The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-03-12
TRICKED NAN AND TOWN.
Iron the New Yorlz Tribune-l

Life in a mining camp when it is
snowbound," said L. B. Mccormick, of
and men will do anything for the sake
of little amusement. The story 1 am
going to tell you actually did occur. and
at that time we all welcomed the joke
as a godsend and made a hero of its
perpetrator.
THE winter of 1893 rested an appall-
ingly heavy hand on the Occur d Alene.
Buried many feet deep under a mass of
heecy snow, the country lay PROSTATE.
So intense was the cold and so heavy
the weight of the snow that it was pos
sible to work none but the richest
claims. 1ngress to and egress from that
bountifully rich territory was a feat that
none but the hardest man dared essay,
for it was an even chance that death
from exposure might be the lot of the
one who attempted it. Wallace at this
time was a thriving, busy, prosperous
town, where the artificial excitement Of
a mining boom everywhere betrayed it.
self. The shutting down of many of the
mines had left a large number of men
living in Wallace with nothing to do.
Time hung heavily on their hands, and
nothing was of too small Importance to
attract interest, provided it held out the
hope of killing a few hours Of the dreary
time of waiting.
Just at this period the most promi-
nent young lawyer of the town fell i'll.
| There wasn't anything particular the
matter with him except a heavy cold
and impending fever, but, being some
what of q hypochondrfac, he at once be-
lieved himself to be in a dangerous con-
dition. He promptly took himself to his
bed in the rear Of his office, denied him
self to all but two or three of his in
innate friends, installed a nurse to look
after his wants, and promptly gave him
self over to that luxury of believing
himself to be really i'll which is so dear
to the hypochondriac's heart. The three
men who were his friends, and who were
admitted to his apartment, took ad-
vantage Of the conditions surrounding
him to perpetrate q practical joke that
west. They gave out the news that the
lawyer, one Jack Greene, had died. and
as his mourning friends they received
the camp, which called in a. body to ex-
press its regret.
IN the meantime Greene, in the next
room, heard nothing, the visitors being
naturally quiet in the presence Of death
One of his friends went to the local I'M
dertaker. and, informing him that Jack
was dead, purchased a coffin. Alleging
the hard winter and consequent hard
times, he beat the undertaken down to
OEe-half his price The undertaken,
however, got even by supplying a plain
pine box, painted a deep black. This was
placed in Jacks Office. and in the dead
Of night lumber carefully weighted to
the weight Of Greene'S body was packed
inside it by the three conspirators. The
lid was then. screwed down. and the fol-
lowing day John Greene, followed by The
GnJlTe pOplIaIOn OIL the NOWu OL " al
lace, Idaho, was laid away in the cold,
cold ground
About ten days later Jack having
entirely recovered his pristine health,
appeared upon the street. To say that
his advent created a sensation is to put
it mildly. Three or four superstitious
miners. thinking it was his 'hant,'
straightway took to their cabins on the
hillside and to prayer and fasting. The
only woman in the camp had a at OF
mysteries and tainted dead away.
Greene. however, stopped the general
panic that his appearance Was precip-
itating by stepping into the Crystal Pal
ace saloon, and there absorbing his four
fingers of red eye in perfectly natural
and earthlilCe manner 1t was hard to
tell whether the town Of Wallace OF
by the explanations that there ensued-
At length, when those present had be-
come convinced beyond cavil or doubt
that 1t was Greene in the flesh and not
Greene in the spirit (although by this
time it must be confessed that spirit IN
great plenty was in 6Sreene). they sent
for the three conspfrators. What did
you do it for2' was the question adj
dressed in blunt and simple terms to the
ringleader Well. III tell you. You see,
we wanted to run jack for a town Office
and we thought in this way we could get
a line on how he stood with the COM
munity. But and here he slapped a
wad Of newspaper clippings down on the
bar in front Of the astoniShed and
do. Just read those obituaries. and see
what the people think OF you. Why,
after such a send-on as that we would
MT dare to run you for the office OF
picking f1eas off yellow dog that was
locked up on the town farm.