The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-03-22
sCRUBBINs' MAIDEN SCOOP.
Things Went Somewhat Wrong and 1t
Didn't Pan Out Well.

Things Went Somewhat wrong and 1t
Didn't Pan Out Well.
"Talking about scoops" said an old news
paper man at the Press Club the other night,
"did you ever hear of Scrubbins S maiden effort
in that directions Well, when Scrubbins
first strayed into town from the farm, after
having been the Bugle Hollow correspondent
of the Times for seven months, he was just
aching in every bone for glory. He got job
doing police and general work on the Times,
and he worked with tremendous zeal il not
with a great deal of discretion. The fact
that most of his copy was fired into the waste
basket and the remainder appeared in the
paper in such shape that he could hardly
recognize it had a depressing effect on him,
and he wrote long protests to the city editor
about the matter Still the slaughter of
Scrubbins's slickest bits of descriptive work
and impassioned editorializing continued, and
Scrubbns decided by some magnificent
coup to win not only TIE respect of the city
editor but to compel his admiration. He got
this idea from Clarkson, the old court re-
porter, who occasionally got on big spree,
but was otherwise an easy-going, pious sort
of cuss, and interested himself in fatherly
sort of way in the youthful genirses on the
force. Clarkson agreed to help Scrubbins
with a scheme by which Scrub could win un-
dying fame by getting big scoop for the
paper. For days they clawed the exchanges
over in search of an idea, for neither of them
was very original. At last they found what
they thought was just the thing in an Eastern
paper. 1t was sensational account of a
Journalist who disguised himself as a 'vag' and
got himself sent to the work house, the man
agement of which was popularity supposed to
be rotten He found matters as he had ex-
pected, and when he got out he wrote a heart
rending account of the brutal treatment of
the inmates that caused the biggest kind of
sensation.
"This article fired the soul of Scrubbins
who instantly proposed that he should under
take similar experiment with our local
work-house, and Clarkson agreed to help him.
1t was agreed that Scrub should fix up as
tramp and loaf around the streets until he was
arrested and consigned to the island as
'vag' After he had remained there two or
three days Clarkson was to appear before the
police judge and pay his fine and get him out
"The next move was to induce the city edi-
tor to grant him leave of absence, but fearing
that if the real purpose of his demands were
known he would be refused, Scrub concealed
the motive, promising that if he were allowed
the desired few days he would return with
gigantic scoop, such as would readily cover
both himself and paper with undying glory.
On condition that he did return with such an
item the leave was given him, and with
joyous heart he set about his mission. Scrub
was soon disguised as tramp, and, of course,
had no difficulty in getting arrested and sent
to the work house for two weeks.
"Meanwhile at the Office things pursued
their usual course until the expiration of the
leave granted Scrub. Then the city editor
began to wonder what had become of Scrub,
and no doubt hoped some one had abducted
him. And just about this time old Clarkson
broke away and got on one of his periodical
sprees, forgetting all about Scrubbins
Zone day the door of the editoral-rooms
opened slowly and ragged figure appeared
He was instantly advised to get out, but lin
gered until it was thought necessary to order
him thrown out. Then he hastily disclosed
his identity 1t was Scrub. The gruesome
tale came out, accompanied by shouts and
roars of laughter. He had spent his two
weeks in assisting the municipality to pay for
his board by some very heavy labor, and,
worst of all, Scrub was forced to admit that
our work-house was well. managed institu-
tion.
''By and by Clarkson strolled in about half
shot. The meeting between him and Scrub
bins was one of the greatest tragicomic scenes
ever witnessed on any stage. Clarkson al
most dropped dead when he recognized Scrub
bins and the recollections of what he had not
done swept over him. Scrub reproached him
more sorrowfully than angrily, for his spirit
was broken by two weeks of work-house fare
and labor. But Clarkson declined to be for
given and started on fresh spree in his re-
morse. As for Scrubbins, he settled down to
the ordinary grind of police reporting with
the wings of his ambition close-clipped and no
longer thirsted for glory except in
homeopathic doses.n