Los Angeles herald., 1905-05-19
GREWSOME JOKE
IS BOOMERANG c
FARCICAL HANGING STARTS
TROUBLE
WOMEN PROMPTLY FAINT
Plenlekers Have jolly Time Until
Practical Joker Gets Busy,
When All Goes
Wrong
WOMEN PROMPTLY FAINT

without the realms OF ordinary mag
ination, but what other folks actually
did in that line represents the superla-
tive side of ridiculous attempts at teas
ing the risibilities through the aid of
the grewsome.
A few days ago a party of q dozen
young men and women Of Los Angeles
made an excursion into Laurel cam
yon for day of picnicking and romp-
ing among the sage and cragged cliffs
overhanging that wild and desolately
beautiful place.
All sorts of capers were cut and
great fun was extracted in various
schemes representing a fertility of
mind and an ingenuity of the masculine
"chaperone" truly marvellous.
After playing monkey for several
hours, during which time the males
climbed trees and dropped imaginary
cocoanuts upon the heads of their fair
victims, the "clown cook" who de-
clines the advertising to be derived
from the mere mention of the popular
name which graces his calling cards,
thought it would be great sport to have
himself hung in true western style,
Ia horsethief.
He whispered his daredevil scheme
into the ears of his male companions
and a diabolical scheme was inaugural
ed whereby, it was hoped, future
growth of the young women would be
eternally stunted in the paroXysm of
oh, I'D
lynching bee was calculated to pro-
duce.
A few minutes before the start was
made for home the male members,
who had purposely become separated
from their fair companions for nearly
an hour, were heard rushing through
the bullrushes, which didn't exist, and
falling down the mountain side, accom-
panied by perfect and very spectacu-
lar hail storm of flying gravel, which
they dug up in their mad scramble, all
of them yelling in voices which were
to shame
AS the party came into view the
young women excitably sprang to their
feet ready to see a polar bear or a
real live mountain lion gnawing at the
heels of the flying squadron of mascu-
Unity. But instead they saw their
'clown cook" hatless, breathess, coat
less and with blanched face dashing
down the canyon with the other males
at his heels.
AS the party came near unto the wo-
men, the pursuers overlook the pur-
sued and overpowered him, after
roughly throwing him to the ground
and tying his hands and feet. Inco-
herent gasps of fragmentary blasphemy
came in pantalets from the mouths of
the frenzied men and a rope was quick
ly thrown over the limb Of a nearby
tree. after being securely tied to the
"clown cook" and he was mercilessly
strung up amid the firing of volleys
from the suicide weapons carried by
the men.
Excited, the young maids did not no.
tice the fact that the revolvers were
fired over the head of the supposed vic
tim, nor the fact that the rope to
which he was dangling had been tied
to his feet before being buoyed
around his neck.
1t was all so sudden, so perfectly
real, and the apparent frenzy of the
men in their desire to mete out sum-
mary punishment upon one of their
party for some mysterious wrong, to-
gether with the thrilling pursuit
through the canyon, it is small wonder
the women folk imagined they We're
witnessing a tragedy in which they
were speechlessly and in spellbound
terror forced to view, and they did the
natural thing for women under the cir
cumstances-fainted.
Another of the party, who was in on
the doings, pulled his kodak and made
a snapshot of the execution.
After the fair young women had de-
cided to faint away, the men became
better get busy with the restoratives
and forgot all about the clown cook"
and when the rope was released by the
men holding onto it, he was uncere-
moniously permitted to drop into the
creek, where he sputtered around in
helpless state for the very good rea-
son that his hands had been tied be-
hind him and his feet were welded to
the rope with which he was hung.
Cries for help brought him quick as
slstance. and after a few minutes
work the womenfolk were restored to
consciousness.
It is related that everybody became
angry and the gloom which pervaded
the camp was so thick it could be
seen and the menfolks refused to
speak to each other for over an hour.
The "clown cook" is blamed for II
all, and he is trying to figure out
where he had half as much fun as any
body else. However the Intervention
of mutual friends win probably sue
ceed i'm patching up speaking ac-
quaintance among them ere long.
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