Omaha daily bee., 1886-09-12
OHIO SCOOPS THE COUNTRY.
A Youngstown News Hound opswis q
King and Takes the Pedro
A Successful Trick on the Emperor
of Brazil. and the Subseauent
Interview-A Spanish Grand
Bounce from tile Train.

porting the race is not always to the man
who draws a fat salary, or the battle to
him who travels with a stenog5apher.
These remarks do not constitute the in
roducton of sermon directed against
the sin of journalistic pride they simply
preface an anecdote, sad, simple, and all
too true, which believe has never vet
appeared in print
1t was ten years ago, more or less. that
his majesty Dom Pedro, emperor of Bra
I'll, developed desire 10 see the Yankee
elephant and set out, with all the dignity
and pomp betting his royal station, TO
make the grand tour OF the United States
He had carefully read the papers of the
land of the freedom, and was doubly
armed against the dangers, No fellow
traveller on the cars could hope to get a
rise from him, by dealing him four kings
and an ace in friendly game of euchre;
the man with an express package or a
lottery prize awaiting him, was as clay in
Pedro's hands, and if paseer on the
street chanced to find glove with a
ring in it, Pedro gently tapped his nose
and remarked that he was not in the
market for jewelry. One further and
unjust prejudice had the emperor; he
learned and Stunned the innocent re-
porter, with all the terror that marks
the bachelors flight from the mite So
ciety. He would not be interviewed and
SO that settled il, and as he was sur
rounded by grooms of the bedchamber,
royal rat catchers mobiles of the closet
and imperial body guardsmen, six feet
by two in size, with loaded muskets and
fixed bayonets, he was in position to
bring the average newsgatherer TO his
own view of the case.
The best and sharpest New York re-
porters were put on the assignment. They
secured places as walters, but he had his
own table servants; they hired OUT as
chambermaids, but the grooms of the i'm
perial bedchambers were not 10 be ousted
from office; they engaged themselves as
cabmen, policemen, barkeepers and
threw themselves in the path of royalty
at every turn, but all in vain.
At last came the time when Pedro
pointed his royal nose toward the reced-
ing star of empire and left New York.
He journeyed by special train, accom-
panied by his suite and watched over by
his faithful guards. Attached to the
Il ain was IA carload OF gilt-edged cores
pondents, not one of whom had ever been
within reach of the royal boot. The train
came west via the Erie and the Atlantic
4 Great Western, now the New York,
PENNSYLVANIA ~ Ohio roads. and near
Youngstown the emperor met his fate.
The city editor of the Youngstown
News was then man named Fassett
He had represented his paper at Colum.
bus, and had hit so hard at certain
statesmen as to come within an ace of
losing the privileges of the chambers. He
had scent for news that was something
wonderful; fecundity OF production APP
palling; and he wrote 4 hand of which,
it is true. as was said of Horace Greeley's,
that no editor or cOmpoSitor could handle
ii and be a Christian. have edited col.
umn after column of it, He dressed like
a reduced old clo'man, working off his
dead stock, and his hair and beard sug-
gested haystack as his habtual couch.
With it all, he was good reporter, a
good fellow, and every one, save the VIC
tins OF his terrible pen, thoroughly liked
him.
1t chanced that TodG, the war governor
of OHIO and a citizen of Youngstown,
had been the representative of the United
States at the court of Dom Pedro, and
that the emperor held him in the highest
esteem. Now, Fassett happened to
possess one of Todd's visiting cards, and,
brilliant idea striking him, he wrote his
name across the back, ran out to the
junction and awaited the train. When
it came he mounted the platform of the
imperial car and endeavored to enter,
but was halted by two crossed muskets.
Then he handed the card to one of the
soldiers, with Todd's name exposed
After short consultation in choice Rio
Janeiroese the captain of the guard was
summoned, took the card, disappeared,
returned, the muskets were raised, and
Fassett was obsequiously ushered into
the presence.
Dom Pedro was standing in the middle
of the car with smile of welcome on
his face. As he saw his cPller 1t faded
into look of puzzled surprise.
Il thought it was Mr. Todd he said.
NO" said Fassett; II am
"a friend of his, no doubt: be seated"
So the two sat 81 ie by side. The en-
periOr asked Fassett what tribe he be-
longed TO, and, finding he was not an
Indian, the conversation turned 10 mat
ters BraZilian-the resources, railroads,
parties, religion and prospects of the
country-the very pink of a perfect in
terview. So il went on for an hour, as
the train sped toward Cleveland, and
might have continued 10 the journeys
end, had not the emperor fired lot of
statistics at Fassett, which the latter was
afraid he should forget. just then Dom
Pedro turned his back for an instant,
and, in an evil moment, Fassett tired 10
take the figures down on his cuff, and
was detected by sudden movement OF
his companion The anger of the en-
peror was something terrible.
Are you a reporter he asked saw
agely.
Yes, your majesty, was the quiet. .un-
abashed answer. My name is tassett.
! am city editor of the Youngstown News
Here is my business card. / intended TO
tell you nj first but YOU took the words
ont of my mouth and didn't like TO con
tradict you
Miguel, shouted his majesty stop
PEI ei traneano et iirez ce traddetorel'
1t was done. Fassett was dropped be-
tween stations, but he caught on 10 the
platform of the press car and there he
was a lion. Joe Howard offered him $500
and Howard Carroll "a staff position to
duplicate his matter but he was ada
''scooped" the country A few years iaIer
the people of the Mahonng district arose
in their might and made Fassett state
senator.
Painful Incidents AT "a Funeral.
Pail Mail Gazette: The following nro-
ceedlngs are alleged 10 nave taken place
nj the lnlerment of man named Young,