tent af
o one srues OF Wherever they could force an
b beloW, once at a safe distance, they
however, and they finally screwed m cour
age enough to go back to the tent There
table. smoking a corn-cob pine. with bia
feilow-oficer still lying in a state of coma
on the moor. and the shell. now red-hot. re-
=, What do you mean?" demanded one OF
tnen; Have you gone crazy2"
nope But guess you fellows have
What were you in such devil of a hurry
but that shelI?"
''Humph! It's empty You're a brave lot
OF soldiers. amt your and Whist never
cracked smile. He had found the shell
washed II out carefully and replaced the
cap before laying it on the stove.
When a half dozen police officers seat
themselves about a comfortable blaze on
a chilly night there are usually as many
narrowing. hair-raising stories to follow the
Sitting. night or two ago the blue
coats were intent on a series of narratives
Of long ago when Indianapolis used to be
q bad city. The officers were enjoying the
quarters, and were spinning some horrors
Shaffer. the little man who operates the
telephone, was an intent listener, but final
~ he grew disgusted with what he termed
the tame nature of9the remarks about
old times. and delivered himself thusly:
'The most horrible night 1 ever spent
around this place lasted about twenty min
utes. but to me IL was twenty years. Way
back yonder, fifteen years ago, I was desk
sergeant, telephone man and turnkey in
one. We had no patrol wagon then, and
kept no officers about the station. The
only people L ever saw during the night
was an occasional policeman who came in
with a prisoner and then left Immediately
The occasion to which 1 allude was on Sat
urday night I'll never forget 1t. That aft
ernoon a demented woman had been
brought In and placed in of the female
wards. That night some officer ran in a
couple Of young girls for being drunk, and
stupidity locked them up with the crazy
woman. There was no trouble until about
midnight, when l heard one of the girls
screaming and crying for help. l ran up
stairs to the door of the cell and saw the
enough to realize that they were locked up
with a bad case of insanity, and were
balanced creature was big. stout woman.
and saw instantly by the glare in her
eye that it wouldn't do to leave those
pleaded to be moved to another
cell. and l was in a quandary. Being
all alone, I hestated about making the
change for fear that one of the three would
escape while 1 was transferring them,
but sudden violent demonstration
on the part OF the crazy woman decided the
matter. / made the girls promise that they
would not attempt TO escape. and then
the corridor, and as / closed the door the
insane patient was upon me. With yell
of rage that III never forget, she showed
me aside and dashed out into the hallway.
An instant she looked about her and then
darted into the superintendent office. At
the rear OF this apartment was an open WIN
dow leading to the ground below and L
Jumped in just in time TO see the big woman
disappear through the aperture. Luckily,
her foot caught on the easement. and with
bound / reached the window and had hold
OF her ankle. There she was. kicking.
downward Out in the hall were the two
other prisoners, both of whom had ample
opportunity to escape l had hold of one
foot of the crazy woman, and she was be-
ginning TO grow heavy. L undertook to pull
her in. but found that / might as we'll at
tempt TO lift 50 much lead. The distance
from the window to the court below was
fully twenty-five feet. The court was paved
with stone and knew that if I allowed my
burden To drop her brains would be dashed
out! The minutes passed, and heavier grew
the load. 1 felt that L could hold on but
years during those few minutes. Then
began TO yell, for human life depended
II,
minutes wore away, and / felt the foot OF
the suspended woman slipping from my
grasp. At this moment / uttered a screech
that an Indian might be proud Of and ii
was answered by the voice of a sergeant
who had just stepped into the hall down
stairs. He helped me out Of the trouble.
Since that time. gentlemen. / have been par
tfculariy respectful TO the SergeantS of this
force. To me the bit of white strap on the
sergeant's arm Is a kind of insignia OF no.
bility ii you please.
She Is a dainty little lady who looks we'll
after the ways OF her household, but she
has one popularity that sometimes causes
complications She is absent-minded. The
other day with the help OF her sister. she
was preparing her house for the reception
OF company. and arranging the furni-
ture with view 10 producing the most
telling effect the coming guests. a light
ed lamp In one corner Of the sitting room
seemed likely 10 be effective.
stand here and hold the lamp, sister,
while 1 go in the parlor and see how 1T
looks" said she. with her head on one
side and an anxious expression. Then she
crcssev rhs hall. entered the parlcr and was
ri - n-cre until the sister. grown weary
OF holding a heavy lamp. followed and
found her absorbed in new book and OBJ
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