The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-01-01
MCARLEY'S SCOOP.
The "Mercury's" Great Sensation
and It's Sudden Collapse.

The Mercury's" Great Sensation
and It's Sudden Collapse.
About two years ago l was managing
editor of the Daily Mercury, journal
yet in its infancy, which was published
in the pretty little City of N, 8
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 Gin 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, paper
which we sarcastically referred to as
''our esteemed morning contemporary.
pr to which we applied some other
equally appreciative term that we were
ssure would carry on its face our belief
in its being the veriest falsehood. Our
hated rival was doing good business
and we were not, fact patent to all OF
us, even down to the office boy and
--'' devil" We had been working hard
ito 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 Mar
! cury's business regularly exhibited.
4 had unbounded faith in the ultimate
Success of their enterprise, and had in
/, strnoted the manager to spare no ex-
pensei in adding taking" features to
the Journal. All that was needed, they
solaced. themselves, was to be thorough
ly prepared for emergencies, and aston
ISL the public on the occasion of the
first great sensation with the fullness
and promptness with which the Mar
, curry 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 clattered over the last
edition of their daily grind. the drowsy
office boy handed me a card. 1t was
considerably soiled and had written on
it in a nervous hand, in pencil. IT. Nc
~Carley." l 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, ]
hurriedly 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 NV ability to
read human nature, and think never
met a face that impressed me more
fsvoraby than the one l saw before
me then. A high forehead, with clearly
cnt features; large mouth and long
upper lip, which indicated his nation.
atty even though his name had moi
done so; an abundance of Gght-browr
hair pushed well back; a 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 mar
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 proper age had beer
sent to London to take a course il
surgery. There he had been attracted
TO Journalism. and learning short
hand, had finally secured a position OF
one of the prominent London news.
papers. There he worked a year Oh
more, when, thinking to better his pros
poets. ne had come ito the States" a;
he expressed il He was a too thorough
Bohemian to be long contented in any
one place. and so, after knocking about
from one to another of the large cities
in this country for three or four year;
he had determined to return home AND
was literally working his way thithel
when he reached N without money
and applied to us for a position. An
important State election was to be hello
within a few months and | thought t.
myself: ''Here is chance to utterly
distance the Item; they haven't stem
ographer on their force. and with this
fellow to furnish us with verbatim re
ports of speeches during the campaign
excitement we can show the public
what enterprise is" Afterconsultatior
with the manager and listening TO hi
a space man" hired him in the latte
capacity, telling him the place woult
probably yield him but little for few
xeeks, but that as soon as the Guber