I am researching John Wilkes Booth and have come across a story by his sister, Asia Booth Clark.  It describes a game that they would play, an excerpt follows:

"One summer evening when the streets were dusky, and the inhabitants seated, as was customary in our city, on their doorsteps and porches in the cool air, a crowd of young people were engaged in playing "telegraph".  This was a firework line stretched from one of the neighbor's tree to that of another across the road.  The line had carried the firework successfully, sent in turn by six or seven different boys, when Wilkes' turn came.  He fixed the wire to one of our maples, and to the paper mulberry tree opposite a man had unobserved walked under it, and his hat was caught.  He called out angrily, but without showing much annoyance, and disappeared.  As the telegraph was fired, and Wilkes was about unfastening the wire from the maple, a constable caught his shoulder..."


Does anyone know what this "firework" is that is being referred to?  


Tony Dingman
 
Program Specialist
Frazier International History Museum
829 West Main St
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 753-5665  (tel)
(502) 587- 0941 (fax)
[log in to unmask]
www.fraziermuseum.org
  

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).