The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-10-14

representative at police headquarters
Some Of The papers keep two men,
50 that /: something Of importance
occurs at late hour there may he two
men TO rusk after IL without the loss Of a
moment. except to telephone the Office
/ that another reporter must be sent to
cover Headquarters This work is called
tho police" and Is divided into day and
night duty. There are no more keen,
sharp, "hv" men in the detective forces
Of our large cities than these same police
reporters. Hundreds of stories could be
told Of their wit and slrewdness. Of their
courage and audacity. One will suffice
-.
just as his paper was about 10 60 10 press
one morning a city editor heard that there
had been a sensational suicide at a lead
ing hotel. This was >riyate information
which did not come through the police,
and therefore there was a chance that the
other papers would not hear of it. If
there is any thing that makes n city
editors blood run warm it is an oppor-
tunity Of this sort. Hastily telephoning
his might police" reporters. he told them
the rumor and babe them Jump into a cab
and get to the l. hotel as quickly as
possible but to make sure they were not
followed by other reporters. Then he
whistled down stairs to have the presses
held few minutes His two young men,
after leaving headquarters lazlly and Sc
curing a cab block or two away, drove
with all speed TO the hotel. There was
a little excitement in the office, though
only few persons were awake at that
hour The reporters entered and wanted
TO know where she was The clerk met
them with a calm gaze and fine blum
He did not know what the young men
wanted, and when told of the suicide de-
MED that any such thing had occurred in
the house. But the reporters were not 10
bc buifed away. They ran upstairs and
found two or three porters standing be
fore ono Of the rooms. whispering mys
tcriously. No policemen were on hand.
Have the police been notiiedy' asked one
Of tho reporters Of a porter Yes -
But VIC can't wait for the police. said
the other reporter, for our paper must
60 10 press in ten minutes No. we
can't wait. and won't. replied the first.
So they burst open the door Of the bed
room A strange scene lay before them.
Every gas jet in the room was lighted
in the middle Of the chamber in big
chair sat a young and beautiful woman,
handsomely dressed with her head
bent forward on her breast and the
blood oOzing from . hole IN her head and
trickling down over her immaculate Ger
ments and snowy skin The reporters
wcro the first 80 touch her They lifted
her head that they might see her face.
They pulled opcu her eyes to get their
color They pried'open her clenchcd fists
TO ascertainif any notes were held therein.
They pulled of her rings and noted the
initials engraved therein. They searched
her dressing case for proof Of her identity
or CORES pondcncc which might throw
light upon The mystery. ia lgc minutes
the scene was photographed upon their
minds. They had even the monogram
from thecOrnerCf her handkerchief which
one had drawn from her bosom-a bosom
in which there was vet warmth but no
life The quick eve Of the reporter had
not failed to observe that the dead
woman wore fine silk stockings and that
throughout her attire was # the richest
and finest. as if she had dcckcd herself in
her best before firing the fatal shot. Just
as the police arrived the young men
rushed down stairs i fcw questions q
the clerk and they jumped into their cab.
On the way 20 the Office thev agreed upon
a division Of the work of writing At
their desks two pencils flew over paper as
rapidly as nervous, eager men could push
them As fast as ono Of them wrote
dozen words the city editor snatched the
sheet away and vhiskcd It upstairs to- the
printers Another man wrote the head
lines. In ten minutes all had finished.
H. ten minutes more the papers were roll
ing from the press papers which con
tanned threc-Quartcrs Of column OF
double loaded account Of the suicide.
The first part Of that account was
wTtten by one reporter the other
half by another Neither crossed tho
track Of tho other. You could not tell
where one began and the other left of.
1t was "a spirited. graphic. factful nara
tive How did the city editor hear Of the
case so quickly By the kindness of
night porter whom hc had once belriended.
This porter ran ont of tho hotel 20 a drug
store and tclcphoncd the news while the
woman was dying The reporters arrived
before her body was cold That was
called luck beat, and luck It was. but
there was the Intelligence, the nerve, the
skill 10 take advantage Of the luck and
make the most OF it, That is newspaper
genius. e.
AT o'clock in the evening We get
glimpse Of the whole process Of news
paper making The dramatic editor, the
musical editor, the railroad editor, the
commercial editor and his assistants. the
real estate editor, the art writer, the lit
crary editor, the exchange editor, the
sporting editors, end all those persons
who work during the day OF departments,
are Just finishing or still making their
copy From the hands Of the editor
in.chief come the editorials which the sta4
has prepared In their rooms a dozen re-
Porters are grinding cut accounts Of the
events which they weie sent 10 cover
Telegraphic dispatches begin pouring in
by the hundred. and t. small boy, not
more than four feet high, soon leaves the
desk with Il bushel basket full of manu-
scripts in lis arms He walks upstairs
into a great room where hundreds Of gas
lights and scores Of electric lights make
the scene rs light a. day, and where l25
printers are just beginning work before
type cases which cover half acre Of
ground.
The making of a newspaper is not such