People are cruel. We have problems with bullying in our schools and workforce, and it is no different than what people experienced over 100 years ago.
“Town Goat” of Ames, Olka., Driven Insane By “Practical Jokes” of Village Cut-Ups [jokers]
Forty Prominent Citizens Are Sued for $50,000 by Wife of Man Crazed by Teasing
Ames, Okla., Nov. 9. — The village cut-ups are frightened; old men, little boys; staid, respectable business men and thoughtless youths are haunted on one side by a madman, and on the other by the fear of legal vengeance.
All because they “had to have their fun” as one of them expressed it. “Their fun” resulted in driving Abner Norman mad, stark, raving mad.
The process began several years ago, shortly after he had moved his little grist mill to Ames.
One particularly “bright” cut-up bethought himself of a “dandy joke to play on the old fellow.” He told the rest of them all about it at the corner grocery store.
The smart inventor of this joke got busy on it right away. He started a rumor that Abner allowed his dog to sleep at nights in the hopper of the mill. Another “joker” added “dog hairs were found in the corn meal.”
Abner had never paid much attention to the jokes played upon him before, but this one was different: it ruined his business.
Abner had but recently returned from Enid; the cut-up geniuses put over this one: First they fixed up a fake summons calling on Abner to appear in police court at Enid and answer to an alleged offense which he declared he had not committed. Abner could not read nor write, and thus was at the mercy of his “friends”.
They told him to call up the Enid police judge by telephone. He did, but the “funny fellows” had him connected with one of their kind, who told the miller if he would get a petition signed by his fellow townsmen he would be let off.
A leading merchant of Ames is alleged to have prepared this petition:
To the Hon. E.C. Woodenhead, Judge of the Police Court, Enid, Okla.
We, the undersigned citizens and taxpayers of the city of Ames, do hereby petition your most honorable court to dispose of the case against Abner Norman by throwing it clean and clear over the fence for the following reason, twit:
That Norman was formerly a mule buyer and got in the habit of handling the truth very recklessly.
That dog hair has been found in Norman’s meal.
That he has backslid from the Baptist church and has been seen to beat his wife and children and that he makes ugly faces at his wife.
Poor old Abner carried this mockery all over Ames, getting signatures. Then as his tormentors stood by barely able to restrain their laughter, the old man set off to Enid to present his petition to the police judge. The last of his small savings went to pay his expenses.
At Enid, Abner Norman handed his “petition” to the police judge who read it to Abner and told him that his fellow townsmen had probably “intended it for a joke.”
You can see why he shut himself up in his deserted mill and brooded and worried until he emerged with shattered mind.
Abner Norman went to the state hospital for the insane: his wife and children to Enid. Mrs. Norman set about to avenge the living death of her husband. There was but one way to do that. She has brought suit against some forty of the prominent citizens of Ames for $50,000.
Source: (1911, November 10). Town goat of Ames, Olka., driven insane by practical jokes of village cut-ups. The Day Book, pgs. 29-30.
