The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-27
EpistIes to St. Paul.

w. F. Bickel since he played ducks and
brakes with the finances of number Of
confding depositors, has almost dropped
from the public view. A Thoreau could hard
ly have been more OF reciuse than the
whilom king of the fans since he has been 30
journing at Forest Lake.
But w. F. ran up against the sharp prongs
of the law. He has not yet been arrested.
That is to say he has not seen the cell doors
close upon him as he did not very many
months ago in connection with certain 1ndict-
ments.
But he was admonished to show up in the
court room at Anoka in the county of
Anoka and the state aforesaid. and tell the
court how it came about that he had been
detected shooting prairie chickens before the
time fixed by the law for the humiliation Of
the feathered pets.
Willie has always had a tender spot for
feathered fowls. He was out in the old West
Seventh street ball park the day Cyclone
Jim Duryea struck out "Old Man" Arson,
and he has hardly missed real good ball
game since, anywhere in these parts, al
though he did play off one season to go over
to Minneapolis and watch his old comrade,
Wilmot, make monkey Of himself trying to
pull an eighth place team into money win
ming position by nerve rather than by talent.
So the other day he went back into the
scrub timber, west of Forest Lake, and
found his way over into the prairies OF
Anoka county. Bang went his gun, and
then down on his shoulders dropped the
perpatetic but ever alert game warden.
"You are arrested" said the game warden.
"Me?" calculated Willie, with we'll feigned
surprise 81 guess you don't know who l
am. I'm w. F. Bickel, the St. Paul banker. 3"
81 don't know anything about that" re-
tod
Individual before him, but you can come up
to court at Anoka and get this gun out OF
soak l will have it in court there next Fri
day. See?"
The night that the corner stone OF the
capitol was laid there were large crowds IN
the city streets, but only about $37 represent
ed in the Grand opera house, the only first
class theater open that night.
Mckee Rankin, whose company was then
playing stock at the Grand. stood watching
the throngs with very woe-begone. heart
bowed down, don't-tellme your-troubles-I-
haye-troubles- of-my-own sort of an express
sion, and Theo. Hays and McVlcker, Rankin q
manager, were trying to jolly the veteran
actor manager I'D little.
They told all the stories they knew from
the garden of Eden down to the last political
convention, but Rankin was immovable.
In sheer desperation the narrators went
from bad to worse. At last Hays told a
story so pointless that even McVicker
couldn't laugh
Rankin looked up pathetically.
Don't forget" he said, that there's an
awful poor crowd on the inside"
"a friend Of mine. fellow who occupies
a position where he has to be on deck at
o'clock in the morning to see that other
unfortunate disturbers of the slumbers OF
others are at work. came back from his vas
cation with story" said Irwin Beaumont.
''This friend of mine went away on his va
cation a week ego, and instead Of betaking
himself to the woods on a wheel he went
up to Duluth and got room at the Spalding.
The first night he was there he told the
night clerk to wake him up at O'Clock
sharp He was put down for 8 and was
duly woke up. He didn't get up until g.
The next night he again left the order for
and put in an appearance at 10. That night
he made it g. as usual, and the clerk looked
at him and laughed. as he put down the
call. The next morning he didn't get up
until noon. and the bell boys had begun to
talk about it. The next day he performed the
same trick, but managed to to be In bed until
it was too late for lunch. When he was
leaving the clerk asked him what he meant
by always leaving an order for call at
6 and then staying in bed for hours and
hours.
"I'u tell said he. You see when I'm
at home am called at 6 every morning and
I have to get out of bed and rush Off to
work. Now Pm ON a vacation. and couldn't
think Of any better way of resting myself
than by having some one call me at O'Clock
and then lying in bed and telling the boy
that called me and the world in general that
he and 1t might go to blazes.'"