The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-04-15
THREE DAYS A REPORTER.
4 BsNKER,S STOHy or now HE CANE
TO RE 4 GREAT MIy.
without Knowing II lie Was n Precursor
of the journalism That Does Things,
but Was Not Appreciated and Proved
n uoodoo Worse Than Dynamite.

his eyes, rested his head on the hatnrr topped
back Of his Office chair and smiled. The rrport"r
stood waiting,
Your visit reminded me Of my own journalistic
experience" the great ma went On, opening his
eyes again. IT ought to b" published a a warn
Ing TO tho%a ambitious TO enter the newspaper
path to glory and those upon 1t and anxious TO
get on. And 1t ought to be- published for the
instruction thore Is In IL for the public on the poorly
understood subject Of the difficulties In the way
Of the correct and accurate presentation Of the
news"
Il never heard tina, you were In our line" said
the reporter.
Il was" replied the banker. and ! accomplished
much In the three DAYS If my journalistic career,
! think | am the pioneer Of thu new journalism.
According 10 its own d'hnilion Of itself II is the
journalism which does things, not content with
simply recording things. Well, that was exactly
my kind II journalism, and had no models for 1t
either. So you may set me- down rs the parent
Of the new journalism, but don't us" my name,
please"
Surely you could not accomplish much in
your three days"
Well, | did, though. II | hadnt | might be
a newspaper man still" The great man h r"
paused for a moment, while he rang a bill and
sent out a liv nriad Office attendant 10 have a new
edge put on his coupon clipping shears. "To
begin my story rightly" he continued, Il was
seized with journal tic fever som" twenty
years ago when | was a rrSid mi Of a city not
more than ten miles from the centre If the universe,
which il this Wall Street which We arr luoking
out upon. My father was n cl'Wyman there.
! was well connected, - years old. fairly educated,
favorably known. active, ambitious and temp rate,
with a liking for writing and Somr ability in the
proper handling Of thu English language. |
got a job on what will call ia" Morning GiOrp.
That name will do for the thousands who will
recall soma Of the facts I'll give you; they'll know
the pap r, right name,
There were a couple of German morning papers
in the place, and was chummy with a reporter
on one Of these for a good whil" before | got the
job. III cal, him Schmidt. This mans duty
was To- g. to the Court House and the county Offices
ey'ty afternoon and pick up such news a, might
come up after the afternoon papers fellows had
finished for tn" day, II was a great adva1tar"
to m To GO with him and learn WIN, the sources
OF news in that place were and now 10 make tn"
most of each. %accompani' ii him on That vi it
every afternoon for a whole w""k before | wa
add'd t. the staf Of In" Morning GiorN III"
was well known and we'll liked and he got a good
deal Of news. The man whom he used t. address
as Mr.. Sheriff and whom knew from that To-
b, Sheriff Johnson, va, v'ry good To- hin, and
~ was the gray haired Old chap whom lac used
u hail with, Hello, Mr.. County Clrtk,' and whom
I knew from that to b. County clcfa jon",.
Fortunately. a, it seemed Ia mo. tn" first a.
sgnmont the GlorgS city editor gay m" va to
e. to the court house and get interviews with tn"
Sh"rfT and County Clerk as to all cations Which
experts going over III" county h"kS had made
ab,at fees illagalIy collected by each, IN eI"r-
Non was approaching and III" Democrats had put
Che experts on the books for political reasons,
The two officers nam'd wer' Republicans and %
was tn Giory. Big with the trust r'poSed in
M. | fastened tn the Court House. r" Sheriff
was not there. That didn't matter 50 much
II | cuuld fad the Clerk, Nh, there I've was, conily
writing away at his big Ia ldSom" desk, with n
score or more clarkletS around him.
After greeting him Just as Sc" midt used 10 with
Hello, Mr. County Clerk and un being answered
IN kind, | attempted 10 get tie Ilier,leW But
he'd nothing to say In vain | pictured 10 him
that the wicked Democrats would be Just de,ig, ted
with his silence lie seemed To TANK WINS loE
ing He grew angfy So dill l. he, crate at
last began To- fire questions at him which | knew
would look bad for him in type with an i decline
tp-answcr' attachment lie ordered me out, but
| wouldn't GO, and when | then asked HIM b. stat"
as nearly as no could tie amount If lus stenIlngS
and the SheriG-, he seized his hat and left tie
o.ite III a rage.
