Show A club the joke that funny by FLOYD FLOTD GIBBONS famous headline hunter OU know k now boys and girls I 1 dont suppose anybody exactly relishes the idea of death for any reason but you cant get around the fact that some reasons for dying are more pleasant than others the long list of the worlds martyrs seems to suggest that death quite so terrible when youre dying tor for a good and worthy cause but on the other hand it must be pretty awful to be facing your doom on account of nothing more important than a practical joke what happened though to 0 o CHARLEY DI GIACOMO of paterson N J on march 8 1923 at the peoples bank in paterson death came for him riding on the butterfly wings of a laugh came for him at his place of business just as he be was getting ready to leave for the night it happened so suddenly that for a moment charley could hardy hardly realize what had happened he was putting his books away in the big vault when his friend bill another clerk in the bank called out hurry up charlie or ill lock you in then he heard the door click shut it was seconds before he realized that that ominous click meant death bills thoughtless gag threatens to smother charley bill meant to shut that door hed only been kidding only meant to close it part way but at the last moment the heavy portal had slipped from his hands too late he realized he had shut the door to an airtight air tight vault a vault in which a man could live only a few hours a bauli vault equipped with a time lock that be opened till the next morning bill called garret kuiken the he assistant cashier who was still in the bank kuiken called the fire department and the firemen called out halt half of paterson they got crews from the electric light company crews of structural iron workers and concrete workers they sent for an ambulance for they knew charley dt DI giacomo would need it before they got him out then they set i i to work with drills trying to punch a hole through the side of the vault while crew after crew arrived on the scene the firemen worked frantically but their labors were futile A bank vault is built to keep people out of it but it an easy thing to GET people out of and RR L 1 el 1 1111 C X C I 1 hurry harry up charley or ill lock you in meanwhile poor bill the cause of all the trouble was taken home in a state of collapse tormented by the thought that his joke had caused the death of his friend charley it looked as if the vault would be charleys tomb again the drills began clattering at the top of the vault would he live until they could get him out something charley dian didn t know himself when that door had closed on him it had taken him a few seconds to realize the gravity of his predicament when F Pre remembered that the door be opened till I 1 i the next morning he says 1 I was stunned for how long I 1 cannot say everything was quiet I 1 could hear bear the thumping of my heart I 1 felt alone and helpless like a man buried a thousand miles under ground I 1 pulled myself together I 1 knew I 1 must i keep calm the concrete workers arrived and a pneumatic drill was brought into play on the top of the vault after an hours work they succeeded in drilling a small hole in the top of the vault would charley still be conscious the president of the bank just came on the scene put his mouth to the hole and called axe are you all right boy there was no answer but after a moment a piece of twisted paper was thrust up through the opening on it was scrawled one word aurryl Hur there any air left tor for charley to breathe at first I 1 could breathe but I 1 knew that hat the air last 1 long 19 9 I 1 was standing up when they began to pound on the sides of the vault the din was so terrific that I 1 stuffed my fingers in my ears but I 1 was happy to know help had arrived the place seemed to be getting hot breathing began to be harder I 1 broke out in a cold sweat and got down on the floor where the air was better for hours I 1 lay jay there gasping for breath my body was feverish I 1 began to pray that they would be in time charleys lungs were aching he wa was s burning up inside As time went on breathing became almost impossible his tongue hung out and he licked at the side of the vault because it felt cool his head was spinning tears were rolling down his his face his stomach was turning and he thought he would go mad the cost of humor Is pretty high sometimes 1 I felt like dashing my head against the walls he says everything was getting hazy the end was near when I 1 looked up and saw a hole I 1 struggled to a chair stood on it and pushed a note through then I 1 fell to the floor unconscious it took them five hours to open a breach in that two foot thick wall of battleship steel charleys face was blue his eyes bulging and his tongue hanging out of his mouth when at last they got him out into the air his hearing was gone and he hea still can cant t hear as well as he once cc could uld for weeks he lay in bed recovering from the shock the doctors say he will never be quite the same sam e again and wont be able to do indoor work tor for many years its a pretty tough price to pay for another guys sense of humor service |