When pranks
go wrong
Everyone knows April Fool’s jokes are meant to be harmless fun,
but what happens when the fun goes too far? With April Fool’s
Day just around the corner, we have found a few of the worst
jokes from years gone by that went horribly wrong.
The Train Joke -1844
During the final week of March placards
appeared around Dublin advertising
a free train ride on April 1st to all who
desired it, transporting passengers
to the town of Drogheda and back.
Early on the first of April a large crowd
gathered at the station. As a train
approached, the crowd surged forward,
eager to secure their free seats. But the
conductors and overseers intervened
to keep the people away from the train,
informing them that there was no free
ride. The crowd grew displeased, and
a riot broke out. “The labourers on the
road supported the overseers—the
victims fought for their places, and
the melee was tremendous.” The
following day a number of people went
to the police station to lodge official
complaints, but the police dismissed all
complaints “in honour of the day.”
The Procession of Animals Joke - 1866
On 1st April several hundred people showed up at the
gates of the London Zoological Society demanding
entrance. Unfortunately, the Society was closed that day, it
being Easter Sunday, and the guard refused to admit them.
However, the members of the crowd insistently showed
the guard their tickets and again demanded entrance.
The tickets, had cost them one penny each (considerably
cheaper than the usual sixpence admission), and read:
“Subscribers Tickets—Admit bearer to the Zoological
gardens on Easter Sunday. The procession of the animals
will take place at 3 o’clock, and this ticket will not be
available after that hour.—J.O. Wildboar, Secretary. “
The guard explained to the crowd that the tickets were
not valid, and that they were all victims of an April Fool’s
82
Day prank. Upon hearing this, the crowd grew restless
and began to insist that they had paid their admission and
were determined to see the animals of the zoo all walk in
procession at 3 o’clock. Soon it became apparent that a
riot was going to ensue unless these people were admitted,
an extra force of constables had to be called who then
dispersed the crowd.
The Zoological Society investigated the prank and
discovered that the tickets had been sold by Mrs. Sarah
Marks, a bookseller. The Society pressed charges against
Mrs. Marks, but withdrew them when she wrote a letter
apologising for her behaviour. Mrs. Marks’ prank recalled
an old London custom of giving tickets to out-of-towners
on the 1st April granting them admission to see the feeding
of the lions at the Tower of London. The out-of-towners
would expectantly journey down to the Tower to see the
feeding, only to learn that no lions were kept in the Tower.