Practical Joking

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 1474, 7 October 1885, Page 5 (Supplement)

Practical Joking

The predicament of Mr John Lytton, a farmer, near Auckland, says an exchange, furuishes ground fur another protest against the baleful ha' »it of piHctia.il joking. There is evrity reason to suppose fchat up to two years ago Mr Lyifcui was a prosperous, jovial hinbaod:uan, who lab »red merrily week m wee.'c out, aud on Lhe Sabbu.li morning bestrode hi- n«g an<l rode Jo lhe nemst (j l nuoh to lav m his periodical supply of apiiilual provender. 1 Bub one Sunday certain individuals whom the Auckland paper describes as " local young bloods," either hid or stole the farmer's .fiddle while he.wiia engaged uuon his orisons within the church The primary consequence of this jest was that .\Lr Lytton did not again show face within lhe sacred edifice for two years. He utterly failei to recognise iv his loss the cliasi isinj*; hand of Providence, lie simply catne to tho conclusion th.it going to church didn't pay and acted upon il. Wheu, a week or so asjo he broke the ice and again entered a place of worship, ha carried his saddle and bridle into the church, and placed them upon a seat, looked wildly round and sut upon them, or rather tried to sit upon them, for, to quote the Auckland paper "First his bridle slipped on to the 'floor with a crash, and then the saddle can toil over to one side. At last the noise became so great that the officiating pastor felt constrained to address the intruder-, and request him to .sit still, at the sum* time sug grating that the harness should have been left outsido. The nvm at once vane to his feet, and replied thai he was afraid to leave it outside, as on the last occasion he attended ohurah In? had done so, and it was .stolen. After some further discussion he re~ gained his balance (not m the head, but the Raddle), and remained fairly qnjet until the service concluded." This is not all we learn about Mr Lytton, for, on August 29, a telegram from Auckland tells how he forced his waj into a doctor's house, threatening (o murder the inmate 4 , discharged a revolver uromiscnonsly abou the streets, and was finally lodged m the public asylum as a dangerous lunatic. It U pathetically added ; " Lytton became insane through having a saddle 'stolen some time ago." If this indictment be true, the local "young blooda " have reason to stand aghast at their work.