The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-06-27
A Practical Joke.
IorlsInal ]

IOrisinall
When the stagecoach developed into
the railroad train the read agent de-
veloped into the train robber. But,
while the road agent had various meth
DDS of plying his vocation. the train
robber necessarily works on the same
lines. The road agent contented him
self usually with small values, the
train robbcr often captures q fortune.
was once jogging along in an old
fashioned stagecoacb. nine insides and
four outsides. was an insider. There
had been no robberies on that line for
a long while. and we thought very lit
tie about such danger. But there was
a facetious young man inside-he had
just escaped from an eastern college
who thought 1t 4 pleasant pastime to
brighten the women He ratified on
about road agents and how they work
ed till every woman aboard and some
of the men became very uneasy. There
was a middle aged man in the stage
he looked like farmer-who' finally
undertook TO head of the youngster.
Nobody needn't be skeered in this
stage s long s I'm on it, he said.
1--WE got a weepon and know how to
use it. Besides. there amt no road
agents on this line anyhow"
"Whatd you do if one Of 'em came
down on u.s." asked the collegian.
There amt none comm down, but
if they do I'll give 'em cold lead. My
names Leadbeeter" And he laughed
at his pun.
Not long after that the youngster
climbed out of the window on 70 the top
of the coach--to smoke a cigar. he said
and Joined the outsiders. He told
them about the boastful man inside
and said il would be a good joke to
get up a mock robbery to see how the
fellow would act. Having got his mind
on it, he couldn't get ii off and began
to devise methods for carrying out his
suggestion The others tried TO dis
suade him. saying that Mr.. Leadbeeter
might be as good as his word, and
somebody might get hurt. But John
n.y." as they called him. every moment
became more and more infatuated with
his proposed prank and said he would
make Mr.. Leadbeeter throw up his
hands before he could get hold of his
"weepon' No one seemed disposed
to join him, so he said he would do the
job alone. All on top promised to re-
main passive and wished him success.
Johnny got down from his perch,
jumped up ON the coach step with his
face at the window, where Mr.. Lead
better was sitting. and. putting re-
volver within an inch of the mans
nose, ordered him to throw up his
hands Mr.. Leadbeeter lost no time in
doing So and Johnny opened the door.
saying:
I'm Black BILL l am, and 1 want
you people out here. Come out, every
one Of you
Mr. Leadbeeter was the first out,
Johnny relieving him of his revolver
as he stepped down into the road
Johnny handed out the women gallant
ly, winking and making explanatory
faces ut both men and women. Those
on top got down, and Johnny. flourish
ing his revolver. scarcely able to keep
a straight face for merriment, in sten
torian tones ordered all to line up
alongside the road. which they did ODE
diently. The pretended road ageni
went through Mr.. Leadbeeter first, re
leving him of S3.T4. all the funds he
had about him. Johnny rubbed his re-
volver under the victims nose and
rated him soundly for having no more.
You white livered son of a gum"
said Johnny. what d'y mean by
tryin' TO satisfy Black Bill with such
chicken feed as that. Just look at him,
gentlemen and ladies'. He's the man
who was going to protect you from
road agents. No wonder he wasn't
afraid, with nothing to lose. However.
he's the man / was expecting to make
a big haul from, and so long as he
hasn't got anything worth having I'll
let the whole gang off.
"And now, Mr. Leadbeeter," he went
on, Il want to say to you that this is a
huge joke-a practical joke. You
mustn't expect too much from a man
just out Of college, for we fellows play
lots of pranks on each other and are
expected to take them good naturally.
1 only wanted to prove to you that
modesty is the best policy, and it
doesn't do to brag too much about
what you're going to do beforehand