The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-02-02

a so-called prominent citizen He admit
ted that he had been intoxicated and
one eye was in mourning as the result
of an Intellectual attempt to whip a po-
liceman who had advised him to go
home The prominent citizen had been
fined $50 because the case was an aggra-
waited one and perhaps for the better
reason that he was too much humll1ateO
to bring influence to bear in his own be-
half But the judge had volunteered Oh
his own motion to keep the name off the
docket.
This would ruin me- explained the
victim to TownIey. My wife couldn't
stand it. Here is $40 to buy something
for yourself and cigars for the boys, but
please say nothing about this trouble
Townley could never explain why he
reached out his hand and took the mon
ey, but on his way to the office that $40
bill made him most uncomfortable. 1t
seemed as large as a quart can. When
he reached the office he walked straight
to the city editor and told him the whole
story and at the same time placed the
SO bill upon his desk.
The city editor said nothing to Town
ley but reaching for a sheet of paper he
wrote the following note to the promi-
nent citizen:
Mr.. J. E. e.
THE Herald doesn't suppress news.
and the reporter accepted your money
this morning under Misrepresentation
and without knowing that an attempt
had been made to bride him. Enclosed
yours truly -
s'City Editor
The editor then turned to the reporter
Write the story" was all he said.
memory book, which was as follows:
''The man who gets into trouble should
weigh the consequences beforehand. in
stead Of trusting to the newspapers to
shield him and protect his reputation"
Townley learned many things in the
courts. He found that court officials
were aggravatingly reticent when Mr..
w. prominent politician, sued his wife
for a divorce, and would go to almost
any length to keep the information from
finding it's way to the reporters note
book, while in the case of a drayTnan,
the official was just as anxious to give
the reporter all the information at hand
as he was in the other case to prevent
him from securing the facts. He also
learned that lying to reporters is not
considered a sin, and that this rule even
extended to z minister who performed a
midnight wedding ceremony for
couple who hoped to keep the facts from
the public He learned that he must
fight for all his important news items
because there is always some one who
is interested IN having them kept out Of
the papers.
The conffdence of the young man in
human nature had been slowly crunb-
ling. and occasionally it had been
knocked off in chunks, and there was
little of il left when he was transferred
from the court beat to politics.
Here was a new field for Townley. He
found an entirely changed condition.
for he was fairly overwhelmed by peo-
pie who wanted to give him news or
what they called news. The politician
who wants an of7ce-and there are few
politicians who do not-xnows that he
must keep before the public. Items like
the following were frequently dictated
to the young reporter:
John Smith, prominent citizen Of
Sweet Springs. is in the city. In the
campaign which has Just closed he de-
voted all his time and much money to
the cause of his party, and it was large
ly through his efforts that his county
returned such a large majority. It is
TI1naored that he may be persuaded to
accept a. position in the grain inspection
department
BY this time Townley was almost able
to tell when he was being worked. and