New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-28
4 MOST CONVINCING ARG UMENT
THE ARDoR OF A REPORTER CARRIES HIM INTO
TICKIIsH DEBATE.

THE ARDoR OF A REPORTER CARRIES HIM INTO
T1CKLIsH DEBATE.
penortors often find themselves in queer SITUATIONS
and in UNPLEASANT localities while hunting TOT news
Their contact with the seamY side OF nc 'oo' Hia"es
most OF them skcptical and apt 70 ASH announcement
ouestions One of them was detailed Tie oV'ei u"S
n follow up one particular cew to the idenuty oi
New York's "Jack the Ripper" lmS' " 'So "
him was the opportunity of his life He had f'hg
hrd for some chance to distinguish himself 70 raise
himself above the level OF the many other young rel
lows who write for tens Of thousands OF readers o
after month"; without the big world being even aware
~ their existence. So he got himself e4cusod nun
daily attendance at the Office and dressing hiinSe III
approprIate clothes, applied for situation as oar
tenders assistant in several low rum-shops "'"i 'no
soore ~ the murder Here he hoped to near some
..s,,on aronr the drunken seamcn and aban-
sad women who consorted there which could be Oh
use to him and to his paper 81,
He had not long TO walt. AS ne onoreu ~
scrvices for a week, without other remuneration "'
the chance Of learning how TO pour OUT anu niA ''0
posonous liquors sold there. he had htue trouoo ~
getting Job His duties were 10 peglh carry ne
,,orn,no and last far into the night He spent the
whole day, with brief intervals for meals "aSiis
glasses rolling kegs, wping the bar, sweeping 'he
eoor watching the free lunch and keeping his temper
,,,o tho bartender and the dirty customers orueeu
him about and occasionally swOre at him. HIS heai'
almost failed him three times ana MS s'oia0n
ZOO hut he wrestled down the inclination 10 tnro" p
the lob and determined to see 1t out.
As the night began 10 grow. old motley
crowd gathered In the barroom and the pau
uopor soon made their tongues gaTr'uous
snro enough. the chief theme OF conVersstiOh
wac lack the Ripper and his terrible deed Ihe To
norter pricked ND his ears All he heard however,
was what had already been told in the newspapers le
hashed in thieves jargon and badly mutllated In the
telling. o., =,
There was one particularly truculentlooKnB oiu
sailor with rings in his and big scar across MS
cbeel, broken nose and cross-eyed, who boldly al
vanced as his own a theory OF the crime which nah
heen published by a writer who had TO I'LL so much
snooe or resign and had been skifully exploded the
very next day by the same reporter VINO was no"
recommending as a bartender It's the same man as
scared all Lunnon, tell yer" said the sailor WIN an
OATH al knows his work, cross made Win cnalA
somewhere near the corpse. seed 1t mysen on inc
door-post Of the room, this very day.
INT was that mark there when the police hrst
searched the room ?" broke in the reporter none Oh
them saw Il and they searched thoroughly. was IL
not after the body taken away and the PUBIC "ere
allowed to sec the room that the cross appearcn
Don't YOU think some put 1t there Tor trich'
do"
The bic rnfiian stared his astonislment al any one
daring to differ from him. Slowly drawing long,
Keen r,onted knife from his bosom, he tried the point
On his dirty thumb-na and rising, advanced toward
tha renorter saving as le did So You DOUBT my
word Won Young cur You'll be calling me Iar
nexti I'm not pretty to look at, ana oOn wa
store clothes but Pm gentleman, am, ana II any
one doubts it-just doubts II hule Dlt-Ius' uoh'
believe IT, n nSnr eI had fed away into the dark street
h.tore The sentence was completed. lie never returned
to express his doubts or beliefs