Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-28
His LOVE Of PRACTICAL JOKING
Stories Of HIS Newspaper Life in
St. Louis.
HIS GEN NATU RE

49,
to ok in advancing my welfare. This inter-
est was not confined to the writer, but was
evinced in every case where he took fancy
to boy or girl younger than himself. l was
a young man of eighteen summers and con-
Quoted the leading country newspaper OF
Missouri, the Pennington Times. l called
it the leading rural journal because l could
boast of having the largest country circula-
ton of any in the state. This was largely
due to the fact that had one subscriber who
paid me for several thousand copies OF each
issue Of the Times. Located eighty miles
south of st. Louis, it was quite convenient
for me to visit my friend Eugene Field two
or three times each week. He was writing
paragraphs for the st. Louis Journal a
newspaper principally patronlzed on account
of Eugene Fields connection with 1t, and
his paragraphs We're most of them or Such
a personal nature that the managing edi-
tor lived in constant dread of a libel suit or
aSSaSsina ton.
Careless About His Dress.
I'm those days Eugene Field was not as
neat in his attire as be became in after
years. An attractive suit he owned was
in imitation of searsucker. and after its
first laundering the fit Of the pantaloons to
his long and somewhat spare legs was like
glove fingers with the ends cut off on we'll
drawn-out hand, while the coat dropped on
either side from over-weighted pockets, and
the rear formed the upper part OF a circle.
Extended feet and CATERS, a straw hat and
white SHIRT made up the remainder He was
tall and angular, smooth-faced, and walked
with nonchalant air and Swagger His
coming upon party of friends was in
variaDly announced in deep, gutteral tones
some humorous appelation being applied
to each one in the party, all of which would
of course, be accepted good-naturedly. These
were the days when Eugene Field ran with
the boys. When politics We're rife. in the
or of ttci1 40 500 ion
he would gather personal history sufficient
to supply his column eff paragraphs the fol-
lowing morning. 1t was his delight after
a foraging expedition as he denominated
it, to retire to his Sanctum, the walls of
which were coveredywith ridiculous cuts and
pictures, there to laugh and submit to an
intimate friend the sarcastic lines he had
written concerning some local politician.
have old man Turner in the shop when
Smith comes in tomorrow and let him
be thrown out the window.
In His Family.
''When Eugene had his newspaper work
completed he would go home to his family
The children were always dear to him,
but he never hesitated to make them as
we'll as others, the victims in a mild way,
of his practical jokes. When a baby was
born, he laushingly told of how the infant
recognized its grandmother the morning it
was born when she gave it a bath. 1t was
no uncommon thing for him to go a swim
ming in the bath tub with the children.
We spent several days together at the
ar nuf.l meeting of the State Press Associa-
ton in Springfield. Mo. The occasion was
one round OF fun, uninterrupted. There
We're two hundred persons present The
Press Owl Club, composed of Eugene Field.
Maj. c. w. ellison, Tobias Mitchell and my
self sang at the Opera House, in hotel lob
bieS and on the streets. 1t was in those
days wren Mary Had Little Lamb
II,1f II,,1r F,,1 t,,'t la!
to Git out the Wilderness VAN Am
burg's Show Go Way, Ole Man., and
kindred melodies were new and refreshing.
Field carried everything. the others Were
his chorus. AS an imitator of local public
speakers he was remarkable 1t was dur
ing this trip, while seated in a refreshment
hall, party gathered round and solicited
song. Among them was leading mer-
chant, and Eugene Field had with him
friend in the person of commercial drum
mer, who sold goods in the line which the
aforesaid merchant was in the habit of
purchasing. The latter begged for a song,
a recitation or a story. Field and his COM
mercial drummer friend accommodated the
merchant and others about him. Refresh
ments and an encore followed, and the
merchant pleaded for more music. I'll
take another barrel of sugar from your
friend if you'll repeat that song said the
merchant. 1t was repeated and Fields
friend, the drummer. placed the order for
the sugar. Mirth and music continued, and
IL
left the place their performance had Sc
cured from the merchant a several hun
dred dollar purchase of goods.
1T was his greatest pleasure to enter
the hotel at l or o'clock in the morning,
with one two associates, reach the up
per landing and then begin to sing in the
loudest possible tones, or repeat the words
of Gov. Phelps or Daniel Webster in
shrill voice, waking up all the sleepers and
calling for the house Waterman, while his
companions FASTENED to escape possible
embarrassment. In the morning everybody
would charge the disturbance to Gene
Field.
A Joke on the Whole Crowd.
Returning to ST. Louis on one occasion,
the special train was made up of several
coaches hlled with passengers, many of
them ladies' Eugene Field. other friends
and myself We're among the number. 1t
was he practice of the sleeping car por-
ters to brighten up the boots and shoes of
passengers between the hours of midnight
and morning, when st. Louis would be
reached. In doing this the porter would
procure pair of shoes. say from under
meath berth No. Q. and with white chalk he
would mark the identical number on one of
the shoes as a means of Identification that
he might know where to return the pair.
On the night in question Fields friends en-
gagged the porter while the journalist
changed all the boots and shoes in the car.
Those under No. he would shift to No. 4,
and so on. Morning came, and with 1t sui
phur. brin stone and fire Men, women and
the terrified porter were on their knees on
the car floor enddavoI'ing to bring order out
of chaos. The porter 'swore he was sober.
numbered the shoes according to the berths
from beneath which they came, and there
could be no mistake. But there were two
hours confusion through the midst of
which Eugene Field fpndly snored.
How He Avcrted Trouble.
1.-THE Missouri democratic state conven-
lions were affairs which were attended by
hundreds of the, faithful outside of those
who went as delegates. From all over the
state the politicians would come to partici-
pate in the good times which were always
in store. No one entered into this fun more
eagerly and enthusiastically than Eugene
Field. He was always a leading spirit on
these occasions The Madison House at the
state capital was the principal rendezvous
day and night for the workers 1t was in
the lobby of this old hosiery that such men
as Marmaduke. Crittenden, Joe Shelby and
Jim Burns used to gather and shape the
future of state politics. One evening Gen.
Joe Shelby, whose courage was never dis
puted, became involved in a person al quar-
rel with a rival delegate. Words not the
softest were multiplying and the prospects
were excellent for some one to get hurt In
those days to go unarmed in Missouri was
not respectable. Sheby's voice was heard
10 ring out, damning his opponent. 1t was