The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-03-13

eARReAoD~~-~-~-N
of city officials or the escape of all
the animals in the zoo to more inno-
cent stories about the discovery OF
buried treasure or the exhibition OF
some marvellous and seemingly impos-
sible feat of skill or strength.
Some 40 years ago Cincinnati
newspaper printed a big story regard
ing monster Of fiendish aspect and
unknown species which had been found
inhabiting a cave in the hills east Of
the city, which had already carried
off several children in it's slavering
jaws and had spread terror in the
neighborhood. There was even pic
ture of the Thing, drawn from the de-
scriptions of the two or three persons
who had seen it clearly, and for malig-
nant hideousness Of aspect, that mon
ster made all Calibans, dragons, Hur-
lothrumbos, demons and octOpi look
tame.
Finally, down at the latter end of
the story in very small type, so small
that many readers overlooked 1t, was
set the legend, april 1, 1885," Even
some who noticed that date didn't
grasp it's significance, but continued
to shudder with fear at the thought
of meeting the monster.
Some Philadelphians still remember
the story about the big iceberg that
was "being towed up the river"
fy,I- lie. 70 fhn vsivn1s front fn
see the spectacle and then denied that
they had been taken in.
A quite modern hoax is told as fol-
lows by one who was in Ireland when
it happened;
Peace, Of a kind, reigned in Dublin
on March 81, 1922. There was ten
sion in the air for the Irreconcilables,
who. refused to recognize the truce
with England, had taken over the -Four
Courts and were known to be prepar-
ing resistance to the terms which
Michael Collins and Arthur Griffith
had signed. Anything was likely to
happen.
About 1 o'clock on the morning of
April / the Morning Post Of London,
the paper which reflected the views of
those who thought that any truce with
the Irish was betrayal of Great Brit
ain, received a telegram from Dublin
stating that the Kildare Street club
had been seized by the Irreconcilables,
that the members residing there had
been driven into the streets in their
pajamas and that this social strong
hold of British aristocracy In the Irish
capital had been transformed into a
stronghold Of the enemy.
With due solmenity and with head
lines that had not been surpassed since
the declaration of the Armistice with
Germany the telegram was published.
And that night Dublin was flooded
with correspondents-Am Eng
lish and French-all prepared to cover
the new war" The British cabinet
was called to Downing street for
breakfast, and the world sighed in dis
may and mourned that the Irish, when
peace seemed in sight, "were at 1t
'again.s
MNOnly few know the true story be-
hind the April fool telegram that start
ed this furore. There was in Dublin
at the time a Major Clarke who had
served with distinction during the
World war, but who had never been
the same since his experiences In
Flanders. They had developed in him
a>"sense Of humor" that was peculiar.
On one occasion he collected all the
boots left to be cleaned outside the
bedroom doors of the largest hotel in
Dublin and dropped them down the
elevator shaft.
He was barred from the same hotel
for throwing cream-filled cellars at the
guests during dinner. And it was he
who sent the telegram. He was tired
Of peace and he thought it would be
a good Joke to start the Anglo-Irish
struggle again. And, strange to say,
he nearly accomplished his object, for
the suspicious Irreconcilables thought
the wire had been sent by the Free
State government as a bait. But they
were not yet prepared. The break did
not come for almost three months.
20 by Western Newspaper union.l