Year: 1866

Brick" Pomeroy on Mosquitoes.


"Brick" Pomcroy, of the La Crosse (Wis.l
Democrat, gives the following as his experience
in getting mosquitoes intoxicated, Josh Biz
lngs" can't beat it:


MOSQUITOES on A BENDER.


Night before last, in order to sleep we placed
a piece of raw beef steak on plate at the head
of our bed. In the morning it was by the mos
quitos sucked as dry Of blood as an old sponge,
and our skin saved at least two thousand perfo-
rations. All about the room in the morning
were mosquitoes, plethoric with blood, loaded till
they could not ily. We killed few, but the
Job was too sanguinary, so we left them to their
feast


Last night in order to get even with thescre-
nading devils, we stepped half pound OF fresh
beef steak in some old rye whiskey, and left it
on plate near the bed. Nothing like being
Hospitality inclined. In ten minutes after the
light was extinguishcd swarm Of these back
biting bill posters made an advance movement.
One of them caressed us swectly on the ncse-
he sent in his bill--there was sslap-a diluted
damn-a dead mosquito! Soon eheard tre-
menduous buzzing about the whiskey-soaked
beef. The entire mosquito family came sing
ing in, and such an opera-good Lord deliver
us But they did not disturb us with bites
we fell asleep to be awakened in ten minutes by
the worst mosquito concert ever editor, mortal,
devil, angel. divine, Dutchman or any other
man listened to. We raised light, and the
greatest show of the season was there to be seen.
Every MOSQUITO was drunk as blind fiddler,
and such an uproarious night as the long-biiied
wbelns had never was seen boforc this side Of
-selahl The worst antics Some were play
ing circus on the plate. One big fellow, with
a belly like Falstaff, full of blood and whiskey,
was dancing juba on the Bible, while a fat friend
of his tribe lay on her back beating the devils
dream on an invisible tamborine with one hind
lee! Two more were wrestling on the foot
board of the bed. each with his bill stuck fast
in the timber Another was tying the legs OF
our pants into bow knot to tie about the neck
of Anna Dickinson, which hangs against the
wash stand. while another red-stomached Gus
toner was trying to stand on his head in the
wash bowl


All over the room were drunken mosquitoes .
One long bill, gaunt representative was trying
to ram the mucilase bottle full of newspaper
clippings. Another chap was drilling hole
through revolver handle and singing My
Mary Ann" while another was limplng across
the window sill in search of fresh air, to theag-
onizing tune of-tramr-tramp-tramr4 onc
little ram of skect was trying TO jam the COCK
out of Ben. Buffers eye with tooth brush, as
his picture hung in the room beside that OF Kidd
the pirate and few other thieves. Another
drunken statesman of the Mosquito family, re-
minding us of Zach Chandler, was talking Rus
sian to lot of drunken companions as they lay
in heap on plate, while another one sat on
the handle of our bowie knife, doubled up with
cramp in the stomach, and trying to unite his
tail with his bill, which seemed like Lincolns
backbone when Anna Dickinson said 1t want
cd stifIening. He was a sick-looking skeeter,
and died in three minutes after we saw him,
her, or it, as the case may be. Two otherstook
bath in the inkstand. Another one with a
bill like the devils narrative was trying to wind
our watch with pen-wiper, while another had
Just died as he was sitting on the rim OF dlsh
in the room, trying to chant" Mother I've
come home to dic 7" Poor skeeter. A nice
skeeter, but twas pity he drank" An old
veteran with a paunch full of 'alf and 'alf-
blood and whiskey-sat on the table reading
Les Miserables, while his wife was under the
stove trying to mend her broken wing with
limpsey tooth pick. She looked disgustedl-
Another one combed his hair with paper Of
pins, tied piece of white paper about his neck,
pasted FIVE cent internal revenue stamp on his
rump. and died liko loyal citisen. His last
! words were