The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-08-07
STARTLED THE CAMP
A PRANK THAT ENLIv=NED A SNOW
BOUND MINING TOWN.

s.Life in a mining camp when it is
snow bound said a prominent mining
man Of Chicago the other day, ''is
dreary time, and men will do anything
for the sake Of q little amusement
The story I am going to tell you actual
ay did occur, and at that time we all
welcomed the joke as g godsend and
made hero Of it's perpetrator.
AsThe winter Of 1888 rested an appall-
sngly heavy hand on the Cnur d Alene.
Buried many feet deep under mass Of
aeecy 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. Ingress to and egress from
that bountifully rich territory was
feat that none but the hardest man
dared essay, for it was an even chance
that death from exposure might be the
Dot OF the one who attempted it
wallace at this time was thriving,
busy, prosperous town where the arti-
Ecial excitement Of a mining boom ev-
erywhere betrayed itself. The shutting
down Of many of the mines had left q
large number Of men living in Wallace
with nothing to do. Time hung heav-
fly on their hands, and nothing was OF
too small importance TO attract interest
provided it held out the hope Of killing
q few hours Of the dreary time Of wait
Eng.
ssJust at this period the most promi-
aent young lawyer Of the town fell i'll.
There wasn't anything particular the
matter with MIN except heavy cold
and impending fever; but, being some
what of hypochondriac. he at once
believed himself to be in dangerous
condition. BE promptly took himself
70 his bed In the rear Of his Office, de
MED himself to ali but TWO or three OF
his intimate friends, installed nurse
30 look after his wants and promptly
gave himself over to that luxury Of be.
lieving himself to DE really i'll which is
90 dear to the hypcchondriac's heart
@sThe three men who were his friends
and who were admitted to his apart
nent took advantage Of the conditions
surrounding him to perpetrate a prac-
fcal joke that has since become fa-
mous in the northwest. 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 express its regret
STn 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 undertaken and, informing him
that Jack was dead, purchased cof-
I'm. Alleging the hard winter and con-
sequent hard times, he beat the under
saker down one-half in his price. The
undertaker, however, got even by sup
plying plain pine box painted deep
black. This was placed in Jacks Office.
and in the dead Of night lumber care
1nlly weighted to the weight OF
Greene's body was packed inside it by
the three conspirators. The lid was
then screwed down, and the following
DAY John Greene, followed by the en-
fire population of the town of Wallace,
Ida, 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
1t mildly. Three or four superstitious
Gainers, thinking it was his .ha'nt'
sraightway took to their cabins on the
hillside and to prayer and fasting.
The only woman in the camp had fit
of Mysteries and tainted dead away.
Greene, however. stopped the general
panic that his appearance was precip-
itating by stepping into the Crystal
Palace saloon and there absorbing bis
four fingers OF red eye in a perfectly
natural and earthlike manner.
eIt was hard to tell whether the town
pf Wallace or jack Greene was the
more astonished by the explanations
that these ensued. At length, when
those present had become convinced
beyond cavil or doubt that it 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 Greene-they sent for
the three conspirators.
What did you do it for? was the
question addressed in blunt and sinple
terms to the ringleader.
~'Well, I'll tell you. You see we
wanted to run Jack for town Office
and we thought in this way we could
get a line on how he stood with the
community. But'-ond here he slapped
wad Of newspaper clippings down
ON the bar in front of the astonished
and aggrieved Greene, Jack, you won't
do. Just read those obituaries and see
what the people think Of you. Why,
after such a send OF as that we
wouldn't dare to run You for the Office
of picking feas of q yellow dog that
was locked up on the town farm"