The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-04-21
A HUGE JoKHm
How the "Miner" Reporter Was
"Joshed and Why the Per
petrator Laughs in His
Sleeve.

There are a class of men in every
community who consider it exceed
ingly "fy" to Josh the reporter"
They are generally men with minds
too narrow and perceptives too linz
tied to admit Of any conception ofthe
office or dignity Of a daily newspaper
as the purveyor of reliable Informal
ton for the benefit of the public; and
usually they are quickly spotted and
shunned by the news gatherer. Oc-
casionally. however, some man who
from his position in business, or APP
parent association with gentlemen,
is presumed to lay some claims to We
racity, assumes the role of JOSH"
and in such cases the reporter is easi-
ly deceived, but the man who under
the guise of q gentleman's word,
stoops to play a confidence game
upon the reporter, by which his silly
fabrication is made to pass current as
reliable news, loses his claim to the
title of gentleman and never has an
opportunity to play his game a Sec
ond time. To this species of conf
dence game is due the publication in
yesterday mornings MINER of the
report of an af1ray, which " &C.
CURED, in the Alice mine, in which
one miner was reported to be seri-
ously if not fatally injured by a blow
from a drill in the hands of another
miner. At three o'clock yesterday
morning as the MINER reporter was
OH his last round before going to
press, he met MI. w. I. Lippincott,
and was by him introduced to a gen.
tleman who was represented to be
Sheriff McDermott of Jefferson coun-
ty. Mr.. Lippincott stated to the
reporter that he had recently seen
Frank Shovelin, foreman of the Alice
mine, and had learned from him that
in an ARRAY which had occurred ear
lier that night in the winze from the
700 foot level of the Alice mine, a
miner had been struck with a drill
by another miner, fracturing his
skull and infictlng such serious inju-
ries that he would probably die.
The story had every appearance of
being genuine, and advantage vas
taken of the lateness of the hour
which precluded the possibility of
going to Vaudeville to obtain fur
ther particulars, which would have
exposed the deception.
The individual who was introduced
Sheriff McDermott. and whom it
has since been ascertained was not
Sheriff McDermott, was referred to
for confederation Of the story, and
corroboration by the supposed Off
cial removed from the reporters
mind any shadow of doubt
which he might haye entertained
as to the reliability of the report,
which has proven to be a pure tabri-
cation. MI. Lippin colt has occupied
honorable positions in Montana,
among them that of special cores
pendent tor several respectable jour.
mails, at the Capital, during the re-
cent session Of the territorial legisla-
ture. 1t vas not supposed that a
man who had occupied such rela-
tons to the press, would be willing
place himself in a position, upon
which every newspaper man must
look with contempt, nor could it be
supposed that he would be aided an d
abetted III a deception practiced
upon the press by a man who at the
time was believed to occupy the
position of Sheriff in his
home county. There can be nothing
smart about such deception as this.
could do the same thing
providing he had not the reputation
a liar and would be believed by
The reporter. There was no joke in
it. The results could not fail to be Of
serious character. A whole
community is for a moment
mortified by the report of
! terrible crime committed in
midst. The management of
one of our greatest mines is tempo
reflected upon. The officers of
the law are put to great inconven-
ience in hunting down the fraudu-
lent report. The journal which first
publishes the report is materially in
Iured and the entire territorial press
copies the item is placed in a
'alse position before their readers. If
Mr.. Lippincott sees any ''joke" in
al this, he must have a very pecu-
lar conception of the elements of