DRIVEN MAD BY PRACTICAL JOKERS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1048, 19 May 1882, Page 3

DRIVEN MAD BY PRACTICAL JOKERS.

A most remarkable case of insanity, result. inj» from n practical joke has just come to light in this city, but as yet little or no publicity has been given to the matter. Living about two miles from the town is a family by the name of Waters. They arc well-to-do, plain country people, who enjoy the respect of all their neighbours, and have a large circle of friemls and relatives. The family consists of Mr and Mrs Waters, now well advanced in years ; two fine-appearing I and sensible daughters, both grown, and I one son named Henry, who is a handsome i manly young fellow of twenty three, whose pleasant face has made him many friends. | Henry had been brought up on the farm, ! and his experience beyond the limits of his I homo and the neighbouring towns lias been restricted to a single visit to Cleveland at ] the time of the (Jarficld obsequies. He was much given to reading light literature of the blood and thuuder kind and his associates say that hj» was very superstitious, and had at vaiions times expressed himself as believing in spirits and their visioned terrors. In fact these strange fancies had so worked upon Ids simple nature that he always slept with a largo old-fashioned Colt’s revolver at the head of his bed, where he could place his hand upon it in an instant. Knowing his weakness some of the neighbourhood hoys planned, in the best of humour, a scheme to frighten him with a tnako-belicf i ghost at midnight’s evil hour. A night was set for the perpetration of the joke, and during that afternoon one of the young men carefully drew all the bullets from Henry’s pistol, leaving the powder in each cartridge undisturbed, and placed the weapon back in its accustomed place. Henry retired as usual at half-past eight, and about midnight just as the moon was throwing a dim ray of light across the door, one of the 1 oya, clad in ghostly attire, stealthily entered the room and stood with outstretched arms, slowly muttering unintelligible sentences With an awakening tremor, Henry convulsively grasped his revolver, anil sat upright in bed. dumb through fear. The ghnst advanced a step, the inuttorings continued, till Henry, wrought up to almost a frenzy, drew to an aim the weapon he supposed was charged with death, and stammered, "If you are a man [ shall kill you ; if.you are a ghost this wont hurt you and with that the loud report of his pistol startled the night’s stillness. There was a quick motion of the shrouded arm and the bullet was thrown back, stricking the headboard at Henry’s side. This sent a cold chill through his frame, but a second time ho took deliberate aim at the figure and fired. Again a motion as if catching the bullet, and it was thrown hack upon the bed. Almost paralysed with fear, Heniy fired a third, a fourth, and a fifth shot, only to have the bullets hurled back with noiseless motion from the ghostly figure. Then fora brief moment, he sat ns if transfixed, gazing with mute bewilderment, when, with a wild shriek of terror, he tired the last blank cartridge and hurled the pistol at the ghost. With a merry laugh, the (ghostly visitor threw off his glowing garments, and through tlie door came those who had gathered without to join in the sport, when, to their horror, they saw depicted on the face of Henry an expression which told the sad story that their j >ke had, alas! been too well played. His mind could not stand the strain. He was a raving maniac. The saddest part of the story is that, although several weeks have elapsed since young Waters was frightened, ho has not shown least signs of returning sanity; and, while not violent, is constantly shrieking o U t, and pointing to imaginary ghosts. It is a aad story, and a frightful warning to practical jokers. —Cleveland Enquirer.