The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1935-05-16
In New York
By PAUL HARRISON

.11 q j.
New York--Among the more
virulent pests that bloom in the
spring are practical jokers. Either
from exuberance, restlessness or
general cussedness, the Broad
way boys" turn to mischief in the
silly season.
Anything for gag!" ID one
of the articles of their code. and
there are few lengths of time.
trouble or expense to which q
trickster won't go. He may take
years. Hugh Troy took over
years. On the morning after
Herbert Hoover was elected presi-
dent, Troy went out and bought
200 copies of the morning news
papers carrying the largest head
lines. Then he carefully stored
these papers and bided his time.
During the Roosevelt Hoover
campaign, Troy went around
among his friends making predic-
tions, and bets, that Hoover
would win. He got some fancy
odds. On election night he ar
ranged a big party, which lasted
well into the morning. At just
the right moment, gang of hired
newsboys burst into the hotel
with Troy's four-year-o newspt-
pers bearing screaming headlines,
Hoover elected" They scurried
through the lobby and into the
grill, shouting, Hoover elected"
At that hour, most of Troys
guests had had q little too much
leastparty, so they didn't notice the
4 yeVAQ
least, they didn't notice until
most of them had paid their bets
and the joker had vanished.
Hungry for. Fun
The telephone is one of the IA
vorite instruments for play
ing Jokes. Marc Lachmann likes
to call up people after midnight,
and invite them to mythical par
ties. "You mustn't miss this" he
will insist. Hop into your
clothes and grab a cab. But stop
on your way and buy half doz-
en- cherry pies; everybody over
here is insisting on cherry pies"
Then he'll give the address of
some acquaintance who has been
selected as the chief butt of the
joke. For hours thereafter the
enraged householder will be busy
turning away expectant merry
makers bearing stacks of cherry
pies.
When Eddie Cantor lived in
Great Mack, I. J., somebody teie-
phoned the automobile agencies
that Mr. Cantor was planning to
buy new car. Just about all the
agencies in Manhattan and on
Long Island received this ''confi-
Dental tip. 1t was limited that
Mr. Cantor would be at home the
following afternoon. Mr. Cantor
was. as a matter of fact, enter
tanning friends that day, or try
ing to. But the roads to Great
Neck were choked with shiny new
automobiles, and the Cantor es-
tate was overrun with insistent
statesmen.
A vicious jest that has been
perpetrated several times goes
like this: The joker scans
the lost-and-found columns of the
newspapers, and telephones or
writes to each OF the persons that
his or her missing property may
be had by calling at a certain adj
dress-the address of chosen
victim, who, of course, knows
nothing about it. When lost ar
ticles worth large amounts of
money are involved, you can inn
agine how much suspicion and un-
pleasantness result. Also, there
usually are uncomfortable en-
counters with detectives seeking
lost jewels.
A fellow whose name I'd better
not mention enjoys badgering in
temperate friends with letters
signed by q fictitious REV. Henry
Smithson." Each letter says that
the persons name has been OBJ
tanned from the Bellevue alcoholic
ward as possible subject for DR..
Smithson's temperance lectures.
All that subject has to do. it is
explained, is sit on the platform
and be pointed out as an example
of the ravages of liquor This
really is rather q creditable form
of practical joking; it has caused
a lot of people to cut down a bit
on their indulgences.