Back To- tGe office ! wen, and wrote my story
The city editor gaSIed when he read IL was
called into the managing edit"fS uilcc Hnd queS
toned and eros, que,lIuied. Their" were lulE
consultations there ~ns, ie!cph"nirg T. clubs to
get a cnmmunlCatun with JuneS b. find out v We
might leave out the article without teIng tca,en
lie couldn't he found. Rep r'etN "er" sent ont +"
find him ~ use 1t midmg.d tie managing
editor decided t. print my story ANA he Mrpi" a
short edit rial saying that while the public would
not believe that tie fees had leen collected under
o mi taken Interpretation 4 laH VIZ Jones lad
done good to- neither the Republican larry ror
hlNre,f by hi, rettCen'c, aad thGi lie ought i'm
nciia,oly to rc-lgn hi, office ard re lgn from tie
Republican IerefHl committee, rs wells
1T was With te proud step Il o C"nQuerOr that
| entered the otice Ieyt afternoon. But they
didn't seem glad 10 Ne ne Without a sord the
city editor LAID IN my desk an extra which the
.Ners our nem"'r, Il" rival had cent out early
IN the morning. declaring tlat the Republican
perry was silIt IN twnln. with one faction using
the MORNING, GL'tg t. rum tie political future 4
.Ioies and all the ,IoreSlteS, rs Witness the wanton
attack on JuUe m that morning y ''iory, and the
bitter denial Of Mr Jones that he had been mter-
yIcHcd at all
"Men al desks rear me whispered aud Uttered
Enrarod politicians irDye up IN ,"b' md demanded
loudly Ia know whu had done the Nllainous deed
/ was half fralir walked over l. the city
editor, Dlll'el ON u nm WIN U'lnbllilg nlSP[
the Jones' interview IN the Nelw and IN a checked
voice said III make hIm swallow those words
or swallow the rar"r' Thea dashed out Of the
| Office and headed for tie Court iluue
AS live. tier" le was at Ia, hg handsome
desk, serencly Writing | went up to him without
| a word # SalurhtIon, and laylrg down tie Ncrs
| on the desk irt re hln, demanded hcr'e,y Did
you give TINT InteryieT'
ale read II with eHasl Grating ~cGlmneSs, shook
hi head and lp,"ch AT ne with n uk IT amaze
ment and innocence Then he glanced ~ tie
i~eidline, Why, this says Mr jones gave 1t out
Hes the me y"l want T. See he SnId
me, esleCaliy %fon a Ing man, walked out of an
iuner oiAce and wNN address ed by my County
/ Clerk as Mr Jones and informed that was
ire fellow from TIE Morning Hlory, ,
"Nel, .io e. Was sdSt curious about how il bad
! hap 'ued. When tod Lin he laug'rd and
, iaug ed and r AIRED lie gave me n cignr. too
lie l,vcd q ike, J,Ses did, but II IT we'd a ,eriouS
iose r him, ir the re,aratun which We
made the revt morning did him ~ good, and he
was ruined fr life IN politics.
Now TINT shows that ordinary care won't
do in the work 81 the %rcp"rer Nnyh'dy may
Ieranaie anot' ~ to HIM lnosutly 81 with
Wrongful intent They sccmed a. understand
tAat On tie ''IorN AID tley gave me- another
chance. IIechAn'e vas ripe that very Afteru,'l,
1t was anot cr opportunity t" Distinguish myself
and | did it,
"N hnt wa, II this tune asked the rep rter
J succeeded IN establishing n danrd"rly house
replied he greet wa0 W hat munld they say
in Ia" Rescue Society, the Vice E1aCpm"nt As
ISOLATION and other such UNIONS IN which | am
prominent II thov hrL heard Of that statement with
out xlIannton' iva, thIsway ArrsrrctaSin.
iOOrIn- Old man who ,pOIe but imperfect English
had called To- enlist III" aid If the Morning Giorp
III the good work OF stopping the iOH of revenue
from law brra serS 10 the Police DEPARTMENT
II they would give hun . reporter be- would get
a sworn allegation for that reporter from n person,
now r"p'ntani aud reformed, who had paid such
blaCkmnIl, and would oNoos" the whole process
! Of assessment C'.."ruou AID protection and 50 on.