OCR Text |
Show HistoricHoaxes HistoricHoaxesBy Historic Hoaxes HoaxesBy By ELBIO ELI\IO ELI IO ELMO \ SCOTT WATSONII WATSONC WATSON | II C : ) western W v . cstcrn estern Newspaper UnionMany Union UnionMany II IIMany ( Many Ladies Ladles ' ManEUGLNE ManEUGENE Man ManfUGENE EUGLNE EUGENE fUGENE FIELD look took special deI1ght defight de det t- t tlight - ' light I1ght fight in tormenting tormentlng Edward S SBok SBok SBok Bok because Bok who was a baeh bath baehelor bathelor bachelor elor was cd ed ad tor of the Ladles Ladies LadlesHome LadiesHome LadiesHome Home Journal That apparent m in mconsIstency inconsistency inconsistency consIstency was amusing to the poet poetand poetand poetand and humorist . . One day he inserted in the news newscolumns newscolumns newscolumns columns of the Chicago Daily DalIy News Newsa a notice of Bok s engagement to toMIss toMiss toMiss MIss Lavtaia LavinIa Pinkham Pmkham granddaugh granddaughter granddaughtel tel ter : ' of Mrs Lydia Pinkham of pat patent patent patent ent medicine fame The story went wentout wentout wentout out over the Associated Press and andwas andwas andwas was reprinted reprmted in papers throughout throughoutthe throughoutthe the United Umted States A few days later laterthere laterthere laterthere there wns W'1S W1S was ' a story about Miss Pmk Pink Pmkham Pinkham Pinkham ham s departure departUl'e departUle ' for Pans Paris to buy a atrousseau atrousseau atrousseau atrousseauSoon trousseau trousseauSoon Soon letters and inquiries mqUlrles belan began belanto beganto beeanto : to pour pOUl ' In upon Bok who pleaded pleadedWith pleadedwith pleadedwith With Field to put a stop to such sto stones stories stones nes ries Field obi obl ged him by prmtmg printing printinga prmtmga a denial of the Pinkham Pmkham engage engagement engagement engagement ment but at the same time lmked linked lmkedBok linkedBok linkedBok Bok s name with that of Mrs Frank FrankLesl FrankLest FrankLesi Lesl Lest c e a Again Agam there was a flood otletters of ofletters ofletters letters to the unfortunate ed ad tor 01 of 01the ofthe ofthe the Journal JOUl'nal JOUlnal ' also some caustic com corn comment cornment cornment ment about the fickleness of his af of affectlons offections atections fectlons fections ( Shortly afterwards Bok s sengagement sengagement sengagement engagement to the daughter daughtel : ' ot of Cy Cyrus Cyrus Cyrus rus H K Curt s publ pubi sher of the theJOUl'nal theJournal theJournal JOUl'nal JOUlnal Journal ' was officially announced announcedand announcedand announcedand and Field \ was as very contrite for the theJoke thejoke theoke Joke ] he had played on the PhlIadel Philadel PhlIadelplua Philadelphia Philadelphia plua phia editorBut editor edltol editorBut : ' But that didn dldn t stop him lum playmg playing playmgJokes playingjokes playingjokes Jokes on Bok His next \ was as a fake fakemtervlew fakeinterview fakeinterview mtervlew interview at quarantine quarantme with Bok Bokupon Bokupon Bokupon upon his return from a trip tnp to Eu Europe Europe Europe rope Since the interview dealt wIth wIthchanges withchanges withchanges changes in m women s 5 fashions m in Par ParIS Paris Paris IS it was widely copied by fashion fashionpapers fashionpapers fashionpapers papers all 0\ 0 o\er o er 0el oser \ el : ' the country eountry and it iteven iteven iteven even tooled fooled Bok B'ok Sok ' s office m LD in Philadelphia Phlladel Philadel Phlladelphla Philadelphia phla phia The people there beheved believed behevedthat believedthat believedthat that he was still in m Europe EUl'ope EUlope : ' and andthere andthere andthere there was much scurrying scurrymg around aroundto aroundto aroundto to prepare tor for his arrival before beforethey beforethey beforethey they learned that it was another of ofEugene ofEugene ofEugene Eugene Field s jokese jokes e . . e . eJohn John Wilkes Booth MummyIF Mummy Mummymuseum IF AT some county tall fair : ' or In a amuseum : museum you were told you youcould youcould youcould could see the mummified body of ofJohn ofJohn I IJohn John Wkes W } Ikes Booth upon payment paymentof ' of a certain eertam tee fee it is to be hoped hopedthat hopedthat hopedthat that you took advantage of the op opportunlty opportunity opportunity portunlty portunity For if l ! you had you would wouldhave wouldhave wouldhave have gazed upon one of the greatest greatesthoaxes greatesthoaxes