The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1897-05-14

dTu. EVEN III harmless IL uOluS up Iuc
sufferer to ridicule, and intelligent hui
man beings do not need to be told that
such conduct is reprehensible. But if
the joke be well contrived, sufficiently
humorous in idea and neatly executed,
we do not care so much as we should
If it fall under the practical" class.
Who would not have liked to be pres
ent at the royal masquerade when Hell
degger, master of the revels to George
H., was confronted by his double? The
duke of Montague had obtained a cast
of the great mans face From this he
caused wax mask to be fashioned
and colored. Heidegger's tailor sup
piled facsimile of the new and gor-
geous dress he was to wear, and the
duke engaged an actor to play the part.
He told the band at the last moment
to strike up Charley Over the Water
at his majesty's appearance instead of
God Save the King" They hesitated.
But it was individually Heidegger-fea-
tureless, voice, clothes and also impre-
cations when the conductor demurred.
IoO Tie hluS u6dIu llldJ lI6d0OHdUle dll,
perhaps for the first time, on entering.
We can family imagine the tumult.
Heidegger rushed to the band, struck
the conductor, set him playing God
Save the King and rushed back to
apologize. Next moment he returned
to the orchestra, equally furious-that
is, his double eturned-ordering the
band to resume Charley Over the Wa
ter" and the bewildered musicians
obeyed
There was never such a scene in the
presence of royalty. The officers of the
guards in attendance made dash at
the band with swords, but those in the
secret blocked the way. Heidegger,
dancing round the king, made inarticu-
late protestations and excuses while
his majesty stormed and threatened,
making for the door,
The situation became perilous. So
the counterfeit stepped forward cry
ing, with passionate indignation: "Sire,
the devil has taken my likeness to I'M
do me. Look at HIM" Heidegger saw
his double, gasped, gibbered and fell
senseless. One may think that longer
and more complicated business might
have been developed from such an in
genious hoax, but for dramatic situa-
tion of its class this could not be beat
en-.
In some parts of South America good
folk store all the glass and crockery
broken in the twelvemonth and at car
nival time put into a sack attached to
the lofty balcony by a stout cord not
quite long enough to reach the ground.
When a desirable victim passes be-
meath, the sack is quietly let go-to be
arrested with a hideous crash upon his
very heels. 1t is credibly reported that
foreigners unprepared for this jest
have tumbled headlong at the shock
and others have taken to their beds
with an attack of fever. These are
rare triumphs.
At the Sistine chapel on Good Fri
day each worshiper received a small
whip on entering. Three candles only
burned on the altar. When the first
was extingushed every one threw off
his coat; the next, his waistcoat; the
third was signal to fog himself in
pitch darkness. Sir Francis Eastwood,
afterward chancellor of the exchequer,
founder of the Diettanti club and a
parsonage whose name dwells in his
tory, was visiting Rome. He provid-
ed himself with stout riding whip
and got admittance to the Sistine.
When the flogging began, instead of
titillating his own shoulders delicately
he slashed his neighbors right and
left with British whip-cord conscien-
tiously laid on. The scene is not yet
forgotten in Rome. Eastwood had
made his arrangements to escape.
Horses and servants stood ready in a
by-street. He mounted and rode for
his life, but some of his followers were
captured, tried for sacrilege and sent
to the galleys, if we remember right.
1t may be hoped that when the reck-
less youth became a power in Europe
he did not forget those poor fellows.
rha Saven RIhIaS