The Sedalia Weekly Bazoo

Pranks of a Practical Joker.

The Boston Traveller.

Washington has one of the most inveterate practical jokers in this or any other country, and some of his pranks throw the efforts of the late E. A. Sothern completely in the shade. Unfortunately he is not only fond of the "wine when it is red," but stronger drink has obscured his talents and well-nigh demoralized his reputation. One of his pet hobbies is in the first place to get "boiling drunk," and then hire a band and serenade his friends. A few weeks ago he went on a spree and his friends in the fashionable part of the city were horrified at being serenaded after midnight with this band--the object of my sketch uniformed like the rest, and tooting a cracked and discordant clarionet. His last escapade seems to be his master-piece. Not long ago, accompanied by a member of one of the foreign legations, he started out and visited nearly every saloon in town, and before midnight his friend was in a shocking condition. The joker took the diplomatist home with him and put him to bed. He then went out and bought a coffin and laid the drunken man in it, placing a number of lighted tapers at the head and foot of the casket. Subsequently he sent a note to the legation, notifying them that the young man had died in his room very suddenly from heart disease. Of course there was a shocking scene, and it would be difficult to picture the indignation of the foreigners when they discovered the deception which had been played upon them.