The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-08-20
"THE MOUSE TRAP"
The Story of a Newspaper Car
rier's Love For
MILLIoNAIRES DAUGHTER.
to Ruin the Boy Accomplished
The Denouement
Especial to THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Cable


tertiary are about to be opened and restore
was that he loved and won the heart of a
millionaire's daughter. The facts in the
case of the Inflated young man will more
than support the marvellous fiction of ED
mund Dantes, "whose story involves besides
the barbaric cruelty of plutocrat, the dis
grace of once great newspaper and the
added shame of an already disgraced ed
itor.
The editor began his business career S a
book agent, and accomplished a small for
tune. 1t was by means of his fortune that
he gained control of a newspaper made
famous by the Vicissitudes of its existence
since the death of its founder and propri-
etor. The new editor sought to rebuild the
papers fallen fortunes, but steadily it lost
its prestige and receipts. The time came
when it was necessary to raise a large sum
of money to keep the paper on its legs. The
editor became Napoleon of finance" He
organized new company, of which he was
made president, and lured his friends into
the sinking ship, but thousands and tens of
thousands could not stop the leak. In a
short time new financial turn became i'm
perative.
The editor talked to people who wanted
the franchise, and gave his notes for $780,,
600. After awhile the notes fell due. The
editor said he would pay them when certain
real estate transactions then pending were
completed. Many times he made the same
excuse, and constantly the affairs of the
editor and his paper became more compi-
Gated. One day while the editor sat at his
desk visitor called. He was relative of
the holders of the EDITORS notes and came
as their representative. 81 give you, y said
the visitor, lone hour in which to meet
that note or prepare to go to jail.n
To raise 100000 in any time would
have been difficult enough; to raise it in an
hour was impossible. 1T wont help mat
tiers any to send me to jail, - said the editor.
Them said the visitor, ''take your pen
and make over to me all your real estate,
all your personal estate and everything.
Do this, and will give you fifteen days in
which to make your note good and cancel
this document
The editor complied and his visitor de.
parted Then the editor bestirred himself
and demonstrated how eaay it must have
been for him to make q fortune selling
books. He found a friend whom he had
thus far overlooked and got $40, 900. He
went to contractors who had large NUM-
cipal axe to grind and rendered the needed
newspaper influence and got $4,000 more.
From various sources came contributions
which swelled the total to over ninety
thousand dollars Then the eX- book agent,
with only six more days to his credit, be-
gan to fear that his hand had lost its cum
ming. Accident favored him Another
/ bod ,1rnortha1 ba
sensation which consisted of the plutocrat
| of this history. 1t was matter of gossip
which reached the book agents ears that
| the sensation would never be given to the
public for the reason that the man of
wealth, upon being interviewed, had said,
"If you publish such an article, will be
justified in killing YOU"
The ex-book agent had come honestly by
his title: threats of killing were of no con-
sequence. He put four of his best men to
work and in three days was in possession
of the other papers story, whose truth was
abundantly attested by the names, dates
and certified copies of legal documents.
Omitting the names, the story was ma
terially as follows:
Frank Donahue, an Industrious fellow.
scarce eighteen years of age, became, some
eighteen or twenty months ago, the owner
of profitable newspaper carriers route in
fashionable residence portion of the city.
One of his patrons was millionaire manu-
facturer whose residence was the most
imposing on the young carriers route
Every morning he left a paper inside the
heavy oaken outer hall door of the mil
ionaire's residence.
He arrived at this point of his route
nearly as soon as it was light, before even
servants were astir. For long time he
saw no one; the handsome residence might
have been deserted for aught he knew.
Finally, one morning as the young carrier
was leaving the grounds after depositing
his paper inside the vestibule, he heard the
sound of window being opened. Glanc-
ing back he saw regarding him, smiling
from second story front window, a
young girl of charming though rather
childish features, and the loveliest
blonde curls the carrier thought he
had ever seen. The girl was smiling at
him, there conld be no mistake, so he
touched his cap politely and went on his
way Next morning the girl was at the
window, and the next andsthe next. The
diffidence of the carrier began to wear off,
and one morning when the girls nod was
particularly encouraging and her smile
particularly bright, he dared to throw
kiss as he closed the front gate. Instantly
to his intense delight the girl waited kiss
frorl the tips of her pretty fingers and
he Silly closed the window. During the
next twenty-four hours the enraptured
carrier scarcely slept or ate. Next morn
ing he reached the residence fully half an
hour earlier. There was no face at the
window and he was in despair. He walked
up the front steps and dropped the paper in
the vestibule. AT that moment the hall
door opened half way and the carrier
thought he must be dreaming. Standing
back in the hall, dressed in lovely flowing
silk morning gown, smiling at him, with
finger on her rosy lips, was the girl
of the window, the millcnaire's
sixteen year old daughter. Three
short delicious minutes they stood
with clasped hands, then they fed. After
that he grew holder. There was good
hour before any one in the house would be
astir; there was absolutely no danger Of
detection; why should they not enjoy that
hour? Then the carrier learned what had
all along puzzled hlm-why millionaire's
daughter should desire the attention of a
newspaper carrier. She was victim to
the DEGREES of fashion. She was too old to
be allowed that license of child and too
young to have any part in the social relaxa-
lions of adults. There had long been rebel
lion in her heart. She saw that the carrier
was strong, gocdlooking and manly and
smiled upon him. first in coquetry, then in
interest, then in affection. Now she loved
him, told him so and shyly allowed him to
kiss her twice every morning. One morn
ing the girl was pensive and preoccupied.
The carrier referred to the change of mood,
and tenderly insisted on being told the rea-
son of it. Reluctantly she replied:
81 am almost sure we have been observed.
You must come earlier and we must be
very careful"
That very day the carrier received a
note from the millionaire manufacturer
asking him to call at his office. He went
with some misgiyings, but bravely. There
was a long talk in the manufacturers