Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-07-13
A GENE FIELD PRANK.
He Let the Members of the Howl
Club" Spend the Night In jail.

He Let the Members of the Howl
Club" Spend the Night in Jail.
A number Of young persons OF this
place have organized what they term
THE Owl Club" The members are
devoted to literature and music. More.
famous than this club will probably
be was a short lived band of brothers
in voice culture that was IRONICALLY
called the Howl Club"
About third of century ago Eu-
gene Field made the name of Owl Club
notorious in Missouri. The parent
branch was In Columbia, where Field
attended the State university. Local
clubs We're soon established in many
towns where Field had friends and
admirers. A person didn't have to
qualify as a singer to belong to an
Owl club, but he did need an exquisite
set OF lungs, capable of doing the
hardest kind of service on all occa-
sions. Noise. not melody, was the
passport of promotion.
In the early los the Missouri Press
association met in annual session at
the old Wabash Hotel. in Macon. Be
sides Field and gay lot OF young
sters We're Joseph B. Mccullough, of
st. Louis; Colonel w IF. Slxitzler, of
Columbia; the late Judge John W..
Henry, Of Kansas, then on the bench
here: Colonel John n. Williams. Maj
or w. G. B. Gillespie and a dozen 9th
er grizzled warriors who had dropped
the sword for pen Field swore in a
platoon of young editors, and taught
them how to make the wellSin resound.
His civil service requirement was a
gilt-edged vocal machine and the boys
delivered the goods
They practiced ON. old-fashioned
camp meeting songs till the landlord
of the hotel threatened to turn them
out doors in disgrace. One night,
Field started his band of young riot
ers down street all yelling like auc-
tioneers at "a stock sale. In his speech
of welcome the mayor had figurative
Nv passed over the keys of the city,"
and Field had translated this to mean
that the police were muzzled and the
loads drawn from the hOuseholders'
shotguns.
So the bars were let down, and the
editorial 1noclxing birds charged four
abreast through the streets, bowling
like dervishes on the way to the sacri-
| fetal altar. When Field had led the
uproar to about the right height, he
slipped around ian alley and hunted up
a crowd Of policemen. He told them
crowd OF intoxicated jewellers was
''taktng' the town. and 1T would be
ostrich plumes in their helmets If they
ran the whole outfit into the calaboose.
The tip was acted upon forthwith.
| The 9nolicemen called in two or three
surrendered without firing n shot OF
icontse they protested vigorously which
the policemen accepted as the natural
| procedure of maudlin men. They
| begged the Officers to send for Field,
who they soon observed was not with
them. The prisoners were taken
around to the guard house, and to- hui
NOR them messenger was sent for
the band leader Field carried an eye
glass, which he operated, with becom-
| ino solemnfty. When they observed
him they thought their troubles We're
over.
!. ssThe policemen have made mds-
| fake. "Gene." said one OF the victims.
TELL 'em how lit is. SO they'll let US
out of this beastly hole"
Field surveyed the group coolly and
deliberately He walked around and
inspected them from different sides,
like man does who is figuring on
buying horses or cattle. Then he turned
/ to one OF the night watchmen.
"What did you want with me, Mr..
Officer?" he asked.
sWelI," said the towns sentinel.
these guys said they was editors and
that they could prove 1T by you"
Field shook his head sadly,
''Edators! Why, you didn't believe
any such stuff as that, did your" re-