Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1859-09-24
a REPORTERS JOKE.

uOiSaE uihNub III lIlsumuH, anu o Cele-I
brated Parliamentary reporter, attached to the
London Morning Chronicle some fifty years ago,
was as remarkable for his humor as his profess
sional ability. Whenever any one offended Nor
gan, or got out of favor with him, he invariably
retaliated in the way Of some practical joke, that
generally placed his antagonist in a very ridicu-
lous position and afforded the humorist satisfac-
ton. In this way he once "got even" with two
individuals at the same time, who had excited his
ire-namely, the celebrated Wilberforce, then a
leading member of the opposition in Parliament,
and one Jack Finnerty, a Parliamentary reporter
of the Morning Herald. Finnerty was fresh from
Tipperary, and quite unacquainted with the char
acteristics of the different members of Parliament,
but he received a good deal Of generous profess
sional assistance at the outset of his career from
Morgan O'Sulliyan. Ga the occasion now refer.
red to, Finnerty came into the reporters gallery,
at a period of night when the debates seemed to
have slackened; he concluded to take a doze on one
of the benches, and requested his friend to wake
him up if anything lively came before the House,
and thereupon went off to sleep. Presently MI.
Wilberforee got upon his legs. and addressed a
thrilling speech before the House.
As he progressed, a mlschievous idea seized
Morgan OSullivan. which, as soon as Wilberforce
sat down, ne proceeded to put in practice, thus
Rousing Finnerty from his slumber on the bench
es, O'Sullivan exclaimed, Jack, Wilberforcs has
just made on extraordinary speech" "What
about ?" returned Finnerty, rubbing his eyes,"
About the potato; the effect OF it on national vi
~yacity-the great virtues of it as an article of pop
ular diet; proved that the finest kind of men were
reared on it, far superior to the Epglish."-"W:l-
berforce said that, did he ?" exclaimed Finnerty;
come let me take his remarks in full from your
notes." with pleasure, my dear fellow" re-
piled O'Sullivaa, who commenced as if reading
from q notebook, whilst Finnerty eagerly wrote
after him, in the following vein :-"Mr. Wilber-
force then empha.ically remarked, that it always
appeared to him beyond a question, that the great
cause why the Irish laborers, as a body, were so
much stronger and capable Of enduring SO much
more fatigue that the English, arose from the sur
passing virtues of their potato" That's what |
call eloquence," interrupted Jack Finnerty. Nor
gan resumed, "And l have no doubt continued
Mr.. Wilberforce, that had it been my lot to have
been born and reared in Ireland, where my food
would have principally consisted of that inestima-
BILE root, instead of being the poor, infrm, shrivel-
led and stunted creature you, sir, and honorable
gentlemen behold me, l would have been q stout.
3 athletic, handsome man, able to carry an enor-
nous weight" well done, Wilberforce," ex-
claimed Jack, in high glee, "go on. Morgan"
: OSuliivan then proceeded in the same vein of pa
Q thos and absurdity, but adroitly keeping within
0 the bounds that Finnerty's ~credulity would swal-
low, until be had placed a most whimsical speech
r in the mouth of the grave and earnest Wilberrorce
o Finnerty with many expressions of thanks to his
Q brother reporter, started for the Herald Office.
$ On his way turning into a tavern close BY the
r House of Commons, where q number of reporters
+ of the different morning papers were regalina
s themselves, here Jack furnished them all with
s copies of 'Wilberforce's speech" aid The hoax
0 found its way the next morning into every paper
! in London, with The exception Of the Morning
Chronisle, to which, as a matter of course. the
0 correct report was furnished by O'Suilivan. The
0 public were astounded at the extraordinary
p speech which, according to all the papers, Mr..
Q Wilberiorce had made, and the general opinion
s was expressed that he was a candidate for
Bedlam.
The following evening, on the speaker taking
the chair, Wilberforce rose and claimed the in.
} diligence of the house. Every honorable mem
WI no fouJ u dOuUtiteS T6du the sDeccl
which | am represented as having made on the
previous night. With the permission of the house
| will read it," Here the honorable gentleman
read the speech amidst the most d~eafening roars
of laughter.) II can assure honorable members
that no one could have read this speech with
more surprise than I myself did this morning
when l found the paper on my breakfast table.
For myself, personally. I care but little about il
though, if we're capable, of uttering such non
sense as is here put into my mouth, it is high time
that, instead of being a member of this house. j
were an inmate OF some lunatic asylum. 1t is for
the dignity of this house that l feel concerned
for if the honorable members we're capable of lis,
tening to such nonsense, supposiug me capable Of
giving expression to it. it were much more appro-
pirate to call this a theatre for the performance
Of larces, than a place for the legislative deliber-
atoms OF the representatives Of the people," This
was only one of the many instances in which
Morgan O'Sulliyan paid of, to his hearts content,