greatesthoaxes hoaxes in lD American hIstoryAround historyAround history historyAround Around the turn tUl'n tUln ' of the century ahouse a ahouse ahouse house painter pamter in m Enid Emd Okia Okla known knownas as John St . . Helen ( his real name namebwas namebwas namebwas bwas David E George ) convmced convinced convmcedFinis convincedFinis convincedFinis Finis L Bates a Tennessee law lawyer lawyer lawyer yer that he was in m reality reahty John JohnWIIkes JohnWilkes JohnWilkes WIIkes Wilkes Booth He asserted that he hehad hehad hehad had escaped from the burning burnmg barn barnm barnin barnin m in Maryland a few days after the theassassmatlon theassassination theassassination assassmatlon assassination of Lincoln Lmcoln and now nowstruck nowstruck nowstruck struck with remorse over his deed deedhad deedhad deedhad had to confess to ease his soulBates soulBates soul soulBates Bates tr ed to interest mterest the United UnitedStates UnitedStates UnitedStates States government in lD his dlscov discov dlscovery discovery discovery ery so he could collect the $100 100 $ 000 000re.ard 000reward 000reward re.ard reard reward . offered tor for the slayer of Lm Lin Lmcointhis Lincolathis Lmcoin coin-this coin this cola-this cola this the tact fact thatreward - despite that that thatreward : re\\ard re ard reward \ had long since been paid to tothe tothe tothe the captors of Booth But the fed fedI federal federal federal I eral authorities authontles weren t interested lIIterested interestedIn lIIterestedIn interestedIn In 1903 St Helen ( or George ) com corn cornmitted cornmitted I Imltted mltted mitted suicide and the Tennessee Tennesseelawyer Tennesseelawyer , lawycl lawyer : ' claimed the body In 1908 1908Bates 1908Bates 1908Bates Bates published pubhshed a book Escape Escapeand Escapeand Escapeand and Suicide ot of John Wilkes Booth Boothto Boothto Boothto to bolster up his da cIa cla m For a hme time hmethe timethe timethe the mumm fied fled body of his Booth Boothwas Boothwas Boothwas was exhibited m in Memphis Tenn Tennand Tennand Tennand and in lD 1929 it was said to have been beensold beensold beensold sold to parties in lD the West . . Where Whereit It is now is unkno vn vu but wherevel wherever whereverit : ' It may be th s is true it is NOT NOTthe NOTthe NOTthe the body of the man who killed killedAbraham killedAbraham killedAbraham Abraham Lincoln Lmcoln ' * . e * . e . eWedding Wedding Weddmg StoryD StoryURING Story StoryCURING [ CURING URING the winter of 19 199 19'9 ' ' ' 9 30 30Robert 30Robert 30t-/ 30t 30tRobert DURING D - / Robert Quillen ed tor of the theFounta theFounta theFounta Founta n Inn ( SO S C ) Tribune printed prLDt print prLDted printed ed a story about a t \ edding eddmg in m hIs hIsI hIscommun hiscommun biscornmun I commun ty which wasn t comph compli comphmentary complimentary complimentary mentary to either the bride bnde or orgroom orgroom orgroom groom As a climax elJ.max elJmax . it msmuated insinuated msmuatedthat insinuatedthat insinuatedthat that this had been a shot gun wed weddmg wedding wedding dmg ding and then added This may maybe maybe maybe be the last issue of the Tribune Tl'lbune Tllbune : ' but butmy butmy butmy my life hfe ambition amblhon has been to wnte write wnteup writeup writeup up one wedding weddmg and tell the truth truthNow truthNow truthNow Now that is done death can have haveno haveno haveno no stingThis stingThus sting stingThis This Thus story was widely reprinted reprintedthroughout reprintedthroughout reprintedthroughout throughout the country because becausemany becausemany becausemany many an editor no doubt had often oftenwIshed oftenwished oftenwished wIshed to write wnte just such sueh a story storyand storyand storyand and was glad to know that one of ofthe oftheir oftheir the their II : ' number numbel : ' at last dared to do so soSome soSome soSome Some ot of them suspected that it was wasa wasa wasa a fictitious yarn yam but others believedit bellevedIt belleved believed It was genuine genume and criticized cnticlzed Quillen QUIl Qutl QUIllen Qutllen len lor for exposing exposmg and treating peo peopIe peopie peopie pIe so cruelly crueJIy cruellyIt crueJIyIt It was a hoax all right but it Is Isstill isstill Isstill still often reprinted reprmted as a real wed weddmg wedding wedding dmg ding story perhaps the most famous famousone famousone famousone one ever eveI : ' written |