Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1896-11-27
REPoRToRIAL FUN.
How Seasoned Writer'S Make Merry
with a Newcomer.

VINO perpeJrateQ q nend1Sh Joke on
q raw recruit in their ranks last
week.
There is q press room in the Four
Courts 1t is furnished with a long
table, some chairs, telephone and
q. cuspidor which is much in de-
mand and not large enough to go
around. Here it is that the bright
young men who earn their bread by
the sweat of their pencils in addition
to the active exercise of their gray
matter, assemble to prepare copy.
Between written stories they inter
polate verbal ones which are more
or less edifying.
An afternoon paper sent o new
and not very brilliant represen Ia
tive on this detail on a recent Mon
day. The seasoned scribes took him
in ct glance and concluded that he
was new to the degf54 Of newness
described as raw. They would In
itiate him. This intention was con-
veyed by telegraphic exchange
from the battery of winks. There
was no further evidence of the plot
except an unnatural gravity on
every face but the round inquiring
one Of the new" young man.
The wickedest of the conspirators
answered the first telephone ring.
"Whatl Great gunsl You don't
mean it! Here, boys, here's the
story Of the century. Take the tip
carefully.
'tGo to 1876 Panther lane near
Manchester road" the chief of con-
spirators gravely repeated the mes
sage. 'There you will find a de-
serted house and in the rear and six
feet to the left Of an old stable you
will find the grave of five of the VIC
tins of Fl. H. Holmes, alias Mud
gett. They are Lydia Pinkham, DR..
TUFTS, Robert 1ngerson, Jim Cor
bett and John R. Palmer. The
news has come through a somnam-
bulist named John Thomas Brady.
Chief G. W. Durrant has detailed
Officers GALLAGHER and Roach on the
case"
There we're EXPLANATIONS of Won
der from everyone but the new
young man. He was speeches.
with establishment at the magnitude
OF the story.
"Wh-what shall do2' he gasped,
as the others began writing violent
ly. 1.-THE city editor told me to
stay here and get the news that
came from the police stations"
'Tf you can't hustle out and get
1t you'd better telephone your old
man SO that he can send some one
out to investigate it,"
The recruit acted according to in
structions, and when he returned to
the table he was perspiring at every
pore from the excitement of the ex-
traordinary occasion. His hand
trembled so that his long hand re-
sembled stenographic notes.
Late that afternoon a reporter
from the evening paper represented
by the new" young man requested
private audience with Chief Har-
rigan. He handed that official a
copy of the astonishing statement
received by telephone that after
noon.
what is there to it?" asked the
senior reporter.
The chief took the interlocutor's
mental and physical measurement.
What have you done about it?"
he inquired.
Il have spent three hours trying
TO find 1876 Panther lane, and can't
even find the lane," complained the
dispenser of rich and racy tid-bits of
news.
II wouldn't advise you to look
any further" said the chief, dryly.
'9There may be a Panther lane in
Chicago, but St. Louis lacks that
modern improvement. Somebody
has the lm-jams, and it looks as
though it were your city editor. -
St. Louis Repuhlic.