San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-10-27
THE DESK THAT SPOKE.


/ had just hung up the receiver
OF the telephone. There was no
news at the police station. The
ring up of that institution did not
imply that was looking for any.
thing new. 1t was Just the GUS
tom OF the man on the "late
watch" to keep in touch, either
through personal visits, or tele-
phone connection, with the CEN
trail station. I had done fair
share of work during the day and
was not particularly anxious
to set out post haste after some
half column story that at this
late hour OF the night had to be
boiled down to a few "sticks."
This late watch business gets
lonesome once in a while. The
city editor shuts up his desk about
l o'clock in the morning and
leaves the reporter assigned to
the watch, to take care Of the
town until the paper goes to
press. When che night is fair, the
task is not so bad. The slate
man" visits the central and sub
police stations, drops in at all
night drugstores, for chat with
the clerk, rambles among the all
night resorts generally; in fact
makes it a point, to meet as many
different people as possible, for
that, after all, Is the secret OF sue
cess in reportorial work.
But when the night is drizzly
and the walks are covered with
slush and mud, he keeps in con-
tact with the various news GEN.
tiers by a liberal use Of the tele.
phone. Then it is that time hangs
heavy on his hand; that he be-
gins to yawn, and soon falls
asleep in the comforts of lean
back chair.
On this particular night | strug-
gled valiantly against the seduc-
tive nod, but at last succumbed.
With my arm on the rickety
desk and my head on my arm
l was soon peacefully asleep.
Not long had been in that con-
dition when ] was interrupted.
The desk on which 1 was resting
my head began to cough, look at
me and otherwise try to attract
my attention, so as to enter into
conversation.
"You are a funny desk" says
l, "you don't mean to say that you
can talkw
30 yes, l talk. If you can retain
only one-half of what I can tell,
you could fix up spicy Sunday
story"
'That's strange" says 1 in soli-
loquy, "who ever heard of adesk
talking. Where are such desks as
you made~
30, / was taken out Of a furni-
ture store in st. Louis and set up
to do service in the reporterial
rooms of morning paper there.
That is just what 1 wanted to
tell you. It's an interesting
story. Get your pencil and pad
and take it down as / give it:
"There was rush with the pa
per. The big fair had just opened
and an extra man was added to
the local force. The extra man
did not get me, as an old hand,
taking some sort of fancy to me,
moved his papers and books out
of his place and took possession
Of me. He was queer sort Of
fellow, and bore the reputation Of
having remained in the papers
service for nearly year and
half, which was a longer time by
nearly year than any reporter
had seen on that paper for years.
This was rather strange, for al
though he was an able all around
man and knew almost every hook
and crook in st. Louis, yet his
vivid Imagination made him
considerably unreliable. He was
one of those fellows who sought
to make his graphic style and
vivid imagination relieve him Of
much Of the physical work neces
sary to gather the details for his
tory. Yet he was an observant sort
OF fellow and through his gift OF
reaching logical conclusions and
a streak Of phenomenal good
luck, he had so far escaped max.
ing what in newspaper parlance
is called serious 'bulls.n
"There has been a murder at No.
Olive Street." said the city editor
one night to him. coleman
has all that he can do. Get back
with the story as soon as you
can"
"The man finished the para
graph that he was writing, and
then set out after the story.
"When the reporter entered the