Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-05-09
WROTE BIG STORIES
A REPORTER WHO WAS A Ro'
MANceR OF GREAT ABILITY.

That startled People The Pioneer 81
Glass That T. More Common To-day.
Crowley was a redhradcl. freckled
faced Irishman. He had tho greatest
imagination that | ever knew Of. aud
could express himself ilucntly and grace
fully. lie turned the quiet city Of Roch
ester upside down more than once by
his imaginary stories. lie worked along
about 1850. perhaps n little before.
When he came 10 work he WIS put o.
the regular apprentice lines, but soon
showed that he was too good man h
be- kept clubbing around after mortuary
notices and nthtr truck Of that kind.
lie had u genius for writing imaginary
stories and locating them somewhere
with the invariable effect Of causing
people to flock to the place where nj.
fairy tale was alleged 10 have happened.
One night. when ncws was dull, the
city editor told Crowley 20 write u story
Of some kind about column in length
to help FIJI up. Crowley sat down ut his
dcsk and ground ont tale about thrill.
Ing experience that he had In the north
ern part Of the city which ran like this.
llc was walking down IN that purt a
tho city when ho heard the bell In one
Of tho stoeples near by clang. Il was
late at night, and he wondered nt IL aud
straightway proceeded TO investigate.
lie found the door Of the church stand.
ing wide open and went In.
Just az he entered the bell rang again,
aud 10 heard noise up In the stecple
He started 10 climb up, aud when hc
ncarcd the top an enormous rock came
crashing down through the stairway
and nearly struck him. lie climbed far.
thor, aud another rock came down At
last ho reached tho top, where h. found
an escaped maniac, and after a deeper.
ate struggle ovorpowcrcd him. Absurd
as that story WIS, thousands Of people
went down 10 that church on the next
morning prompted by that insane curl.
osity that makes people flock to the
scene of any crime or casualty.
The success NJ this story gave Crow.
ley a cue, and It wasn't long until tho
community was shocked beyond meas.
uro by tho details Of u horrible murder
committed on a canal boat tied up at
Fairport, which g. littln village ten
mile, from Rochester aud on tho Eric
canal. The crime was described with a
minu,cncE. aud the names oi the boat
and the man numbered aud everything
given with such apparent cnndor that
the police officer, Of Rochester woro
amazed next morning 10 think that they
| had not heard OF It before. and detail
of men was sent IN the spot to inyo,ti.
gate. When they got there there was
nothing 10 investigate, aud Crowley got
uut Of the scrapo Ia some way or other
best known IN himself.
His most famous story was the next
one; that Is 10 say. the next big one, for
he was continually writing special arti.
clcs. Foropaugh'- circus came to ROches-
ter one summer, aud on the night Of the
show " brilliant idea struck Crowley.
lie went 10 work, and ia couple Of
huura evolved story about the escape
of the rhinOccrOs from the circus. He
told graphically how Il broke out u it,
cage, goroI u couple Of keepers aud
started for Lake Ontario. lie located
I this story on the Brinlor farm, which
was then comparatively little settled
| portion of the city down In the north.
ern part. He told Of tho chase that the
circus men and residents Of that section
made after the animal. and described It's
actions. He wrote n paragraph or two
ON tho damage that the immense beast
had done to property aud cloqucntly por
trayed tho suifcrings Of number Of
horses that It ripped up.
The whole story was over two columns
long and made q great sensation. People
1ockcd down 10 the Brinkcr farm 10 SEQ
tho ground on which the brute did It's
bloody work. and while they foundnoth.
lug, Crowley squand himself by PRINT
ing another story the next day telling "
it, capture. and US the circus was milof
away nobody knew whether Il was trut
or not. This story WIS copied into every
paper In the country, and IL gave old
Adam Forcpaugh tremendous amount
Of free advertising. The old man was
immensely tickled with II aud deter.
mined 10 make use Of Crowley.
one night the rclhcadcd youth sailcd
into the office after his evening assign.
mcnt aud WIS told to do something OF
other by the city editor lie started
down stairs TO tho street and was met
by u messenger boy, who handed him a
telegram. II read. Come TO Philadel.
phia mt once 10 80 ahead Of my show
around tho world.' and was signed by
Adam Forcpaugh. Crowley started in.
mediately for Philadelphia. without
even waiting To 20 back into the oiiico
and resign. He went around the world
ahead Of the show, was gone three years
or more, aud one afternoon walked into
the city room and said to the city editor
"lf you don't mind, III so out aud finish
TINT assignment now"
Bright as he was, Crowley was disi.
pated and died within comparatively
short time after his return from his trip
around the world. As a writor Of purely
imaginary stories that read like Gospel
truth and Us tho inventor Of schemes 10
I'LL up paper with sensational matter,
Crowley has never been equaled in tn
state to my knowledge. II he h
taken care Of himself he would ha
been earning big money today on so
METROPOLITAN paper.-lnteryiew in d Il
Ialo rxUross,
When meteors or other bodies up.
proach too near the sun they are drawn
into it and swallowed up. a great dis.
turbance Of the suns atmosphere cnsues.
IntpIv gpfnp nst rnuonars who vvars tall