Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-06
A SPLENDID SCOOP,
Owing to Alcoholic Influence 1t Got
Into the Wrong Newspaper Office.

Owing to Alcoholic Influence 1t Got
Into the Wrong Newspaper Office.
Many funny things happen on a news
paper. A story was recently told star
writer, which may bear repetition. There
was a very excellent reporter at work on
one of the Chicago papers. This was some
three years ago. and the poor fellow Is
dead now, and has his little monument,
While one of the best reporters in the city,
like many another bright man of his craft,
he would now and then give way to drink.
On several occasions when he should have
been very sober he had chosen to lie very
drunk. and at last received warning from
the city editor that his next lapse would
mean his dismissal from the local force
Being a gentleman not very much in
clined to allow his work to interfere with
his drinking, he needed not the warning Of
his superior, and 1t not four days be-
fore he turned up for his assignments too
full for utterance. That settled it. The
city editor let him go. Still, so good man
was not apt to want a position long. He
promptly connected himself with the Tri-
bune.
The next day after he had left his former
paper he took an assignment on the Tri-
bune and departed in search of a story.
But he hadn't quite got over his spree and
on his way to the facts stopped inc;dental-
ly at restaurant for the purpose of being
refreshed. As very often occurs he became
SO much refreshed that he never left the
restaurant for the following twelve hours.
He utterly abandoned the assignment given
him by the city editor of the Tribune. and
put il his whole afternoon and evening
quafffng those drinkable things which cheer
and also fnebriate
1t fell out, however, that while abardon-
ing his assignment, big piece Of what
might be called "anarchistic news drifted
in to him. Chicago is always excited over
a story of anarchists and their dcings, and
while our friend was quafhng brown Octo-
Der ale some of his socialistic acquaint-
cd in md nfh ar tt.,fy,
matters told him a story of what was COM
ing to pass in local socialstic circles. 1t
was story which was calculated to make
a great sensation.
friends name, realized that he had hold Of
a big piece of news. He thought that were
he to write 1t up 1t might restore him to
that favor on the Tribune which he felt
certain that by falling down on his first as
signment he had forfeited forever. He got
half ream of the saloon keepers letter
paper and retiring to a beer table not
otherwise engaged he wrote his anarchist
story.
Then came the question of getting his
copy to the city editor without meeting
that func uonary face to face. Sandy did not
care to risk an interview, for he knew that
a glance of the eagle eye of the city editor
would inform that wise and experienced
person exactly how drunk he was. His
restoration must be worked through the
story, and the story's chance of sue ,ess
must not be jeopardzed by any pers, nal
interview with his superior.
Sandy. in a state of profound and crafty
meditation, wendell his way to the news
paper building. He turned in TO the bust
ness office and gave one of The boys behin1
the counter the copy" with Instructions
to send it up to the city editor He then
returned to the saloon and completed tie
evening.
The next morning Sandy arose with the
usual disagreeable feeling in his head
which attends late visitors at such places
OF the night before, and at once got a copy
OF the Tribune to note how his story had
been handled, and to infer what comfort he
could from it before going down to see the
city editor. A feeling of dull grief seized
him when his search through the paper dis
closed neither hide nor hair of his story.
Sandy was very much disappointed. and
mentioned as much to close friend of lis,
who also worked on the Tribune
Why said the close friend, Il saw Your
story in the -" being the paper from
which Sandy had been dismissed
And so 1t was. Sandy, foggy with the rut-
brown ale, had sought the wrong newspaper
not to the city editor of the Tribune, hut
to the city editor by whom he had lust
been dismissed. That intelligent official re-
garded the whole affair as a good joke He
knew Sandy's handwriting and saw at a
glance just how the mistake had been
made. But he ran the story just the same.
and made clean scoop on all the other
Chicago papers.
How Sandy managed to explain matters
at the Tribune office is not known His
excuses must however have been satis-
factory, for he worked there, and did splen-
Old work, too, until the day of his death