St. Landry democrat., 1885-01-03
M'CARLEY's SCOOP.
The "Mercury's" Great Sensation
and It's Sudden Collapse.

About two years ago was managing
editor Of the Daily Mercury, a journal
yet in its infancy, which was published
in the pretty little City Of N, q
busting place of $4,000 or $4,000 in
habitants in the Mississippi Valley. The
aforesaid journal was started with
abundant capital and with the express
purpose lin addition to reforming man
kind and thus placing its founders
names among those Of the wise and
famous of earth) of crushing out of
existence the Morning Item, a paper
which VIC sarcastically referred to as
''our esteemed morning contemporary, -
or to which we applied some other
equally appreciatiVe term that we were
sure would carry on its face our belief
in its being the Veriest falsehood. Our
hated rival was doing q good business
and VIC were not, a fact patent to all of
as, even down to the office boy and
"deyil. y We had been working hard
to secure share of the patronage be-
slowed on it, and our failure to make any
material progress in that direction may
have added somewhat to our enmity for
the Item. However, the stockholders,
who were amusing themselves by sup
plying the weekly deficit which the
book-keeper's statement of the Mr.
cury's business regularly exhibited,
had unbounded faith in the ultimate
success Of their enterprise, and had in
structed the manager to spare no ex-
pense in adding taking" features to
the journal. All that was needed, they
solaced themselves, was to be thorough
ly prepared for emergencies, and aston
ish the public on the occasion of the
first great sensation with the fullness
and promptness with which the M2t'-
cury would supply the minutest details.
Some such piece OF news must come to
light ere long, and to distance all COM
petitors would be to bring our paper
into notice as one of great enterprise,
and the start thus given would finally
place it on the top pinnacle of journal
istic success.
One night, as the hands on the big
clock over my desk warned me that
there barely remained three hours of
darkness, as the presses in the cellar
changed and elattered over the last
edition of their daily grind, the drowsy
office boy handed me card. Ii was
considerably soiled, and had written on
it in nervous hand, in pencil, 1T. Nc
Carley.o began to feel sleepy, and |
muttering anathematizations on poll |
ticians in general and Irish ward poll
ticians in particular who would make
calls at such an unseemly hour as this, / |
hurTiedly cleared off my desk, and put
ting on hat and coat, preparatory to go |
ing home, went into the outer Office |
where the caller had been told to wait.
/ found young Irishman, but not a
ward politician, as / had anticipated. / |
pride myself somewhat on my ability to I
read human nature, and think ] never
met face that impressed me more
fayorably than the one ! saw before
me then. A high forehead, with clearly
cut features; q large mouth and long
upper lip, which indicated his nation
aiity even though his name had not
done so; an abundance of lght-broWn
hair pushed well back; a pair of as
honest and intelligent eyes as / ever
saw slowed in a skull; an erect, 1.-the
figure, which showed his motive tenn
permanent and prepossessed me greatly
h his favor, al went to make man
who would instantly attract attention
n any place, and who would command
respect for his intelligence and power
without ever having spoken q word.
His story was soon told. a native OF
the Emerald Isle, where his family yet
lived. he had received 9 good education,