St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-16

that if Miss Bly, could interview Mrs.
Carnegie such service might be accept
able. Small hope was held out that
success would attend this effort. as the
most experienced New York interview
ers mad trird it and failed. "Miss Bly,
started ia, and by perseverance and the
exercise of little feminine diplomacy
obtained complete and exhaustive
talk with the bride, touching upon every
women readers.
Like all beginners in newspaper work
in the big city. "Miss Bly," speedily
reached that period when it appear ed
that there was not single new thing
under the sun to write about. She
thought and thought, and tried and
tried, but met rebuffS at every turn.
She was boarding at a modest little
boarding house way up in Harlem,
where the fare was just about generous
enough to support life, because of the
moderate price paid for it. Cheap as
this living was, it could not be paid for
without an income. The little store of
money that the girl had boarded was
becoming rapidly exhausted. She was
indebted to her landlady and could not
meet the obligation. To make matters
worse miss BLY," one day lost her
possessed in the world.
This misfortune did not discourage
her. however, and she was too proud to
make her loss known. Every day she
walked six to eight miles because she
had actually no money to pay car fare.
The situation began to look desperate.
Days were slipping bv and the board
bill was growing. Something had to be
done: so, without much hope of success,
letters of introduction were obtained
from Joe Howard to every editor in
New York. After struggle and the
exercise of most extraordinary amount
of patient perseverance, Interviews
were obtained with the editors or edi-
tors-in-charge of the Herald, the Sun,
the Times. and the Tribune. Not one
"NelIie Bly," would be profitable in
vestment. The old and favOrite method
of politely disposing Of the applicant by
taking her name and address was
adopted, and Miss Bly, was informed
that if her services were needed she
would receive notification by mail.
IN AN INSANE ASYLUM.
Then the young woman. who refused
to be disheartened, betook herself to the
Office of the World and secured an
audience with Joseph Pulitzer. 1t took
the proprietor of the World about tif-
teen minutes to make up his mind that
"Nellie Bly," might be made useful. He
engaged her, and for her first assign
ment she was directed to visit the de-
partment for the insane on Blackwell's
island, Ostensibly as an insane patient,
and describe its workings thoroughly.
These instructions were carried out,
and resulted in one of the most re-
nlarkable stories of its kind ever printed
in newspaper.
For three days "Nellie Bly," rehearsed
her part. She bought books on insanity
and studied carefully all its phases.
She stood in front of mirror with di-
sheveled hair, and practiced rolling her
eyes and comforting her features until
she felt that she had studied her part
well and knew it. 1t had been agreed
that she should remain in the asylum
for six days and then her release would
be secured. With her raiment disar-
ranged and the pretended glare of in
sanity in her eyes she wandered into a
police station, seemingly too much de-
mented to give anything more than her
name-Nellie Brown. Justice Patrick
Gavin Duffy committed her to Black
wells Island. aud on the following day
the newspapers contained accounts of
the mysterious young woman who uad
been found wandering in the streets,
with reason dethroned. DR.. Field. one
of the most eminent scientists in the
country, pronounced the patient to be
''hopelessly insane." Hundreds of vis-
itors came to see her, but none of them
could tell who the stranger was. On
the fifth day the patient made a narrow
escape from discovery. She had learned
to bear the scrutiny to which she was
subjected daily with tolerable COM
posure, and when on that day she was
touched on the shoulder by the nurse
and turned around she almost tainted.
There stood a Pittsburg newspaper man
who had known her we'll in her home.
He was then employed on New York
newspaper, and had been directed to in
vestigate the case of the mysterious
stranger. The recognition was mutual,
and the newspaper man was so aston
ished that he could't speak. He had no
idea that Nellie was Shamming, and
thought she had become suddenly in
sane. He was just on the point of max
ing the girls identity known when she,
,livining his purpose, got close up 10
him and whispered: Don't betray me;
will explain later" The visitor under