Los Angeles herald., 1890-08-18
A Tale of Peril told by a
Reporter
Who was Worked Harder Than
Il Government Mule.
An Incident in the Career of a
Bad Man
Who Finally had to Sweep the Streets in
the Changing of New Mexico
Town.


give up the hard task of showing pen
Gil for their living were seated in lit
tie room, connected with Spring
street resort, cooling themselves with
lemonades made out of appolinaris,
with stick in them and filling the air
with the fragrant smoke of imported
cigars-from Chinatown. The talk
drifted into the subject of the trials of a
newspaper reporters life and the dan
gers to which he is exposed for fearlessly
publishing the news he has collected.
Some narrow escapes were related.
Judging from the meaning glances of
the listeners and the way in which they
nudged each other at each yarn it was
evident that they knew their own pro-
pensity and placed but little credit in
each others stories of peril. But they
were good humored and as each new
speaker received the same amount Of
palpable incredulity, honors remained
even and there came no kick. AT last
one of them who had not yet had a
chance to turn loose, offered to tell one
of his experiences, and as he at the
same time rang the bell for the cigars,
he naturally got the floor. His narrow
escape he told in this wise:
"a number of years ago l was down
in New Mexico. l won't tell you the
name of the town, but the facts l am
going to narrate are nevertheless true.
There were two papers in the town, one
an evening and the other a morning
paper. was on the latter, and l have
never worked harder in my life than
while / was there. l was city editor,
reporter, collector, solicitor, telegraph
editor and proof-reader combined, and
if | had not sworn big oath to the pro-
prietor that | would on no account turn
the handle of his old press, he would
have made me crank editor too. Oh !!
that man was the meanest cuss l ever
had to deal with. When pay day came
he always wanted to give me few
orders on tradesmen, restaurants or
hotels and fill up the balance with Mex
lean dollars which were called adobes.
l used to stay up till the paper went to
press, and then retired in the corral
back of the printing office to take sleep
on an old door over which a mat
had been thrown. 1t was useless to re-
tire to room as the thermometer at 3
and 4 O'Clock in the morning registered
over one hundred degrees Fahrenheit.
About 8 O'Clock in the morning the
heat and the flies woke me up again,
and after taking a bath, dressing and
getting breakfast, was on the rustic
once more for nv heartless boss.
"Talk about blazes l had all the
blazes I wanted at that time and mind
you, came from Gods country, South
ern California-before | struck this all
fired Job and that baking oven of a
country.
"Well, there l was with orders on
grocers, and handme-down clothing
stores, and a few adobe dollars
that regularly went to the faro games
as soon as the old skinfint would
give up. 1 was trying to make stake
to skip, but it was no use couldn't
make it. was down on my luck.
1.-THE evening paper was run by a
manly fellow, who employed plenty of
help in the front Office, and paid cash
on pay day. OF course his staff wouldn't
leave him, and | couldn't get in there,
try as l might.
Gust about that time, worthless
fellow who wore his hair middling long
and dressed in complete velveteen suit
struck the town. He was good deal Of
buffer and braggart, and had unlim-
tied cheek. He boozed up every
time he could, and then became very
nasty and offensive. He swindled sew
eral people out of money by means of
bogus rings-a regular confidence opera
tor, he was. He did a number of other
things which earned him trouble,
and he was "burned up" by the two
papers lots of times, but he didn't seem
to mind that at all. His great trick
when drunk was to enter a hotel go
upstairs, or wherever else there were
rooms, and if he found door open he
just walked in, locked the door and
went to bed, boots and all, until morn
ing. 1t was no use for the proprietors
and the walters to knock at the door
when the right guest wanted to get in.
The drunkard would not open for any
one. In the morning he was generally
successful in making sneak
'This fellow had got to be known by
the pleasing alias of 'Velveteen Socks,
and it so happened that the name riled
him terribly.
"Well, forget what he had been doing
this time, but the evening paper gave
him terrible raking over, which set him
in towering rage when he found it out.
Of course, he Immediately started off ON
drunk, and by the time that he
felt fighting mad, he turned up
at our Office where L was perspiring
and doing the work of four men-It was
about half past eleven and there
were no people on the street. The
printers were away to lunch, if 1 reccol
lect Alright, and when l saw that wild
beast coming in did not feel comfort
able. l saw he was drunk and I knew
he was armed. My pop was in the
drawer of the table at which was writ
ing and there was no chance to pull it
out now.
'Velveteen Socks staggered up to
me and said: young TELLER, the even
ing paper has abused me terrible, and
they must take it back, dye hear? l
am going to give you my answer and
YOU see It comes out in the morning,
that's ALL" But, said l, they were
the agressors, wouldn't it be more to
the point for you to take your answer to
them and make them publish it? That
is the proper way"
81 had no sooner said that than he
pulled out A ong-barreled, self-cock-
ing Smith and Wessen and held it up
against my ear. was paralyzed!
You blank, blank, blank, you put
that in or I'll shoot off the top of your
head, right here and right now
Since it is your desire, cannot re-
sist your argument, I'll do it with pleas