The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1885-03-14


breast pocket with the air of man who
had achieved great exploit.
''HOw much do you want for it?"
what will you giveP"
"Tll give you thousand dollars"
al think can get more than that"
whats your figure?" said the Times.
Fifteen hundred
''Give you twelve hundred and fifty"
Fifteen hundred, and not a dollar
less"
Up to this time not a word had been
said as to what the document was for
which such spanking price was de-
manded. 1t afterward TRANSFERRED that
the stranger, who had laid his plans to
steal copy of the message, had a single
interview on the street the night before
with the Tribune correspondent, and he
had agreed to give the latter the first
chance to buy his plumber. He was not
familiar with the Row. and when he
came to deliver the goods he went into
the wrong Office. The Times man was
shrewd enough to take in the situation
from the outset As indicated by the
conversation he feigned full knowledge
of the arrangement. Feeling assured
that the three papers would back" him
he determined that if it was the message
that the man had he should not take it
away with him.
'.Are You positive there is no other
copy out?"
"Pledge, you my word on it" said the
stranger"
Lay it down here" said the Times,
''call around Monday morning and
you'll get your money, on condition
that no other newspapers have it,"
"All right" said the stranger, and
thereupon he laid upon the correspond
ent's table printed copy of the Presi-
dents message, and departed. The
Times man quickly thrust it into his
pocket and fastened to find his part
ners" of the Chicago Times and Gin
cinnati Enquirer. There was great re-
joicing as they perfected their plans for
getting the message off to their respect
i've papers without its leaking out. The
least slip in the arrangements might
prove fatal. In order that they might
not excite suspicion along the Row they
hired for the night room at the Ebbitt
House, which they used as their ''head-
quarters" They decided to admit the
Boston, Globe into the combination.
which would make the cost of the mes
sage 1915 to each of the four papers,
the additional expense to each for tele-
graphing it as special being about
800. The Globe man wired his paper
on the subject aud received reply that
he might give $3.50 and no more. The
other fellows refused to let the Globe in
unless it would pay its full share; so
the Boston people did not have the mes
sage to mix with their bean-porridge.
In the meantime the New York, Chi
cago and Cincinnati papers had tele
graphed their representatives fully ap-
proving the arrangement, and telling
them to secure it at any price. The
most discreet of their number was out
to privately interview the manager of
the telegraph Office, and invoke upon
him all the curses in the calendar if he
permitted anybody in that Office, through
which it must go, to ''give it away"
The precious copy was deposited in
his hands with full instructions, and the
three lucky journalists sauntered down
along the Row. They called upon their
friends, the wretched correspondents of
old fogy journals, who had not enter
prise enough to do so easy thing as
getting Presidents Message two days
ahead of time. They inquired for '.news"
as if they had not already furnished'
their papers with just as much as they
could handle, and asked despairingly if
anybody had heard anything about the
message. All this time the ten or twelve
thousand words were chasing each other
over half dozen wires to each of the
three cities,
Next morning the Row showed early
signs of animation. The representatives
of the two Illnesses and the ENQUIRER
knew the boys would be around betimes
to continue with redoubled vigor their
hunt for the message, as this would be
the last day of grace. Conscious of the
entire success of their scheme the three
met by appointment and went down the
Row to see the boys and hear the re-
turns come in.
Half a dozen able journalists were
standing in front of General Boynton's
Office. As the trio came up they ac-
costed the former with:
''Have you got on to the message
yet?''
mo, have you?" was the reply.
s'Well," said the New York man, Il
sent it to the Times last night"
There was stare of wild amazement
on the faces of the disguised group.
Their eyes opened still wider when the
two others chimed in:
1.-THE Cincinnati people are all read
ing it in the Enquirer this morning"
me. too" said the Chicago Times
man.
And those who ''got Left walked
sadly away. At that time there was
nothing on earth that had any interest
to them.
AS the three heroes of the hour
walked up the street they met the COR
of the ChicaUo Tribune II