Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1889-11-16


Lately he had decided that he woolo
strike out for original me thods and thus In, $,
crease his salary. He had noticed how wen
1t paid to do the detective-reporter style OF
work. and so he til ought he would 90 some
OF 1t. He had come on from an inferior
city. and other newspaper men had toio
him that to get on rapidly he shouiu 10
some difficult thing and then write 1t up.
Other people had tried in New YORK. out
failed because they just tackled the oid re-
liable stock OF dime museums. elevated rall-
road. Castle Garden. and the park-so ne
ought to do some daring and dangerous
act. after which he could write itup and get
big pay for it.
He tried it gently by riding on street car
all day and talking with the driver and con,
looking driver and bright conductor OIL a
Broadway car and rode all one afternoon
with them. getting good stories from both.
while he rode first on the front and then on
the rear of the car. Each man told him OF
the hardships Of his position. The driver
said that, though a young man. he had
quite family at home. and that on his sal
airy he found it very difficult to clothe the
little ones, to say nothing OF sending them
to school His wife was blind. having lost
her sight from the effects Of oyerwork with
her needle at night without sufficient light,
so that the little ones were practically Or
phans. He had a long. hard days work to
do. after which he had to cook enough for
the next day. and mend the children's
clothes while they were in bed. And yet
the company locked him at every possible
point. and abused him if he dared to Sit
down to drive on a dull day.
The conductor told a sad story OF pr1va-
ton also. He said he had only one little
girl. but she was cripple. The child had
come one day to bring his dinner to MIN,
and on the way had been run over by a
brewery wagon loaded with glucose beer
a fat Hrivor hn onn6notOr haard her
scream and ran to her in time to snatch her
out from under the hind wheels, but the
other wheels ran over her and injured her
spine. Now he had to leave her at home
all day in charge of his wifes mother. who
was paralyzed on one side and an habitual
drunkard on the other.
Yes. he said, the company docked him
for the time he was absent when he ran to
save his little girl. though he only lost o1e
trip. He was not complaining man, he
said. but sometimes it seemed hard. The
reporter made copious notes, and that
night made two columns of the story for
the Sabbath paper.
When it appeared all the papers made
fun of him, because both the driver and
conductor of that car were reporters. who
were also getting a5erial for their jour-
nails, and when they saw that he was Sc
curing Information for publication they
proceeded at a rapid rate to fill him up.
and. even as the reporter was listening to
the smooth and fearful tale of the driver.
the conductor was thinking up what he also
would tell him.
In the afternoon the editor told him that
he would not do. You ought to know
better than that" he said. You have made
US a subject OF mirth. for the other papers
have got their stories direct from the
driver and the conductor of the same car.
and the worst of it is that they tell all
about how they loaded you up with prop
erty facts and low. course falsehoods. You
ought to know better than to Show your
note book. anyway. unless you want to be
done up. Now. go and act at once. and do
something creditable. or go away and
never come back any more. 1 am sick and
tired of people who have no originality Of
thought. Why do you not lead a life of
shame or murder some one. and write it up
for us?"
The reporter said he would do the best
he could. He began by taking drink at
a place where you can get a cocktail. q
fresh egg. and bowl of bread and milk.
with music and a shave. for ten cents.
When we stop to consider that tie cost OF