Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-12-13
REP0RT0RIAL RIVALRY.
A Brilliant Series Of Startling Items, Evolved
from the FAneiful Brains Of the RsportoFlal
Profession.

Itis interesting to watch the struggles
Of the reportorial fraternity IN their en-
deavors 10 furnish forth a sufficient guam
tity Of their startling and sustaining
items. The vast materlal lot wonder
items and unlimited resources Uf the me-
tropolltan are a constantly goading thorn
In the side Of The rural editor. Tuat
daily harvest Of horrors that Is garnered
from the purleus, the slums aud uy.ways
Of great city, aud that Dever-ftiliug
source, the police court, sometimes dhyes
the country rival to desperation, Cut of
from these urban sources Of supply 10
this department, he Is thrown back upon
himself, and ia forced 10 rely upon the
vividness Of his imagination. Once or
twice month, according to the amount
OF strain his ganglionie functions Will
endure the scarcity OF items, he retires,
big with some idea In the way oi the
Wonderful, into his Inner Consciousness,
and at length reappears, weak aud weary,
bu' flushed and triumphant, barring ten
derly the fruits OF his laburs lone Of
those items about a sneeted ghost,
three.leEged hen, or Il seven. hundred
pound pumpkin, that are 30 cheering and
comforting.
Tae.lasl season In this particular has
/ been an active and exhaustive one, for
the rural reporters especially. washing
toms nurses and body servants have be-
c lme drug 10 the market. That Bra
zilian yarn about man 924 years old,
/ Knocked she etufIlng out Of all the old
people stories. Big turnips ana beets,
/ three feet cucumbcrs, fruit tees bosom
ing the fourth ana nth time, and
vegetable oecentrlctles generally, have
not seemed to take very we'll. ln spite
/ Of these drawbacks the uetessili-s OF the
emergency have 10 stimulated the inven-
/ tive faculties that tue sea,On has been a
brilliant success.
/ LIT Us lcok on the feld a little. Early
in the season he Selma tAla.) Tunes
started of lamely with a sweet potato
six feet aud two inches long. The Muir
freesboro' (Tenn.) Nomtor met tins with
An sold mare whO ate chickens and
ducks and bacon, &C. Then a Virginia
/ City (Ncv.) editor, of lmaginaron all
compact, produced d0mesticatcd wood
chuck who got drunk and cheated at
poker; and the Sau BernaIdlno (Cal)
Gaurdian went HIN two better with a
two.h headed snake. These successes erea-
ted tremendous rivalry and the scene
now became exciting, SO much so as 10
carry away several city papers that
ioued In the fray. The Evansville (lrd }
Journal, the Bowling Green (Ky.)
Dsnioerdt, the Troy (N " Times, The
Rutland (Vt.) Herald, the Philadelphia
Telegraph and the ST Paul (Mnn } Press
wen. back to Arst prln .iples and engag d
ia a mad rivalry In the eho-t line. Tie
Brooklyn Eagls worked up the very stale
story Of the girl who lived ten years
without eating. The Lexington (Mo.)
Cdueasidn struck IN charac c.eTistically with
a child born with a tail. A Waverl7
(Tenn.) payer sang of an "egg within
an egg'' laid BY an eccentric heu Of hat
place. The Fort Wayne (Ind.) Sf,ti'tel
irotted out boy who pulled an eighteen
inch snake from his stomach. TheWeston
(Va) Democrat struck a new lead with q
new. born baby, whose mother was e3
years old and whose father was "a Ine
Louisville COurhr-Jouraal did not make
very great sensation with its story
Of a cat that gave birth to three
SQUIRRELS. The Turf, Feid and Farm
tuen told about a colt which climbed tu
the rldgc-poes of barns and beamed
pleasantly upon psssers.hy. and after TIA
the Lebanon (Ky.) STANDARD felt equal to
the task Of lelnug about a girl baby born
With a eLiguon. Made desperate by this,
the Wnerly (rern.) min clme back
with ELK tape worms inside one sheep,
and Fayetteville (renn.) demonstrated
with ''rooster With three appreciaole
leRs." The Cleveland Plaindedlsr brought
out its mouse which cnewed up S2OO IN
greenbacks, and the Evansville CONrisi
came up smiling with the boy wAI
couehed up gold dollar. The Brsitlo'
t.....- FKrt \ p.aas.T .4srf.1nIaF ID Trunk NsniqI
injured iaGy " bo was standing y "upOl
her head" and The Kansas City Time!
followed with bustle bursting up wit
direful results. The Etle {PA.) Dipaicl
Introduced to notice streak OF NgnLuiul
which entered that office and knocked
the devil down stairs, and The Frankll
(Ky.l Pofriot recitrd htlle story abou
n horse that committed suicide. TneI
the San Diego (Cal } Union got Ara
bian Nights" on the brain, and tol'
about deyil-hsh In porter bottle whicl
on being taken out, expanded II loot
Two in diameter. This the Burlington
Gas.tts knocked into the shade with IL
htle prairie chicken story how the!
settled, {" head and tail" in long lines OF
telegraph wires, amt how ehrewd hunter
, fred double barrelled guns down edcl
aide of the wire and Knocked oil coupl
hundred heads. A report from La Edync
of man with the head OF scotcl
terrier aroused the struggling editorla
, fraternity 70 increased exeitiuns, and IN
I Whitehall q. Y } Times capered madl
=, to the front with a rat that sat by
sleeping baby and with It's tall whiske'
away the flies and not satisfied Wit
, this busy fight OF the Imagination, Ven
, into the sea serpent business, which
. though an old "lay" it worked up VIII
, consummate genius.
But the Imaginative heroes are to-
. many, the roll Of honor too long for u
: to mention all and after carefully con
sideling all the rival claims Of " iuteileC
tual inventors" we calmly ana sad
=, award the prize TO the john town Volcs
! That PAPER tel of lady, Mr.. y. q
! suspiciops), living in Keinyihe, VIII
4 soltened anegg-sheli With vinegar, force
4 il into IL tcmyohu, and hatch,d II there
: She has a &C cd healthy hen In her dem
: iuhn. The Voice says It intends 10 oottl
> an American eagle for the Ccntennia
= We presume, for he ineubatory obstael
: she might be induced TO ny IL with
!, baby. The Voice says, Nobody nee
! believe this If thoy don't choose" "
!, are glad of this Got that We would thin
q OF doubling the story, but i sort OF - le
Us out" as il were.- CVi. Daily Ibnei'