Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-06-28
Cruel and Senseless Performance at
the Pension Office.
MANY CLERKS SERIOUSLY AFFECTED
A Dummy Resembling a Man
Dropped From Dizzy Height.
SEEKING THE OFFENDER

senseless and cruel practical joke was
perpetrated in the pension office building
today by one of the force of workmen en-
gagged in painting and decorating the vast
and lofty interior. AS a result large
number of the clerks employed in the office
are suffering from serious shocks to their
nervous systems. and all are indignant and
ready to give a quick and salutory lesson
to the one who conceived and carried the
prank into execution.
For two months the work of painting the
immense pillars and the roof of the pension
building has been almost constantly watch
ed by the clerks. The first work done was
to paint the roof, which is "a hundred feet
from the floor. On the slender planks used
for scaffolding, which at that height SEEM
ed like mere straws, the man skipped about
and gradually left behind them broad
expanse of bright blue. Then they began
on the pillars and slowly marbleized them.
This work was done on ladders slung by
ropes from the roof braces. Not a woman
passed up and down the court or along the
balconies of the huge building but looked
up to see the human spiders laughing and
joking at their work.
Franks of n Workman Today,
Ore of the men. young fellow, seemed
always to be tempting Providence. Today,
but few minutes before the silly and
cruel joke was played, he sat with his feet
dangling over the ladder as he leaned for
ward and laughed at a lady clerk walking
along one of the balconies. moment later
he was up and had passed over on another
ladder, where his fellow workmen were
eating their lunch, and there he began to
pat juba and shuttle, while the other work.
men laughed at the song he was singing.
Many man and woman has given voice
to their horror that human beings should
be obliged to risk their lives in such an
employment, and there were not a few who
would not look up at them for fear the un-
lucky moment might come at that instant
when one or another of the men should fall
to the tiled floor below.
Gaping the Climax.
Today one of them capped the climax in
the endeavor to frighten and annoy the
regular Inhabitants of the building, and
he will doubtless be identified and dealt
with summarily within a few hours
The clerks of the pension office stop
work for luncheon each day at the sound
of gong which rings at 1890 O'clock
They are usually waiting and ready for
the signal. and when it is heard there is
rooms into the galleries which surround
the court and provide egress from the va
riouS apartments
A minute after the gong sounded today
and when a thousand or more clerks were
thronging the galleries a Shrek was heard
and a body was seen falling over and over
ing under the roof to the floor beneath
Strong men caught at the walls and rail-
ings at the sight of what they thought
was terrible tragedy, and roar of horror
ascended above which sounded the shrieks
of scores Of women. Everybody thought
a man had fallen. and when the object
reached the floor there was a rush toward
it by those Of strong nerves.
The discovery was made then tfat come
one had stuffed shirt and a pair of over
alls. to which shoes had been attached,
and toppled 1t over from the highest scaf
folding. Many ladies tainted and their
stronger sisters had difficulty i'll reviving
them, while there were scores of cases Of
nervous prostration among both sexes.
Major Bliss Nearly Killed.
Major Bliss, the veteran watchman who
guards the 5th street entrance to the build
ing, heard the Shrek and turned in time to
see tie supposed man falling. He is suf-
ferer from heart trouble, having had to de-
pend upon the working of single valve
ever since he was shot at Shiloh. The
shock brought on an attack of his COM
plant Of such character as to alarm his
companions, and he only recovered after
half An hours efforts on their part to aid
him.
Deputy Commissioner Murphy was on the
scene a few moments after the cruel hoax
had been perpetrated, and while the dis
tress of the witnesses was at it's height,
and made vigorous effort to discover the
author of it, but without avail at the mo-
ment.
"It was the work Of brute" said Mr..
Murphy with indignant emphasis this af
ternoon, land he deserves horsewhipping."
Several of the younger pension clerks
who are very angry over the occurrence
agreed this afternoon to adopt systematic
methods to discover who Is responsible for
the vile joke, and not to give up until the
responsible person is identified and given
his deserts.