Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-03-12
M'CARLEY'S SCOOP.
The Mercury's" Great Sensation
and It's Sudden Collapse.

About two Years ago was managing
editor OF the Daily MercsrN, journal
yet in its infancy, which was published
in the pretty little City of N, a
busting place of $1,000 or $4,000 in.
habitants in the Mississippi Valley. The
aforesaid journal was started with
abundant capital and with the express
purpose Gin addition to reforming man
kind and thus placing its founders
names among those of the wise and
famous of carth) of crushing out of
existence the Morning lem, u paper
which we sarcasticaliy 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
N its being the veriest falsehood. Our
hated rival was doing good business
and we were not, a fact patent to all of
us. even down to the Office boy and
q: 10 A-c Z. Tie ,,..s. uti ace 81
slowed on it, and our failure tc make any
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-keepers statement of the Mur-
cpry'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 Mar
cary 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 enc of great enterprise,
and the start thus given would finally
place it on the top pinnacle of journal
! isic 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
\flanged and clattered over the last
Milton of their daily grind. the drowsy
ice boy handed me 4 card. 1t was
hsiderably soiled, and had written on
in a nervous hand, in pencil, IT. Nc
Erley." began to feel sleepy, and
uttering anathematizations on poll
tians in general and Irish ward poll
clans in particular who would make
hlis at such an unseemly hour as this, l
urrietily cleared off my desk, and put
ng on hat and coat, preparatory to GO
hg home, went into the outer Office
where the caller had been told to wait.
found young Irishman, but not
ward politician. as had anticipated. /
pride myself somewhat on my ability to
read human nature, and think never
met a face that impressed me more
favorably than the one i saw before
me then. A high forehead, with clearly
cut features: = large mouth and long
upper lip, which indicated his nation
ality even though his name had not
done so; an abundance of light-brown
hair pushed well back; pair of as
honest and intelligent eyes as l ever
saw slowed in skull; an erect. 1.-THE
figure, which showed his motive tenn
permanent and prepossessed me greatly
in his favor, all went to make man
who would instantly attract attention
in any place. and who would command
respect for his intelligence and power
without ever having spoken word.
His story WAS soon told A native of
the Emerald Isle. where his family Yet
lived. he had received good education.
and on reaching Il proper age had been
sent 10 London 10 take course in
surgery. There he had been attracted
to Journalism. and learning short
hand. had finally secured position on
one of the prominent London news
Oapers. There he worked year or
more. when. thinking to better his pros
poets, he had come ITO the States As
he expressed it. He was Il too thorough
Bohemian to be long eontented in any
sne place and SD, after knocking about
from one 10 another of the large cities
liz this country Cor three OF four years
he had determined to return home and
was literally working his way thither
when he reached N without money